Ingredients
25 fl oz or 700 ml marinara sauce
16 jumbo shells plus 2-3 extra ones in case some of the shells break during cooking
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
17 oz or 500 g fresh spinach See notes
9 oz or 250 g ricotta cheese
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
grated hard cheese to serve
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 F or 180 C. Take a big rectangular baking pan (I used a 13 x 9 inch pan (33 x 22 cm) or individual oval-shaped ramekins. Fill the pan (ramekins) with marinara sauce. Bake for about 10 minutes to heat through.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta shells until al dente, as per instructions on the package. Drain well. Heat a lug of olive oil in a large skillet and sautée minced garlic until fragrant. Add spinach and cook for about 7 minutes or until all the leaves turn dark green. Drain it well, removing all the excess moisture (you can keep the spinach water for soups or sauces).
Combine the spinach with ricotta cheese and stuff shells with the mixture, using about 1 tablespoon of stuffing for each shell. Place the stuffed shells on top of the marinara sauce. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Enjoy!
Key Points About Ingredients:
- Fresh spinach wilts down dramatically — 500g raw yields roughly one cup cooked, so don't be alarmed by the large quantity called for.
- Jumbo pasta shells should be cooked just to al dente since they continue cooking in the oven; overcooking makes them tear and hard to stuff.
- Ricotta cheese adds a creamy, mild richness to the filling — full-fat ricotta gives the best texture and flavour.
- A quality store-bought marinara sauce is the shortcut that keeps this recipe to 5 ingredients without sacrificing depth of flavour.
- Draining the cooked spinach thoroughly is critical — excess moisture will make the filling watery and prevent the shells from holding their shape.
Key Nutritional Insights:
- Spinach is an exceptional source of vitamin K, vitamin A, and folate, making this dish a genuinely nutrient-dense meal.
- Ricotta cheese contributes a solid hit of calcium and protein per serving, supporting bone health alongside a satisfying, creamy texture.
- This recipe is naturally vegetarian and provides a good balance of complex carbohydrates from the pasta and plant-based iron from the spinach.
- Marinara sauce adds lycopene from tomatoes, an antioxidant associated with heart health, making this simple dish more nutritious than it appears.
- Each serving provides meaningful amounts of vitamin C from both the spinach and tomato sauce, which also helps enhance iron absorption from the spinach.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size1
- Amount per serving
- Calories320
- Standard DV% Daily Value*
- Total Fat11 g72 g15.28%
- Saturated Fat4.5 g20 g22.5%
- Trans Fat0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat1.2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat4.8 g
- Cholesterol25 mg300 mg8.33%
- Sodium720 mg2300 mg31.3%
- Total Carbohydrate42 g275 g15.27%
- Dietary Fiber5 g28 g17.86%
- Total Sugars8 g
- Added Sugars0 g50 g0%
- Sugar Alcohal0 g
- Protein14 g50 g28%
- Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol)4 mcg20 mcg20%
- Calcium280 mg1300 mg21.54%
- Iron4.8 mg18 mg26.67%
- Potassium820 mg4700 mg17.45%
- Vitamin A6200 mcg900 mcg688.89%
- Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)28 mg90 mg31.11%
- Vitamin E (Tocopherol)2.8 mg15 mg18.67%
- Vitamin K380 mcg120 mcg316.67%
- Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)0.3 mg1.2 mg25%
- Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)0.28 mg1.3 mg21.54%
- Vitamin B3 (Niacin)2.4 mg16 mg15%
- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)0.32 mg1.7 mg18.82%
- Folate180 mcg400 mcg45%
- Vitamin B12 (Cobalamine)0.5 mcg2.4 mcg20.83%
- Biotin4 mcg30 mcg13.33%
- Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid)0.6 mg5 mg12%
- Choline48 mg550 mg8.73%
- Phosphorus220 mg1250 mg17.6%
- Iodine14 mcg150 mcg9.33%
- Magnesium95 mg420 mg22.62%
- Zinc1.8 mg11 mg16.36%
- Selenium18 mcg55 mcg32.73%
- Copper0.22 mg0.9 mg24.44%
- Manganese1.1 mg2.3 mg47.83%
- Chromium3 mcg35 mcg8.57%
- Molybdenum12 mcg45 mcg26.67%
- Chloride480 mg2300 mg20.87%
