Prosciutto and Spinach Stuffed Shells
Prosciutto and Spinach Stuffed Shells – hearty pasta shells filled with savory ricotta, ribbons of flavorful prosciutto, and spinach, baked in a bed of marinara sauce with a blanket of mozzarella cheese.
Prosciutto and Spinach Stuffed Shells – hearty pasta shells filled with savory ricotta, ribbons of flavorful prosciutto, and spinach, baked in marinara sauce and with a blanket of mozzarella cheese. This is a delicious dinner the whole family will love!
Note: This post was originally published on October 18, 2011. The recipe has been updated from the archives.
I hope you enjoy this favorite from my kitchen.
Pasta may be a perfect food group. It can go with almost everything and is the base of some of our favorite go-to comfort foods – spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, or mac and cheese, just to name a few. One of my favorite ways to make pasta is by stuffing it with delicious meats, veggies, and, of course, cheese. These prosciutto and spinach stuffed shells check all of the boxes for me – hopefully, they do the same for you!
When it comes to dried pasta, I have to confess I am sometimes attracted to particular ones for very superficial reasons. It’s easy to be drawn to certain kinds of pasta because of their shape or color, and how could you not? The artisanal pasta on the grocer’s shelves are little works of art: delicate, perfectly formed, and with elegant lines. So I buy them. I may not have a plan for my little treasures when they go into my basket, but that kind of thing works itself out eventually.
This recipe for stuffed shells is a prime example.
I opened my cupboard one afternoon to find myself staring at these lovely conchiglioni. Thankfully, I had some ricotta cheese in the refrigerator. There was a split second of regret as my handful of pasta hovered over the rolling boil of water. “These shells are too lovely to cook; what a pity!” I thought to myself. But that lasted all of a flash. I was on to better (gooier) things.
How to Make Prosciutto and Spinach Stuffed Shells:
Okay, let’s get started with this delicious pasta dish.
- First, preheat your oven to 375°F, and don’t forget to butter your baking dish to keep things from sticking.
- Now, in a big pot, bring some water to a boil, add a pinch of salt, and toss in your pasta. Cook it for around 10 minutes or until it’s perfectly ‘al dente.’ Once it’s done, drain the pasta and set it aside.
- Next up, grab a microwave-safe bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and zap your spinach in there for about 2 minutes. Give it a good chop when it’s done. In a separate medium-sized bowl, mix the chopped spinach, prosciutto, ricotta, an egg, some Parmesan cheese, and a dash of pepper.
- Now, take your buttered baking dish and pour in some marinara sauce to make a saucy base. Grab your pasta shells and fill them with about 1-2 tablespoons of that tasty prosciutto, spinach, and ricotta mixture. Arrange these stuffed shells in the baking dish, and don’t forget to sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on top for that gooey, cheesy goodness.
- Pop the whole thing into your pre-heated oven and let it bake for approximately 25 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the cheese is melted, and that sauce starts bubbling. Take it out of the oven, and you’re good to go – it’s time to serve up this mouthwatering meal right away. Enjoy!
Stuffed pasta dishes like this are packed with flavor and taste delicious, and my favorite part is that they are a hit with the family. Who can resist each bite of pasta filled with ricotta, slivers of prosciutto, and spinach? Follow the directions on the recipe below to create these Prosciutto and Spinach Stuffed Shells, or peruse some of my other recipes if you’re craving a different form of pasta!
More Pasta Favorites:
Skillet Eggplant Lasagna
Vegetarian Pasta Puttanesca
Farfalle with Roasted Carrot Pesto, Parmesan and Toasted Walnuts
Fireworks Pasta Salad
Chicken Mushroom & Corn Tetrazzini
Note: This post first appeared on October 18, 2011. The recipe has been updated from the archives with updated content and photographs, as well as improved kitchen notes and recipe annotation. I hope you enjoy this favorite from my kitchen.
Prosciutto and Spinach Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 12 ounces jumbo shells pasta
- 10 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 6 ounces prosciutto thinly sliced and finely chopped
- 1 15-ounce container whole milk ricotta
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter your baking dish.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package's directions, about 10 minutes, until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl covered with plastic wrap, cook the spinach in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Chop the spinach. In a medium bowl, combine the chopped spinach, prosciutto, ricotta, egg, parmesan cheese, and pepper.
- Pour marinara sauce into baking dish. Fill the pasta shells with about 1-2 tablespoons of the prosciutto, spinach, and ricotta mixture and arrange in the dish. Sprinkle top with mozzarella cheese.
- Place in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top of the dish is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Comments
COOKBOOK
I don’t know how I missed these shells but they look too gooey-good not to try! :)
Found your blog through Pinterest; everything looks delicious! These stuffed shells are going to have to be dinner soon. Thanks for sharing…
Recipes like this make me wish over and over again that the husband actually liked ricotta cheese. These shells look just amazing. Thanks for sharing!
I saw a show when Giada was making these stuffed shells. Yours are 10x prettier. Wish I had some ricotta in the fridge …
I think pasta is pretty too :D I love the look of your stuffed shells. Believe it or not I’ve never had stuffed shells before, but now you have be craving this. It looks so comforting. Yum!
Beautiful and delicious. I cannot wait to try it! I am definitely adding it to the menu for next month on Pasta Day.
Only you could make stuffed shells look so perfect! These sound wonderful with all that spinach (an ingredient that gets no complaints in this house! win!)
Nice fall dish and the addition of the ham is a reat idea.
A stunning, delicious dish…and yes! Pasta IS pretty! Buzzed this pretty dish!
Hehe! No such hesitation for me – as pretty as pasta may be, it’s even prettier when put together in a lovely meal such as this. 8-)
your rendition is just beautiful. is that fork for me? YUM!
These look amazing! I love the inclusion of prosciutto–usually in these types or recipes it’s either Italian sausage or no meat at all. This seems super elegant!
These stuffed shells look like we could fork them up through the screen! What an amazing-looking dish! And adding a bit of protein would make this an easy fish recipe, adapting Giada’s dish a little more with some parmesan crusted tilapia.
Giada would be proud ;)
lovely recipe
Yum! Must try this!
that looks so good …. if I could only sink my fork into it. Great way to use spinach in the kitchen. thank you.
Haha! I do the same thing – thinking some things are too pretty to cook or eat! And, I must say, your photo is this pasta dish is particularly fetching.
I don’t think you’re silly at all! I love shapes of pastas, too, and I totally would if mine looked remotely like yours!
Gorgeous photos! I could go for a big bowl of this right now!
This is just as beautiful cooked, but I do completely agree with you – I too get attached to gorgeous pasta! In fact, I used to completely ‘hate’ spaghetti because it was so plain, ha! A lovely dish Liren, and perfect for cool days of fall.
Oh this looks delicious! Love stuffed shells, specially when they contain some sort of pork product!