Sweet Potato Spinach And Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Published 4/7/2020 This is a great vegetarian freezer meal idea that’s easy to prepare and easy to bake in the oven from frozen.

The Perfect Weeknight Meal

Say hello to these flavor-packed vegetarian stuffed shells! Not only is this meal delicious, but it is made with super simple ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen right now! We really do think this meal is the perfect vegetarian dinner idea. Why?

It is easy to prepare ahead of time! You can make it a night before or you can freeze it for another time. These stuffed shells are nutrient-packed! Pasta is a dish that the whole family loves! You can make this dish your own by switching up ingredients!

Protein-Packed Stuffed Shells Filling

One of the best parts of these stuffed shells is the FILLING. We wanted to develop a filling that was nutritious, sweet, AND savory. I think we’ve done it. The filling is made up of ricotta, cottage cheese, sweet potato puree, spinach, onion, and garlic! Let’s break down the ingredients.

Onions + Garlic

The base of so many delicious Italian dishes are onions and garlic. We used diced white onion and fresh minced garlic in this recipe and it adds great flavor to the whole dish! Feel free to use any onion you have on hand. Even frozen onion would work just fine!

Ricotta

Did you know that one cup of ricotta cheese has 28 grams of protein? Heck yes! Not only is ricotta a protein booster, but it also acts a delicious creamy base to pasta dishes like lasagna and stuffed shells.

Cottage Cheese

We added extra goodness to these stuffed shells by adding even more protein and creaminess with cottage cheese. We use cottage cheese in our Instant Pot Protein Mac and Cheese because it adds protein and a delicious tang to pasta sauce.

Sweet Potato Puree

Say hello to one of the sneakiest ingredients of this dish, sweet potato puree! We wanted to sneak in another vegetable into these shells and sweet potato adds a bit of sweetness and crazy creaminess! You can make your own sweet potato puree by preparing our homemade sweet potato puree or you can use a can of sweet potato puree! Don’t have access to sweet potato puree? Try using canned pumpkin, instead!

Spinach

Get your greens in! Spinach is a great source of magnesium and iron! It’s also a great vegetable to add to pasta dishes! You can use fresh spinach and wilt it yourself or frozen spinach. The most important step for the filling–> Whether you use frozen spinach or wilt your own, it is very important to remove access moisture from the spinach! For frozen spinach that means wringing out moisture by placing the thawed frozen spinach in a paper towel and squeezing out water. For fresh spinach that means cooking the spinach down and letting the access liquid cook off before adding it to the filling.

How to Stuff Shells

Guess what, these shells are actually stuffed when they’re UNCOOKED. That’s right, I said it. You fill uncooked giant shell noodles, which cuts out a whole step in this recipe. After mixing up the filling, spread out a little filling and sauce on the bottom of a casserole and carefully start to fill the uncooked shells by scooping the filling into the shell. You may have to use your hands to push the filling down into the shell, but it makes it a fun recipe to make with friends or family. After stuffing the shells, place them open side-up into the sauce. Repeat this process until the noodles and filling are gone.

How to Assemble this Dish

After all of the shells are stuffed and placed, there are only a few steps left.

How to Freeze Stuffed Shells for Later

Guess what? This recipe makes for an incredible freezer meal that you can prepare now and eat later. Here’s what you should freeze together:

Freeze Together

2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 large white onion, finely diced 5 oz. fresh spinach 1 cup full-fat ricotta cheese 1 cup 4% cottage cheese 1 15-oz. can sweet potato puree (or pumpkin puree) 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 24-oz. jar organic marinara sauce 12-oz. jumbo shells, uncooked