Baked conchiglioni pasta shells with spinach and ricotta.
Conchiglioni ripieni di ricotta e spinaci.
Baked pasta is a favourite here in Italy for Sunday lunches and holiday menus. And, baked pasta shells with spinach and ricotta is among the most popular recipes on these occasions. Apart from being delicious, baked pasta shells look so beautiful and can also be eaten as finger food if the recipe doesn’t include a lot of sauce.
Traditional baked pasta shell recipes.
Conchiglioni are the most well-known and loved large pasta shells in Italy and abroad. However, lumaconi (snail shells) are beautiful too! The two most traditional baked pasta shell dishes are either with a meat ragu filling or like this recipe for pasta shells with spinach and ricotta.
Pasta di Gragnano.
Conchiglioni are a typical southern Italian pasta, originating from Campania. For the best quality conchiglioni, if you can, look for pasta di Gragnano IGP. This is pasta made in and around the town of Gragnano near Naples, where they have been producing pasta commercially since the 1500s.
Gragnano is home to some of Italy’s best dried pasta makers. In fact, for a pasta to be labelled as ‘di Gragnano IGP’ it must be produced in a legally specified area in and around the Bay of Naples. Plus, it must be made with Italian durum wheat and water from the Monti Lattari.
Of course, other pasta companies produce good quality pasta and if you can’t find ‘di Gragnano’, don’t worry! Your dish is still bound to be delicious! This recipe can also be made with lumaconi or cannelloni.
Italians usually serve pasta as a first course (primo piatto) on special occasions and then follow it with a meat or fish main course. This is why, especially nowadays, many prefer to use a vegetarian pasta recipe, rather than meat. It just makes the meal lighter. Of course, this pasta shells with spinach and ricotta is also a great recipe for vegetarians.
Making this baked pasta shells with spinach and ricotta.
Although not a difficult dish to make, this pasta shells with spinach and ricotta involves a few separate cooking steps. The pasta needs precooking. You’ll have to make a simple tomato sauce, as well as some béchamel. Also, the spinach needs to be precooked too and then mixed with the other filling ingredients. To speed things up, you can use ready-made tomato sauce and béchamel, in addition to defrosted frozen spinach. However, I believe fresh is best so if you have the time, it’s worth the effort!
Whichever way you decide to make this pasta shells with spinach and ricotta recipe, I’m sure it will not only be seriously yummy but family and guests will love it too! If you do decide to make this recipe, I’d love to hear how it turns out. You can send me an email through this site, rate the recipe and add a comment or post a message on the Pasta Project Facebook page.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Buon appetito!
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This delicious classic Italian baked shells recipe is perfect for family lunches and holiday menus.
- 250 g conchiglioni pasta shells (9oz) you can also use lumaconi
- 300 g fresh ricotta (10.5oz)
- 1 kg fresh spinach (2.2lbs) or 300 g frozen spinach (10.5oz)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 70 g Parmigiano or Grana cheese (2.5oz) grated
- salt for pasta, tomato sauce and to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 700 g tomato passata (I use rustica) (1.5lbs) or 400 g peeled San Marzano tomatoes (14oz)
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 75 g all purpose flour (2.6oz)
- 75 g butter (2.6oz)
- 500 ml milk (16floz) add more milk if necessary
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 50 g Parmigiano or Grana cheese (2oz) grated
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Whether using fresh or frozen, cook the spinach as normal without adding any extra liquid. Drain the spinach making sure you have removed as much liquid as possible then, once it has cooled, chop it and mix it in a bowl with the ricotta, the eggs and the Parmigiano, adding nutmeg, salt and pepper as required.
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Put a pan of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt when it starts to boil and bring to the boil again. Cook the conchiglioni a little less than the time required for al dente, then drain and let the pasta cool. (it’s better to separate the shells before they cool as they may stick together)
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Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or skillet, add the whole peeled garlic cloves and cook until they start to soften and brown. Add the tomato passata or the fresh peeled San Marzano tomatoes (I also like to use half passata and half unpeeled fresh cherry or datterini tomatoes). Let the sauce simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the garlic when the sauce is ready.
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Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour a little at a time, whilst stirring continuously, until you have a smooth paste. Add the milk a little at a time, again continuously stirring, until the sauce starts to thicken. If your béchamel seems lumpy you can use a hand blender to make it smoother. I like to add a pinch of nutmeg to the béchamel.
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Cover the bottom of an oven dish with some of the tomato sauce and some béchamel. With the help of a teaspoon or small tablespoon, take a little of the filling and fill each conchiglioni, then place it in the oven dish.
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Add some more béchamel to the top of each pasta shell. Pour the rest of the tomato sauce over the shells and finish with a sprinkling of Parmigiano, then bake in a preheated oven 180- 200° C for about 20 minutes until the top starts to brown.
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Serve immediately with extra grated Parmigiano or grana if required.
This recipe can be made without tomato sauce, if you wish to serve the pasta shells as finger-food. Just butter the oven dish and put a little béchamel on top of the shells with a sprinkling of Parmigiano.
You can also serve the shells in individual portions using small oven-proof dishes.
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Everything about this recipe is like a comforting hug! The stuffing and bechamel sauce sound so wonderful together too.
Heaven! I have made this recipe last night for dinner and what a treat that was. OMG I really want it again and I am not the only one so will be making it again before the end of the week, I am sure. Thank you for this delicious recipe dear Jacqui.
Oh these pasta shells look so delicious! Loving all that ricotta and spinach in there. So good!
These pasta shells look so hearty, creamy, and delicious! Definitely saving this recipe to give it a try for dinner soon.
This pasta was such a hit last Friday! The filling was so creamy! Will definitely be making it again!
There’s something so deliciously comforting with a tasty pasta dish and this is it. That spinach and ricotta stuffing looks to die for!
I can’t think of a more delicious way to enjoy a family gathering! That cheesy, creamy filling is so wonderful and a sure hit.
Wow I just love all your recipes- these stuffed shells look amazing though, I love ricotta!
Stuffed pastas are one of my favorite. This looks amazingly delicious. Pinned
This is such a hearty meal that’s delicious and makes everyone happy thank you!
This looks incredible!! You always make me want to enjoy pasta for dinner and inspire me to cook it in new ways. These Pasta Shells taste like a dream.
Stuffed Pasta shells are one of my favourite dinners ever! And using a combination of spinach and ricotta is just so delicious, both go together so well and create wonderful flavours!
I can’t wait to return to Italy to try more of these pastas. In the meantime, I’ll busy myself making and enjoying them at home.
Never did I know that Italians served pasta as a first course meal. But I have to say these baked conchiglioni spinach stuffed pasta shells look absolutely amazing! And I’m sure they taste just as good. Thanks for sharing!
What a delicious recipe with easy steps and simple ingredients. My family loved every bit of this dish.
I love making pasta shells so I am saving this recipe. Using the spinach in the filling adds lovely color and mixed with the ricotta that flavor has to be amazing.
I love every ingredients that you put in this recipe and I am so excited to make this for my husband I just wish it will turn good as yours. YUM!
Wow looks so delicious! I love stuffed shells, and I especially appreciate that this recipe is a bit of a different twist – the inclusion of the whole tomatoes right in the dish is a great idea!
This looks so delicious. Spinach and ricotta are a classic for a reason! Also love the look on the tomato sauce and béchamel underneath the beautiful pasta shells.