My family loves these easy veggie stuffed shells, filled with a flavorful blend of creamy ricotta cheese and a medley of sautéed mushrooms, spinach, and bell peppers. They are perfect for kids and adults, easy to make ahead for a crowd, and sure to become a family favorite.
Stuffed shells are such a classic recipe, and this version features perfectly cooked pasta shells stuffed with a creamy mixture of cheese, mushrooms, spinach, and bell pepper.
The shells bake on top of a bed of marinara sauce until the cheese is bubbling. If you love veggie pasta recipes, see our veggie spaghetti. Or, for more stuffed shells recipes, see our sausage stuffed shells or these buffalo chicken stuffed shells!
Key Ingredients
- Pasta Shells: I use large dried pasta shells and cook them in boiling water until al dente before filling them. It’s a good idea to cook a few extra shells than you think you’ll need, as some might tear during boiling. Don’t worry about any leftover or broken shells—they make a tasty snack with extra cheese filling or marinara sauce!
- Veggies: I love loading these stuffed shells with vegetables! My go-to combination is mushrooms, bell peppers, spinach, and garlic, sautéed until tender. Feel free to get creative and add your favorite vegetables or swap some out.
- Cheese: I use whole milk ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheese for a rich and creamy filling. To finish the dish, I top the stuffed shells with mozzarella cheese for a delicious melty topping. If you’re making vegetarian stuffed shells, omit the Parmesan cheese or use a vegetarian-friendly alternative.
- Herbs: To make these extra delicious, I mix in lots of fresh basil leaves and a bit of dried oregano.
- Marinara Sauce: You can use your favorite store-bought pasta sauce or one of our homemade sauce recipes. Try this homemade marinara or this easy pasta sauce.
How to Make Veggie Stuffed Shells
To make my favorite veggie stuffed shells, cook the jumbo pasta shells in salted boiling water. While the shells are cooking, you can prepare the flavorful filling. Cook sliced mushrooms in a wide, oven-safe skillet until they start to brown. Then, add bell peppers and cook until slightly softened. Finally, stir in a generous amount of spinach and cook until wilted.
In a separate bowl, combine ricotta cheese with the vegetables, fresh basil, salt, pepper, oregano, and parmesan cheese.
Now, it’s time to assemble the stuffed shells. If you use an oven-safe skillet for the vegetables, you can use the same pan for baking. Otherwise, a baking dish will work perfectly.
Spread marinara sauce in the bottom of your chosen pan. Fill each cooked shell with a spoonful of the cheese and vegetable mixture, then nestle them into the marinara sauce. Top with cheese for a melty, golden top. Bake uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the cheese is melted and slightly browned.
Cheesy Veggie Stuffed Shells
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
We love these vegetable stuffed shells! If you have one, cook the vegetables in a wide oven-safe skillet. Then, bake the shells in the same pan. If you do not have an oven-safe skillet, bake the shells in a baking dish.
This filling is enough for about 16 shells. We recommend adding a couple of extra shells to the water since you might find that one or more shells tear while cooking.
You Will Need
18 jumbo pasta shells
4 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced, about 2 cups sliced
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
5 ounces spinach leaves, about 4 cups packed
3 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon minced
2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
3 ounces finely grated parmesan cheese, about 1 cup
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped or substitute 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3 cups marinara sauce, try our homemade marinara sauce
2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese, about 1/2 cup
Fine sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
2Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add shells and cook, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain. Run under cold water to stop the cooking, then drain again.
3Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wide oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and spread into one layer. Cook, without moving, until browned on one side, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir, then add the chopped bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the peppers are starting to soften, about 2 minutes. If you do not have an oven-safe skillet, a regular skillet will work fine, you will just need to bake the shells in a baking dish instead of the skillet later on.
4Pile the spinach leaves into the pan and add a generous pinch of salt. Wait about 30 seconds or until the bottom layer of leaves has started to wilt, and then toss the leaves around the pan. As the spinach cooks, keep tossing so that all the leaves have a chance to hit the bottom of the skillet. When the spinach looks bright green and is mostly wilted, remove the pan from the heat and allow the vegetables to cool off for a minute or two.
5Combine the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the vegetables and then taste the mixture. Adjust as needed with more salt or pepper.
6Place the oven-safe skillet over low heat. Pour in the marinara sauce and heat until barely simmering. Turn the heat off. If you do not have an oven-safe skillet, transfer the warmed marinara sauce to a large baking dish. (If you have an oven-safe skillet, you can use it to bake the shells.)
7Spoon 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture into each cooked shell, then nestle the filled shell down into the warmed marinara sauce. If you have any cheese mixture left, divide it between the shells or enjoy it with any leftover shells.
8Bake, uncovered until the shells are heated all the way through and the cheese is melted on top, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit 5 minutes before serving.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Sauce: One (28-ounce) jar of store-bought marinara sauce has about 3 cups.
- Make ahead tips: The shells can be stuffed and arranged in the baking dish or skillet and kept in the refrigerator (covered) for up to a day. You can also freeze them. Wrap them tightly with a layer (or two) of foil and freeze up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then bake. Or bake from frozen, but expect them to take a bit longer to heat all the way through.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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I’ve made several of these, but since I am keto, I used the multicolor mini sweet peppers (I suppose you could use whole bell peppers cut in half) and stuffed them raw. Put them in the oven for about 30 minutes for a crisp pepper and then add the sauce and back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
I don’t like Ricotta cheese, what type of cheese can i use instead of Ricotta? Love your recipes. Thank you
cottage cheese drain off the liquid or some of the Mexican Queso cheeses work.
Great recipe, we all loved it.
Made this last night and it was delicious yum. I added a little bit of sausage to the vegetables to add more flavor. I am confused to when to use the garlic though. Thank you for all the recipes you shared with us. Your recipes are sooo yummy almost always.