Roasted Vegetable Stuffed Shells
Updated March 26, 2019
Roasted Vegetable Stuffed Shells-pasta shells stuffed with roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, and lots of cheese! This easy baked pasta dish is perfect for weeknight meals, entertaining, and it freezes well too!
My love for cooking hasn't gone away, but it has been put on the back burner. Life with a newborn, toddler, and blog has been an adjustment. Maxwell is a good baby so we are getting decent sleep, but I am still tired and still trying to find enough hours in the day to get things done. I am not complaining because I love my life with my boys, life is just different. Cooking dinner is not at the top of my to do list anymore. I know we all need to eat dinner, so we do, but dinner has become super simple. I have been relying on 15-30 minute meals, leftovers, freezer meals, and yes, even cereal.
Freezer meals have saved dinner hour on numerous occasions. When (and if) the boys are napping I will try to make a few recipes that we can tuck away in the freezer. One of my favorite freezer friendly meals are these Roasted Vegetable Stuffed Shells. They are easy to make, freeze beautifully, and are a lifesaver on those days when I don't have time or the desire to cook dinner.
I love making stuffed shells because our entire family likes them. There is no whining at the dinner table. Yes, sometimes Caleb complains about what we make for dinner…but not on stuffed shells night. He loves eating the sea shells:) You can find large pasta shells in the pasta aisle, we like using DeLallo's Jumbo Shells. You can try searching for them at the beach, but good luck with that…ha!
I love these stuffed shells because they are loaded with lots of veggies! I like to use whatever veggies I have in the fridge. This time I used zucchini, eggplant, and red pepper. I roast them and add them to a cheesy spinach mixture!
I top the shells with marinara sauce and more cheese! I like to use my Easy Marinara Sauce because it is easy and so good!
Pasta with lots of veggies, sauce, and cheese…you can't go wrong! Roasted Vegetable Stuffed Shells are always a hit at our dinner table! And mama likes them even better when I pull them out of the freezer and just heat them up! Doing a little extra work ahead of time is so worth it! These freezer friendly stuffed shells have come in handy at our house a few times in the last two months.
And if you are in the mood for more stuffed shells, make sure you check out Ali's Butternut Alfredo Stuffed Shells. Don't they look amazing? Talk about great fall comfort food! I can't wait to make them. Yay for stuffed shells!
Make sure you add Roasted Vegetable Stuffed Shells to your dinner menu! You can enjoy them fresh out of the oven or put away a pan in the freezer! They are good either way! Enjoy!
Roasted Vegetable Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 small eggplant diced
- 1 small zucchini diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 21 jumbo pasta shells we use DeLallo and I always cook a few extra in case they break
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 1/2 cups marinara sauce
- Chopped fresh basil for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the diced red pepper, eggplant, and zucchini on a large baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender, stirring once. Remove from oven and set aside. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F.
- Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain and place the shells on large plate or cutting board so they are not touching. This will prevent them from sticking together.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together ricotta, egg, ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, spinach, roasted veggies, basil, and oregano. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
- Pour 1 cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish. Stuff each pasta shell with a generous amount of the roasted veggie ricotta mixture, and place in the baking dish.
- Cover shells with the remaining sauce and sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake covered with aluminum foil for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top begins to brown and the sauce begins the bubble, another 10-15 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil, if desired, and serve warm.
- Note-For easier filling, fill a gallon ziplock bag with the roasted veggie ricotta filling and cut a hole off the corner of the bag. Pipe the filling into the shells. The stuffed shells freeze well. I like to bake the pan, let them cool, and then put them in a freezer container. Reheat when ready to eat!
Have you tried this recipe?
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