Jumbo Stuffed Shells Appetizer
These Stuffed Shells Appetizer are your favorite lasagna filling stuffed into jumbo pasta shells, then baked in a muffin tin and served as awesome finger food!
Servings: 24 appetizers
Ingredients
- 24 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 & 3/4 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Mozzarella cheese
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese , divided
- 1 clove garlic , finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- 10 ounce package frozen spinach, , thawed and squeezed dry (see note)
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Coat a 24-slot mini muffin tin with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil; throw in a pinch of salt and add your pasta shells. Cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain, rinse under cold water, then transfer to a baking sheet in a single layer.
- In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, salt, pepper, and Italian herbs. Add in the spinach; mix until combined.
- Fill each cooked shell with a heaping tablespoon of the ricotta mixture. (A piping bag makes this super easy!)
- Place a stuffed shell into each muffin tin slot. Top with a dollop of marinara sauce and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over each one.
- Bake for 20 minutes until mixture is warmed through and cheese has melted.
- Garnish with the parsley. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Make extra shells. Most jumbo pasta shells come in a 12 ounce box with about 40 shells. You will only need about 24 for this recipe, but I always cook a few extra in case one or more tear, which seems inevitable when cooking shells or lasagna noodles.
Don’t overcook the shells. The shells should boil until al dente or even a little less cooked because they will continue to cook in the oven. Overcooking them will lead to mushy shells that don’t hold up the filling and make them difficult to hold.
Fresh spinach. If you prefer to use fresh spinach instead of frozen, cook up 8 to 10 ounces of fresh (then chop) and add to the filling. Or you can simply omit the spinach, if you don't like it.
Use a piping bag. Using a piping bag to fill the shells with the cheese mixture makes this dish really easy to assemble.
Variations. From adding meat to using a different sauce, there are many ways to switch up this recipe. See suggestions in the article.
Storage. Instructions to make-ahead, storing leftovers, freezing, and reheating are included in the article.
Nutrition
Calories: 80kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 134mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1550IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 1mg