Italian food is one of my favourites. There are a large range of great recipes that I have experimented with and if I don’t write them down I tend to have to improvise the next time which is a shame when they have worked out well. Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells is a recipe that I don’t make often, although, to be honest I don’t know why. It’s a great comfort food that is not only delicious but also nutritious, with a range of benefits for the body thanks to the ingredients which fuse together to create a morish, tasty meal.

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells

Ingredients

22 Pasta shells (I found mine in Sainsburys)

690g Passata

240g Fresh spinach (washed)

Ricotta Cheese

3 medium cloves of garlic

Avocado oil

125-150g mozzarella

50g parmesan

50g parmesan to sprinkle over just before it finishes cooking

1 egg

Salt to taste

Freshly ground rainbow pepper to taste

Method

Cook the pasta shells so they are al dente. Set them aside whilst you prepare the filling.

Chop the spinach roughly and set aside.

Clean and chop the garlic and pan fry with a little avocado oil until it it starts to colour a little. Add in the spinach and cook until it halves in size. This takes around 3 minutes.

Add the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, spinach, egg, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix well.

In a baking dish approximately 9.5 inches by 9.5 inches add about a third of the passata sauce.

Stuff the cooked pasta shells with the spinach and ricotta mix. Add these to the dish with the passata.

Once all of the shells have been filled and added to the baking dish, pour over the remaining passata.

Cover this with foil and bake for 25 minutes in a fan oven at 200 degrees.

Remove the foil and sprinkle over 50g freshly grated parmesan.

Cook for a further 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven serve.

It’s yummiest when hot!!!

Enjoy x

Pin It!

Chefs Tips:

Always use freshly ground pepper, it has a much better flavour.

Use a block of parmesan and grate this yourself. This too tastes so much better than the pre-grated stuff that is awful in comparison.

Nutritional Benefits

This dish is rich in tomato as as a result is pretty awesome for the men out there. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene which is an antioxidant that may be helpful in reducing the risk of prostate cancer!!! As well as this, due to it’s antioxidant properties it is also beneficial for everyone as it supports bone health, helps control blood sugar, protect against heart disease, decrease abdominal fat, antiaging properties such as reduced oxidative stress (therefore reducing inflammation, cell damage) improving skin elasticity, helping with skin hydration and reducing the appearance of wrinkles.

Spinach contains antioxidants so is thought to help reduce oxidative stress which would normally cause cell damage. Spinach is low in calories but high in vitamins, minerals and fibre. It is said to help with eye health, heart disease and more. It also contains a sugar that helps encourage growth of health gut bacteria.

Ricotta cheese consists mostly of whey. This is easily absorbed by the body and helps to promote muscle growth, lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol.

Avocado oil is a good fat that helps to promote heart health. It contains vitamin E, potassium and monounsaturated fats. These fats help to lower bad cholesterol levels and reduce any inflammation within the body.

Pin It!

Other Posts You Might Like:

Mushroom and Garlic Pasta

Courgette Pasta with Homemade Green Pesto

Whole Wheat Pasta with Spinach and Ricotta

Creamy Smoked Salmon Wholemeal Pasta

Lobster and King Prawn Pasta

Have you ever tried Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells before?

Do you like Italian foods?

Enjoyed this Post?

Subscribe to Melanie’s Fab Finds RSS feed to see my latest posts. Posts will include recipes, reviews, etc. and as a result, you will hear about my new posts and competitions first!

Watch our fab product reviews on YouTube x