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Easy baked spinach and ricotta pasta shells

Name: Easy baked spinach and ricotta pasta shells
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italian recipes
Ingredients: 280g conchiglioni pasta; 260g baby leaf spinach; 250g ricotta cheese; 250g 2 per cent fat greek yogurt (we like Total); ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg; 1 garlic clove, crushed; Finely grated zest 2 lemons; 2 x 350g jars tomato and parmesan pasta sauce; 70g dried breadcrumbs

Published: 9 Jun 16
Updated: 18 Mar 24

A classic Italian pasta recipe – conchiglioni (pasta shells) are stuffed with a cheesy ricotta and spinach mixture then topped with a tomato sauce before baking. Midweek meal perfection.

We’ve got another great conchiglioni recipe served in a rich tomato sauce, all you have to do is decide how much cheese to grate on top.

Easy
May 2016

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4
Hands-on time 30 min, oven time 40 min

A classic Italian pasta recipe – conchiglioni (pasta shells) are stuffed with a cheesy ricotta and spinach mixture then topped with a tomato sauce before baking. Midweek meal perfection.

We’ve got another great conchiglioni recipe served in a rich tomato sauce, all you have to do is decide how much cheese to grate on top.

Vegetarian recipes

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 592kcals
Fat: 16.8g (6.3g saturated)
Protein: 26.9g
Carbohydrates: 78.8g (17.1g sugars)
Fibre: 9.3g
Salt: 1.9g

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Ingredients

280g conchiglioni pasta
260g baby leaf spinach
250g ricotta cheese
250g 2 per cent fat greek yogurt (we like Total)
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 garlic clove, crushed
Finely grated zest 2 lemons
2 x 350g jars tomato and parmesan pasta sauce
70g dried breadcrumbs

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Method

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for 12 minutes or until al dente. Drain, refresh in cold water, then drain again and set aside. Put the spinach into a large colander and pour a full kettle of boiling water over to wilt it. Drain, then use the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much water as possible.
Heat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C fan/gas 6. In a mixing bowl, mix the spinach, ricotta, yogurt, nutmeg, garlic and zest of 1 lemon with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Pour half the tomato sauce into a 1.5 litre baking dish, then arrange the shells in a single layer, with the open side facing upwards. Spoon the spinach mixture evenly into each shell, then pour the rest of the tomato sauce over. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

In a small mixing bowl, mix the breadcrumbs and the rest of the lemon zest. Remove the foil from the dish, sprinkle the breadcrumbs over, then return it to the oven for 10 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden. Leave to stand for 5 minutes, then serve.