A big pan of comfort food, these Stuffed Shells with Sausage and Spinach Sauce are everybody's favorite! This classic dish starts with a quick homemade tomato sauce made with Italian sausage, garlic, onions and fresh spinach. Ricotta and cottage cheese stuffed shells are nestled in and baked to creamy perfection!
- What Makes these Stuffed Shells Unique? - Stuffed shells are a fun variation to lasagna or Homemade Manicotti! While most stuffed shells start with a jar of store-bought marinara sauce and are often vegetarian, this quick and easy meat sauce is made from scratch! It's super thick and hearty with Italian Sausage and fresh spinach.
- The Filling! - If you haven't tried stuffed shells or lasagna with cottage cheese mixed into the ricotta, you've gotta try it! It adds an ultra creamy texture for a super comforting and filling winter meal. The combo with the chunky sausage sauce is delicious!
- If you Love these Stuffed Shells, try my Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs or my Italian Sausage Bolognese!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
Simple ingredients, these cheese stuffed shells are nestled into an easy homemade sauce made with Italian sausage, garlic, crushed tomatoes, and spinach.
- Jumbo Pasta Shells - You won't need the whole box of jumbo shells, count out 21 for a 9x13 baking dish. Cook them in boiling salted water until al dente, cooked through but still firm with a bite, not mushy.
- Italian Sausage - This meat sauce is super hearty and thick, made with bulk ground Italian sausage. Make sure to cook the sausage and onions longer than you think to get them really crispy and caramelized. The sausage gives the sauce so much flavor! Ground beef could be substituted, but you may want to add an extra pinch of salt and pepper.
- Onion and Garlic - The base layers of Italian flavor! Caramelize the onion right along with the cooking sausage.
- Seasonings - Since Italian sausage is heavily seasoned, you don't really need additional salt in the sauce. Just a bit of Italian seasoning and brown sugar balance the flavors.
- Spinach - Big leaves of baby spinach running through the sauce give it nice color and something a little different! You could chop the spinach if you like, leave it out, or sub chopped kale. You could also add some chopped spinach to the cheese filling if you like the green specks.
- Ricotta and Cottage Cheese - The combination of ricotta and cottage cheese is simply delicious! It adds so much creaminess and hearty protein!
- Egg - The egg binds the cheese filling together, but if can be left out if you prefer.
- Shredded White Cheese and Parmesan - I often use shredded white cheddar cheese for Italian dishes like this, including on Homemade Pizza. But, you can easily use mozzarella or provolone cheese, mixed in with Parmesan. It's always best to buy a block and shred it yourself!
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
A quick homemade chunky marinara sauce simmers while the pasta boils. Mix up the cheese filling and you're ready to assemble and pop these stuffed shells in the oven!
Step 1 - Start by setting water to boil and cooking the jumbo shells about 15 minutes.
Begin the sauce by browning the sausage with the onions until really crispy and caramelized.
Step 2 - Add the garlic, seasonings and fresh spinach.
Give it a good stir until the garlic is fragrant.
Step 3 - Add the canned tomatoes and let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes while you prepare everything else.
Step 4 - Mix up the cheese filling, using about half of the shredded cheese.
Step 5 - Add most of the sauce to a 9x13 baking dish, saving about 1 to 2 cups.
Fill the pasta shells with the cheese mixture and nestle them into the sauce.
Step 6 - Spoon the rest of the sauce over the stuffed shells and top with the remaining shredded cheese.
Step 7 - Bake at 375°F for about 45 minutes, then broil a few minutes to melt and crisp up the top!
Recipe Notes & Helpful Tips
- Count 21 Jumbo Shells for a Lasagna Pan - A 9x13 casserole dish will hold 3 rows of 7 jumbo shells, so count out 21. A whole 12 ounce box would make about 1.5 large pans.
- Really Cook the Sausage until Crispy - When the sausage is cooked through with the onions, let it keep going a bit to get it really caramelized and crispy. This adds so much flavor! Be sure to scrape up those yummy bits with a wooden spoon as you add the crushed tomatoes and stir the sauce.
- Make Ahead - Stuffed shells, like lasagna or manicotti, can be a little labor intensive! But, you can make up the sauce and let it simmer over a low burner, and make up the filling and keep it in the fridge. You can fully assemble the unbaked dish and refrigerate it a day in advance. When ready to bake the refrigerated pan, let it sit on the counter an hour before baking to take the chill off, and bake it covered with foil.
- What to Serve it With - This big pan of Stuffed Shells with Sausage Meat Sauce is delicious with garlic bread and an Italian salad. Try my Prosciutto Parmesan Salad, this very simple Spinach Arugula Salad, or this Italian Mixed Greens Salad with Crispy Prosciutto.
- Storage and Freezing - Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated within 3 or 4 days. The unbaked dish can be wrapped well and frozen for 3 months. Make sure the thaw overnight in the fridge and let it sit on the counter an hour before baking. You may want to cover it with foil while baking if starting it cold.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can simple double the recipe to get 2 large pans of stuffed shells. Or, if you just want to stretch it a bit, you could use the whole 12 ounce box of jumbo shells which will make a large 9x13 pan and an additional smaller 9x9 pan. You'll need to increase the sauce and cheese amounts too. You could simply add another can of crushed tomato to stretch the sauce. Add a bit extra cottage cheese or ricotta cheese to have enough filling.
Yes! You could add extra veggies to saute with the onion such as red bell pepper, zucchini, carrot or mushrooms. You could also puree them in a food processor before sauteing with the sausage to have them really blend in. The spinach is optional and could be substituted with chopped kale. You could also chop a bit of fresh spinach and add it to the cheese filling instead of the sauce.
Yes, while I love the texture and creaminess of cottage cheese, you could make the filling with all ricotta and shredded cheese.
If your proportions don't come out just right, you can pile a little extra filling or sauce onto the stuffed shells. But if you really have too much, both the sauce and filling can be frozen for a later use.
More Favorite Pasta Dishes!
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Stuffed Shells with Sausage and Spinach Sauce
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Print Pin RateIngredients
- 21 jumbo pasta shells
For the Sauce
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
- 1 small onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomato
For the Filling
- 1¾ cups ricotta cheese (15 ounces)
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 egg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2½ cups white cheddar, provolone, or mozzarella cheese shredded (divided)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese shredded (divided)
Instructions
- Set a large pot of water to boil. Add a pinch of salt and cook the pasta 14 to 16 minutes until al dente. Drain and let cool slightly (you can run under cold water so they are cool enough to handle). Preheat the oven to 375℉.
For the Sauce
- Set a large skillet or pot over medium heat and saute the sausage with the onion. Break it up with a wooden spoon until very crispy and caramelized, about 15 minutes.
- Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, brown sugar, and spinach and stir a minute until fragrant, scraping up the bits from the pan.
- Add the canned tomatoes. Simmer about 10 minutes, stirring often to wilt in the spinach. Adjust the heat down as needed to keep it at a gentle bubble. It can simmer until you are ready to assemble.
For the Filling
- In a bowl, mix together the ricotta and cottage cheese, egg, salt, garlic powder and half the shredded cheeses.
To Assemble
- Ladle most of the sauce to a large 9x13 baking dish, saving about 1 to 2 cups. Use a spoon to fill each pasta shell with the cheese mixture and nestle into the sauce, making 3 rows of 7 shells.
- Add the rest of the sauce over the stuffed pasta, making sure enough of the shells peek out and are visible. Top with the remaining white cheddar, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
- Bake at 375℉ for about 45 minutes. Broil the top for a few minutes until golden and bubbly.
- Optional, garnish with fresh chopped parsley or basil.
Notes
- Let the Sausage Get Crispy - When the sausage and onions are browned and cooked through, let them cook a bit longer to really get them crispy and caramelized. This adds a lot of flavor!
- 21 Jumbo Pasta Shells - You won't need the whole box. In a large 9x13 casserole dish, 21 jumbo shells will fit perfectly. If a few break or tear when boiling, no problem! You can still stuff them and use then won't be able to tell when they are baked.
- Italian Sausage could be substituted with ground beef.
- Cottage Cheese adds delicious creaminess, but you could use all ricotta and shredded cheese for the filling.
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