I absolutely love to make my cheesy stuffed shells loaded with ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, spinach, marinara, and savory Italian sausage. It's a meal that can satisfy anyone's hunger making it a go-to family favorite dinner. Since everyone in my house loves ricotta filling, I make my stuffed shells with LOTS of extra cheese filling. Yum!
See all my best Italian recipes using my tasty salsa di pomodoro, spicy arrabbiatta sauce, or classic marinara.
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Once upon a time, the only Italian-style dish I made regularly for myself and the family was spaghetti bolognese. And it's still a favorite for me (closely followed by my million-dollar spaghetti casserole).
My husband's favorite is lasagna, but our daughter Lauren just loves these stuffed shells!
🥘 Ingredients
- Jumbo Shells - An essential component to making this recipe. Be sure to cook the pasta just enough to be al dente. Overcooked shells tear easily!
- Italian Sausage - Completely optional, but the rich, savory flavor makes this pasta dish an (almost) complete meal. Just add my wedge salad and your dinner is served.
- Marinara Sauce - Or use my homemade arrabbiatta, salsa di pomodoro, or pasta sauce to make your shells.
- Ricotta - The base of the cheese filling for stuffed shells. Use enough to fill all of your pasta shells (see notes).
- Mozzarella - The melty part of the cheese mixture that adds bulk and a great mild flavor.
- Parmesan - Choose a high-quality wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano when making delicious Italian recipes.
- Baby Spinach - Fresh, chopped baby spinach adds vibrant color and flavor to the cheese filling mixture.
- Eggs - Warm your eggs to room temperature before combining them with the cheese filling to add richness and bind everything together.
- Basil - Fresh basil, washed and chopped. I prefer small, baby leaves for my basil if available.
- Salt - Just a bit, to taste. There's a considerable amount of salty flavor in the cheese and sausage, so start with less and add more.
Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!
🔪 How To Make Stuffed Shells with Spinach & Italian Sausage
My easy stuffed shells may have a few steps, but the process moves along quickly! You'll need a baking dish, a large pot, and colander for boiling the pasta, a skillet for browning the sausage and mixing it into the pasta sauce, plus a grater, mixing boil, and spatula.
Stuffed shells with sausage and spinach can be served as a complete meal and will yield approximately 8 servings with a side salad or some veggies.
Prep & grease your dish. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5) and lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan or a 3+ quart dish.
Prepare The Meat Sauce
Cook and crumble the meat. Brown the 1 pound (453.59 grams) Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, crumbling while it cooks. Drain off the excess grease if needed when done.
Add sauce. Pour the 24 ounces (680.39 grams) of marinara into your skillet of browned sausage and stir to combine.
Add a layer. Spread a 1-1½ cup portion of the meat sauce over the bottom of your greased baking dish.
Cook The Pasta Shells
Boil the pasta. Cook the 12 ounces (453.59 grams) of jumbo pasta shells according to the package instructions while browning the Italian sausage. Drain and rinse in cool water, then set aside.
Combine Cheese Filling Mixture
Make the cheese filling. In a medium mixing bowl add the 16-32 ounces (454-880 grams) of ricotta cheese, the first portion of 3-4 cups (168 grams) mozzarella cheese, ½ cup (50 grams) Parmesan cheese, 2 cups (60 grams) baby spinach, 2 large (100 grams) beaten eggs, ¼ cup (6 grams) fresh basil, and 1 teaspoon salt (to taste).
Stir well. Mix until well combined and the spinach is evenly distributed in the filling.
Stuff The Shells & Bake
Stuff the shells. Spoon or pipe the cheese mixture into the cooked pasta shells then transfer the stuffed shells to your prepared baking dish.
Topping. Pour the remaining meaty pasta sauce over the assembled stuffed shells, then sprinkle the second portion (168 grams) of shredded mozzarella cheese over the dish.
Cover. Cover with foil or a lid and bake at 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5) for 15 minutes.
Uncover and let brown. Remove the foil or lid and brown for the last 10-15 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and golden.
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Make your shells extra cheesy. I use much more ricotta cheese for my filling as I find that 15-16 ounce containers will not make enough filling for a full dish of shells. If I have extra filling, I just spoon it around the stuffed shells to use it all up.
- Egg Allergy Options. If you need to omit the egg in the ricotta filling, simply squeeze out as much excess moisture as possible from the ricotta cheese. Use a cheesecloth to wrap the ricotta in for this. You can also bundle the ricotta in cheesecloth and tie it off, then let it set in a colander over a bowl to drain.
- Don't fully cook the shells. Any time you are going to bake pasta, you should cook it 1-2 minutes shy of al dente, as I do here. The shells will finish cooking to perfection in the oven.
- Use a spoon or piping bag. You can easily fill the shells with a spoon or a piping bag. Try not to over-stuff them, or the filling will spill out of the shells as they bake. I use about 1.5-2 tablespoons of ricotta filling per shell.
- Excellent for potlucks. Using a disposable foil pan makes these stuffed shells a perfect entree for potlucks. You could even double the recipe for larger crowds
>>>See All Of My Tasty Recipes Here!<<<
🥡 Storing
Once cooled, transfer the stuffed shells and sauce to a sealed storage container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days.
Freezing
Stuffed shells with spinach and sausage make for a great freezer-ready meal! You can freeze the baked stuffed shells and reheat them, or freeze them un-baked and let them thaw in the fridge before baking as directed above.
Reheating
Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave, or you can cover them and reheat in a baking dish at 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5) for 15-20 minutes.
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📖 Recipe Card
Stuffed Shells with Spinach and Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 12 oz jumbo pasta shells (approximately 24 shells, cooked)
- 1 lb Italian sausage
- 24 oz marinara (or pasta sauce)
- 16-32 oz ricotta cheese (see notes)
- 3-4 cups mozzarella cheese (divided - portion into two equal halves)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
- 2 cups baby spinach (chopped)
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature, beaten)
- ¼ cup fresh basil (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5) and lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan or a 3+ quart dish.
Prepare The Meat Sauce
- Brown the 1 lb Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, crumbling while it cooks. Drain off the excess grease if needed when done.
- Pour the 24 oz marinara into your skillet of browned sausage and stir to combine.
- Spread a 1-1½ cup portion of the meat sauce over the bottom of your greased baking dish.
Cook The Pasta
- Cook the 12 oz jumbo pasta shells 1-2 minutes shy of al dente according to the package instructions while browning the Italian sausage. Drain and rinse in cool water then set aside.
Combine Cheese Filling Mixture
- In a medium mixing bowl add the 16-32 oz ricotta cheese, the first portion of 3-4 cups mozzarella cheese, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, 2 cups baby spinach, 2 large eggs, ¼ cup fresh basil, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Mix until well combined and the spinach is evenly distributed in the filling.
Stuff The Shells & Bake
- Spoon the cheese mixture into the cooked pasta shells then transfer the stuffed shells to your prepared baking dish.
- Pour the remaining meaty pasta sauce over the assembled stuffed shells, then sprinkle the second portion (168 grams) of shredded mozzarella cheese over the dish.
- Cover with foil or a lid and bake at 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5) for 15 minutes.
- Remove the foil or lid and brown the topping for the last 10-15 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and golden.
Notes
- I use much more ricotta cheese for my filling as I find that 15-16 ounce containers will not make enough filling for a full dish of shells. If I have extra filling, I just spoon it around the stuffed shells to use it all up.
- Any time you are going to bake pasta, you should cook it 1-2 minutes shy of al dente, as I do here. The shells will finish cooking to perfection in the oven.
- You can easily fill the shells with a spoon or a piping bag. Try not to over-stuff them, or the filling will spill out of the shells as they bake. I use about 1.5-2 tablespoons of ricotta filling per shell.
- If you need to omit the egg in the ricotta filling, simply squeeze out as much excess moisture as possible from the ricotta cheese. Use a cheesecloth to wrap the ricotta in for this. You can also bundle the ricotta in cheesecloth and tie it off, then let it set in a colander over a bowl to drain.
- Using a disposable foil pan makes these stuffed shells a perfect entree for potlucks. You could even double the recipe for larger crowds.
- Once cooled, transfer the stuffed shells and sauce to a sealed storage container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Stuffed shells with spinach and sausage make for a great freezer-ready meal! You can freeze the baked stuffed shells and reheat them, or freeze them un-baked and let them thaw in the fridge before baking as directed above.
- Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave, or you can cover them in a baking dish at 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5) for 15-20 minutes.
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