Description
This Festive Christmas Stuffed Pasta is a deliciously cozy holiday dinner featuring jumbo pasta shells stuffed with a creamy ricotta and spinach filling, smothered in marinara, and baked to bubbly perfection. Perfect for feeding a crowd, it’s the ultimate comforting vegetarian pasta dish for Christmas gatherings. Keywords: stuffed pasta, holiday pasta, Christmas dinner recipe, vegetarian pasta bake.
Ingredients
20 jumbo pasta shells
1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
1 ½ cups chopped fresh spinach
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3 cups marinara sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or parsley (optional garnish)
Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the jumbo pasta shells until just under al dente. Drain and let them cool slightly.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, squeezed and chopped spinach, ¾ cup mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Stir until well mixed.
3. Carefully fill each pasta shell with the ricotta and spinach mixture using a spoon or piping bag.
4. Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Arrange stuffed shells over the sauce in a single layer.
5. Spoon remaining marinara sauce over the shells, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
6. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 375°F for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
7. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley before serving, if desired.
Notes
This recipe works best with freshly grated cheese for ultimate meltiness.
You can prepare the stuffed shells a day ahead and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Add crushed red pepper to the filling for a subtle spicy twist.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 generous portion
- Calories: 410
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 820mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 20g
- Cholesterol: 65mg