This recipe makes a lot of shells, enough for dinner tonight and some to freeze for later. They make great leftovers to pack into lunches or for bringing to parties and gatherings to feed a crowd.
Thaw frozen spinach in refrigerator overnight, once thawed place spinach in a clean kitchen towel and wring out excess water over the sink.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Fill stock pot with water, season water with a sprinkle of garlic salt and for extra heat a dash of red pepper flakes. Once water is boiling, add pasta and cook to al dente, approximately 8-10 minutes.
While pasta is cooking, in a mixing bowl mix ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, spinach, beaten eggs, Italian seasoning, minced garlic, and black pepper until well combined.
When shells are done, drain water.
In a 9x13 pan, pour 1 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of the pan and spread into an even layer.
Place the shells into the baking dish in even rows.
Place cheese filling into a piping bag with a large tip (or just place cheese mixture into a Ziploc bag and snip the corner off).
Using the piping bag, fill each shell with approximately 2 tablespoons of cheese mixture.
Top shells with remaining 2 cups of marinara sauce and sprinkles with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Turn on broiler and bake for another 5-10 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbly.
Top with fresh chopped basil. Serve with a side of extra marinara and garlic bread.
Video
Notes
You can use pecorino cheese instead of parmesan if desired.
This makes a very large number of shells (about 40), I used a second 9x13 for the remaining shells, these could be made in batches or with the use of a second baking dish. Or simply cut the recipe in half.
Option to freeze half of the shells once stuffed, if you do that, you’ll only need 2 jars of marinara.
It is really important to fully cover the shells with marinara so they do not dry out.