Spinach stuffed shells in a spicy arrabbiata sauce is the feel-good-home-cooked meal you are looking for. It’s warm, cheesy, saucy with a little bit of a kick. A little spice you didn’t know you needed or missed all this time with regular stuffed shells.
Stuffed shells are great all year ’round. Light and comfort. It really hits the spot after the day in the pool and it’s an ideal holiday dish. It’s the perfect chameleon of weeknight dinners.
Frozen Chopped Spinach
This recipe uses frozen chopped spinach. The best way to thaw frozen spinach is let it slowly defrost in the refrigerator. To speed defrost, let it sit on the counter in the kitchen.
A tip, if the frozen chopped spinach comes in a paper wrapped, cardboard box, it may leak! Place it in a bowl or on a plate before defrosting to prevent the mess.
For this recipe, don’t worry if it is not fully thawed out, if you pull it out of the refrigerator and it is only partially defrosted, you can still add it to the pan it will all work out!
Arrabbiata Sauce
Arrabbiata sauce is a pasta red sauce that has the perfect little kick of spice. Made with tomatoes, garlic and dried red chili peppers it is so delicious and makes these cheesy spinach stuffed shells so amazing.
I use a store bought sauce, and the brands that I truly love are Thrive (but this requires a monthly subscription to Thrive.com) and Carbone, admittedly twice as expensive but it’s good!. I am not working with these brands, they are just the ones I like so far.
Spinach Stuff Shells – Ingredients
This recipe has very familiar ingredients, the way these ingredients come together really makes the best flavors that when baked together make the most irresistible spinach stuffed shells.
Jumbo Pasta Shells – cooked al dente. I always make the whole box, this leaves a few extra just in case they are broken.
Shallot and Garlic – my current two favorites. Shallot, garlic and spinach are a match made in heaven, to die for.
Frozen Chopped Spinach – I love to use frozen spinach for this recipe. If you have fresh spinach, you can use that too! Just remember fresh spinach will wilt down so you will need to use enough to make about 1 1/2 cups of cooked spinach. I also recommend roughly chopping the cooked spinach so that it is easier to bite into later.
Shredded Mozzarella and Provolone Cheese – Most of the time I highly recommend off the block cheese, it melts the best and tastes the best, however there are a ton of store-bought shredded cheese that come in a mozzarella and provolone mix and I’m here for it to make this recipe cheaper and easier.
Parmesan Cheese – this is best off the block. Melted pre-shredded Parmesan cheese will be too oily on top of the spinach stuffed shells.
Ricotta – Creamy, delicious and I can eat it by the spoonful. This ingredient is essential.
Arrabbiata Sauce – Made with tomatoes, garlic and dried red chili peppers it is so delicious and makes these cheesy spinach stuffed shells so amazing.
Spinach Stuffed Shells (in a spicy Arrabbiata Sauce)
Ingredients
- 12 oz Jumbo Shells Pasta
- 1 TBSP Olive Oil
- 1 Shallot - small diced
- 1-2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 10 oz Frozen Spinach - thawed
- 4 Garlic Cloves - minced
- 15 oz Ricotta
- 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella
- 1 cup Shredded Provolone Cheese
- 24 oz Arrabbiata Pasta Sauce
- 1 TBSP Italian Seasoning
- ¼ cup Shredded off the block Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 305F
- Cook the Jumbo Shells accordingly to the package directions until al dente.12 oz Jumbo Shells Pasta
- In a pan over medium heat, add the olive oil, diced shallot and salt. Sauté until soft and fragrant, about 1 minute.1 TBSP Olive Oil, 1 Shallot - small diced, 1-2 tsp Kosher Salt
- Drain and add in the thawed frozen spinach and garlic. Cook together until the spinach is infused with garlic and shallot flavors and the dish is fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat.10 oz Frozen Spinach - thawed, 4 Garlic Cloves - minced
- In a bowl, add the ricotta, mozzarella cheese and provolone cheese. Mix until combined. Add in the spinach. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated.1 cup Shredded Mozzarella, 1 cup Shredded Provolone Cheese, 15 oz Ricotta
- In the bottom of the casserole dish, pour about half of the jar of arrabbiata sauce.24 oz Arrabbiata Pasta Sauce
- Using a spoon, scoop and stuff the cooked shells with the spinach mixture.
- Once the stuff shells are stuffed, sprinkle on about 1 TBSP of Italian seasoning.1 TBSP Italian Seasoning
- Pour on the remainder of the arrabbiata sauce, sprinkle on the shredded Parmesan cheese and cover with foil.¼ cup Shredded off the block Parmesan cheese
- Bake at 350F for 35 minutes and remove the foil. Bake at 425F for 10 minutes. You can put it back in and start the timer as the oven temperature rises, until piping hot and bubbly.
Nutrition
Make it ahead of time
If you want to prep ahead – prep the shells by following steps 1 – 9, cover with foil and refrigerate for up to 12 hours.
Or make ahead and freeze. Let it thaw out for 24 hours in the refrigerator and then bake according to the recipe (it may take a little longer).
