Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Shells with Vodka Sauce – Jumbo pasta shells are stuffed with ricotta, spinach, and mozzarella, covered in homemade vodka sauce, and baked with more cheese on top
Ricotta cheese is one of my favorite cheeses to cook with. I love how creamy it gets when warm – perfect for layering and stuffing into pastas.
Recently, I got the urge to make a new recipe for my family other than the typical lasagna. I stumbled across this recipe of Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Shells with Vodka Sauce from Rachel Ray. I was intrigued by the fact that the vodka sauce was made from scratch, which I had never done before. I also loved the various flavors in the ricotta cheese mixture – ricotta, spinach, lemon juice, mozzarella, and a pinch of nutmeg.
I tried out this recipe for myself and absolutely loved it! My husband also went head over heals for it, eating two servings of it back-to-back. We both agreed that the ricotta mixture is especially exceptional.
Check out my version of these Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Shells with Vodka Sauce!
Making these stuffed shells
This recipe has a few main steps that you’ll work through:
- Make vodka sauce
- Cook pasta shells
- Make cheese filling
- Stuff shells and layer in casserole
- Baked until bubbly and crisp on top
As you can see, this isn’t exactly a “weeknight” meal. It can take up to 2 hours to get it finished and out of the oven. I like to make mine on the weekends with the family or even freeze and bake during the week to save time.
Vodka Sauce
The vodka sauce is incredibly easy to make and is totally worth it. It starts with cooking the garlic and red pepper flakes. Then comes the vodka, that gets reduced by half to remove the alcohol but keep the flavor.
Next comes the tomatoes, tomato puree, and basil. Those are cooked for 20 minutes before adding in the heavy cream. That’s all there is to it!
Stuffing the shells
A casserole dish is lined with a few cups of vodka sauce and then it’s time to stuff the shells.
The ricotta mixture is made by first sautéing the spinach with oil, garlic, and lemon juice to take some of the bitterness away. Then it’s added to the cheeses, egg, and a pinch of nutmeg and mixed together until creamy.
The cheese mixture is stuffed into the cooked shells and then placed in the casserole dish with the sauce, making sure the open side is facing up so the cheese doesn’t cook out of it.
The shells are covered with more sauce and cheese and then baked until bubbly and golden brown on top. Finish with fresh basil leaves on top.
Tips & Tricks
- Drain the spinach. You must remember to squeeze out all of the excess liquid in the thawed spinach so it doesn’t make the ricotta mixture all watery.
- Don’t overcook shells. You only want to cook the shells enough to make them tender but not fully cooked, about 3 minutes less than the box instructions. They will cook longer in the oven so we don’t want them getting mushy and overcooked.
- Arrange open side up. Make sure to arrange the stuffed shells open side up so the cheese mixture doesn’t fall out while baking.
- Make it fun! This process is a labor of love. Why not make it more fun by letting your family help stuff the shells? I did this with my oldest child and she loved helping out.
Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Shells with Vodka Sauce
Ingredients
For the vodka sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup vodka
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes not drained
- 24 ounces tomato puree
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
- 1 cup heavy cream
For the spinach-ricotta filling:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry
- salt and pepper to taste
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 cups whole milk ricotta
- 1 cup mozzarella cubes
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
For the assembly:
- 12 ounces jumbo pasta shells
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ oz fresh basil leaves julienned
Instructions
For the vodka sauce:
- Add oil and butter to a large skillet or saucepan. Once butter is melted, add sliced garlic and pepper flakes. Cook until garlic starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Add vodka and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. In the meantime, start boiling the water for the pasta shells. Make sure to use a large pot to fit all the shells.
- Add tomatoes, tomato puree, salt, sugar, and dried basil leaves. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Add cream, stir together, and then turn off heat.
- Add salt to boiling water and then the pasta. Cook for 3 minutes less than package directions. Drain when done and lay on baking sheet lined with paper towels, making sure the shells aren't touching.
For the spinach cheese filling:
- Add oil to a small sauté pan and set to medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add spinach and cook for a 1-2 minutes. Add lemon juice and stir to help release any stuck spinach. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- Place cooked spinach in a medium bowl with ricotta, mozzarella cubes, 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, egg, and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir together until smooth.
For the assembly:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish with about 2 cups of vodka sauce. Grab a cooked pasta shell and fill with about 2 tablespoons of cheese mixture. Place on vodka sauce layer, open side up. Repeat with the rest of the shells, stuffing them into the pan to make them all fit.
- Drizzle another couple cups of vodka sauce over the top of the stuffed shells. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook until cheese starts to brown, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with julienned basil leaves. Let cool for 5 minutes and then serve. Heat leftover vodka sauce and serve with cooked stuffed shells.
Notes
Pin for later:
More recipes you’ll love:
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This looks absolutely yummy and how original to use a vodka sauce! So glad your husband loved it too, I want to make it for mine this weekend!
Stuffed Shells are my FAVE! Love all the spinach in these ones!
This like like the ultimate Sunday supper. I love Italian food and this is a classic dish that everyone will love. Cheesy and delicious plus gets my kids to have some spinach without bribing them!
Perfect recipe! Whole family enjoed it! thank you for the recipe!
Oh man this was delicious! The vodka sauce put it over the top!
I’m so glad I found this recipe! Stuffed shells were always my favorite growing up (my family is verrry Italian!) I love the addition of spinach, adds a little bit of healthiness to this delicious dish. Yum!
Wow! This is incredible! I didnt know it would easy to make this at home. I love a little spike too, or more….
My older son loves anything with vodka sauce, can’t wait to try your recipe for the vodka sauce and the stuffed shells!
Yes please, I would love to have this for dinner. I know my family would enjoy it.
These look like something out of a restaurant! I haven’t had stuffed shells in so long, but I think they’ll be going on the menu soon!