Our family loves this veggie stuffed shells recipe with jumbo pasta shells and a simple ricotta and sautéed vegetable filling.

I’m always game for stuffed shells, and this version made with a cheese and vegetable filling is high on my list. If you’ve been following us for a while, you already know we like to tuck in fresh veggies whenever we can, and this veggie stuffed shells recipe is a great example of that.

The shells bake on top of a bed of marinara sauce until the cheese is bubbly and melted. It’s a keeper, for sure. If you love veggie-heavy pastas, like me, you may also enjoy this veggie spaghetti or our popular vegetable lasagna.

Key Ingredients

• Pasta Shells: I use large dried pasta shells and cook them in boiling water until al dente, then fill them. It’s a good idea to cook a few extra shells than you think you’ll need, as some might tear during boiling. Don’t worry about any leftover or broken shells (they make a tasty snack with extra cheese filling or marinara sauce). You can also swap the shells for manicotti shells or the crespelle we make in our homemade manicotti recipe.
• Vegetables: I love loading these stuffed shells with vegetables! My go-to combination is mushrooms, bell peppers, spinach, and garlic, sautéed until tender. Feel free to get creative and add your favorite vegetables or swap some out.
• Cheese: I use whole milk ricotta cheese and Parmesan for a rich and creamy filling. To finish the dish, I top the stuffed shells with mozzarella cheese for a delicious, melty topping. If you’re making vegetarian stuffed shells, omit the Parmesan cheese or use a vegetarian-friendly alternative.
• Herbs: To make these extra delicious, I mix in lots of fresh basil leaves and a bit of dried oregano.
• Marinara Sauce: You can use your favorite store-bought jarred pasta sauce or one of our homemade sauce recipes. Try this homemade marinara or this easy pasta sauce.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Veggie Stuffed Shells

Tip 1: Cook the shells until al dente. When making stuffed shells, you will need to boil jumbo shells in salted water first. They usually take 8 to 10 minutes. You are looking for them to be tender with a bit of a bite left, not super soft. Once you are happy with them, drain them so they are ready to fill.

Tip 2: Quickly cook the vegetables. While the shells boil, you can cook mushrooms in a wide, oven-safe skillet. Give them some space and let the first side brown (as we do in this video on how to cook mushrooms). Once the first side is golden brown, stir, then add bell peppers and cook until slightly softened. Finally, stir in a generous amount of spinach and cook until wilted. It all goes quickly and adds so much flavor to the filling.

Tip 3: Make the ricotta filling. Stir the ricotta cheese, fresh basil (yum), salt, pepper, oregano, and shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano in a bowl. Then, fold in the sautéed veggies. (Remember: if you are making vegetarian stuffed shells, leave the Parmesan out.)

Tip 4: Prepare the baking dish. I love adding my sauce to the bottom of the baking dish instead of spreading it on top of the shells. This way, the tops of the shells get a little color and crisp up around the edges. By the way, if you use an oven-safe skillet for the vegetables, you can use the same pan for baking. Otherwise, a baking dish will work perfectly.

Tip 5: Stuff the shells and bake. Fill each cooked shell with a spoonful of the cheese and vegetable mixture, then nestle them into the marinara sauce. Top with cheese for a melty, golden top. Bake uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Serving Suggestions

Since there’s a nice assortment of vegetables stirred into the filling, you can view these stuffed shells as a standalone dinner, with no other dishes required. That said, if you’re feeling feisty, we do have several suggestions for what works nicely with them. First, a salad is always welcomed, and I love these shells with something simple like greens tossed in Italian dressing or simple Caesar.

You can always bump up the veggies on your plate, too. I love this with our roasted broccolini or roasted cabbage (both work nicely when swooped through the sauce). And, my son loves a side of garlic bread, which is also perfect for dipping into the sauce.

More Stuffed Shells Recipes

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These outrageously tasty vegan stuffed sweet potatoes are one of my favorite ways to enjoy sweet potatoes! We roast them and then stuff them with our simple avocado and tomato salsa. They are simple and so good!

I’m always looking to add to our collection of sweet potato recipes, and these vegan stuffed sweet potatoes are such a great option! We roast the potatoes until soft and tender, then fill them with a zesty, chunky salsa made with avocados, tomatoes, and lime. It’s light and super comforting, perfect for a weeknight meal.

Roasted sweet potatoes are on regular rotation in our house, so I love throwing in this stuffed version to change things up. This stuffed sweet potato recipe is definitely one you’ll want to make again and again. For more delicious sweet potato inspiration, check out our mashed sweet potatoes, coconut roasted sweet potatoes, or my favorite, sweet potato and black bean tacos!

Key Ingredients

• Sweet Potatoes: I look for medium sweet potatoes that are firm and have smooth skin. I also love purple sweet potatoes (ube) for this recipe if you can find them.
• Garlic: I toss a few garlic cloves onto the baking sheet to roast alongside the sweet potatoes and turn sweet (like roasted garlic). Then, I squeeze the roasted garlic into my avocado and tomato salsa before stuffing the sweet potatoes.
• Avocado: Use slightly firm, ripe avocados for this so you can chop them into bite-size pieces. To pick them, gently squeeze the avocado with the palm of your hand. If it yields a little when pressed, it’s ready to eat. You can also check under the stem. If the stem pulls away and the area underneath is green, you’ve found an avocado perfect for this recipe.
• Tomatoes: Use what you love. In the photos, we have used a variety of cherry tomatoes, but any ripe tomato will do.
• Lime, Jalapeño, and Cilantro: I use this combination when making our avocado salad, which this stuffing is loosely based on. Feel free to leave out the jalapeño or add more, depending on your love of spice.

How to Make Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

We roast our sweet potatoes for this recipe, scrub away any dirt, and then use a fork to pierce the potatoes in several places. Place them onto a baking sheet, toss on your garlic cloves (with the peels left on), and then bake in a 400°F oven until they are very sweet and begin oozing (45 to 60 minutes).

Make the chunky salsa just as your sweet potatoes are finishing up in the oven. Combine chopped avocado, tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime juice, then when they are cool enough to handle, squeeze the soft and sticky roasted garlic into the bowl. Add a pinch of salt and gently toss. Then, make a slit down the middle of your potatoes, and stuff them with as much salsa as you can fit.

The sweet potatoes are soft and sweet, and the salsa is fresh, bright, and flavorful. We love it!

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This stuffed zucchini recipe has three cheeses, roasted red peppers, and basil. These are easy, taste incredible, and perfectly cheesy!

This recipe came from the summer we decided to grow zucchini in our garden. We were inundated with them! We needed lots of ways to use zucchini, and these made it to the top of our favorites list. They are easy, quick, and taste amazing.

The ingredient list for this recipe is inspired by our super popular veggie lasagna, which is made with zucchini, cheese, and a sauce made with tomatoes and roasted red peppers.

Key Ingredients

• Zucchini: For this recipe, I look for medium, firm zucchini. You’ll cut them in half and then scoop out some of the middle, so you want them large enough to fit the cheese stuffing. Yellow summer squash is also excellent.
• Roasted Red Pepper: I love the sweet flavor of roasted red peppers and often keep a jar of them in the fridge. If you would like to roast your own, look at our roasted red pepper hummus recipe, which shows how to roast bell peppers.
• Cheese: I use three cheeses in this recipe. Ricotta makes the filling creamy, parmesan adds a sharp, cheesy flavor, and mozzarella melts and turns golden brown. Cottage cheese is an excellent substitute for the ricotta. If you are making this vegetarian, use a vegetarian-friendly parmesan cheese or substitute it with another sharp cheese like white cheddar.
• Basil: We add basil leaves to the for fresh summer flavor before serving. If you only have dried basil, mix 1 teaspoon into the ricotta filling instead.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Tip 1: How to make zucchini boats. All you need to do is slice the zucchini in half lengthwise. Then use a spoon to scoop out a channel down the middle. You don’t need to remove much, just enough to make some room for the ricotta and pepper filling. The channel created by scooping out some of the zucchini makes them look like canoes.

Tip 2: Bake zucchini without the stuffing first. Rub the zucchini halves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place them cut-side down on a baking sheet and roast until tender (about 15 minutes). This is where some other recipes fall short. Zucchini has a lot of moisture, so roasting them unstuffed first lets some extra moisture cook off.

Tip 3: Stuff the zucchini. I love to stuff the zucchini with a mixture of ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and chopped roasted red peppers, top it with mozzarella cheese, and slide it back into the oven to finish cooking.

For a heartier variation, add some cooked quinoa, rice, or cooked ground turkey or chicken to the stuffing.

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Stuffed Pepper Soup (with Rice) is great for a cold winter night and it’s perfect for everyone who likes stuffed peppers made! If you don’t want that many carbs, check out my low-carb version of this tasty soup made with cauliflower rice!

Click here to PIN Stuffed Pepper Soup (with Rice)!

Stuffed Pepper Soup (with Rice) is a recipe I came up with after I had “stuffed pepper soup” in my recipe ideas notebook for months. And when I decided to make it, I found out just how many other people have made a soup inspired by stuffed peppers!

But that didn’t stop me from creating my version, which uses both hot turkey Italian sausage and lean ground beef, and has secret ingredient to add flavor. Jake and I both loved the soup, and when I gave my sister Pam some to take to work for her lunch she texted me in the middle of the day to say she loved it too.

If you like stuffed peppers, you’re going to love this Stuffed Pepper Soup with Rice! The recipe makes a huge pot of soup, but this freezes well. You’ll probably want to add a little stock or water when you reheat it, because the rice absorbs the liquid a bit. I hope you try this soup soon!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

What’s the secret ingredient in this Stuffed Pepper Soup?

The secret ingredient that adds amazing tomato flavor to this soup is sugar-free ketchup (affiliate link) but you can use regular ketchup if you prefer!

What if you don’t want spicy Sausage in the Stuffed Pepper Soup?

You can definitely make the Stuffed Pepper Soup with mild Italian sausage if you prefer, or skip the sausage and double the amount of ground beef.

How high in carbs is this Stuffed Pepper Soup with Rice?

This tasty soup with stuffed pepper flavors has about 25 net carbs per serving.

Want Low-Carb Stuffed Pepper Soup?

If you’d prefer Low-Carb Version of this tasty soup, just follow that link and make the version with cauliflower rice that has only about 7 net carbs per serving.

How to Make Stuffed Pepper Soup (with Rice):

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. I used my beloved Zojirushi Rice Cooker (affiliate link) to cook the rice; use any method you prefer.  
2. I think browning onions, peppers, and mushrooms in advance is really important to add flavor to the soup.
3. Saute onions in olive oil until they’re starting to brown, then add the Italian Herb Blend and cook 1-2 minutes longer.  Transfer to large soup pot.
4. Saute the peppers in the same pan, cooking them until they’re getting just a slight char on the edges.  Transfer peppers to soup pot.
5. Mushrooms are probably optional in this, but good. Saute the mushrooms until they’re released their liquid and are starting to brown, then transfer to the soup pot.
6. I had a package of turkey Italian sausage with five links, and I was using two links for another recipe, so I just used the other three to test the recipe. I’d use the whole package for a meatier soup next time.
7. Brown the ground beef and sausage together, cooking until it’s nicely browned.
8. Then add browned meat to the soup pot along with the crushed tomatoes, beef broth, water, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup and simmer about 30 minutes. (I used an 8 quart soup pot to make this, but it could have been a little smaller.)
9. After the soup has cooked 30 minutes, add the rice (and a little more water if needed) and let the soup simmer 15 minutes more.
10. Season Stuffed Pepper Soup to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve soup hot, with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table.

More Soup with Italian Sausage:

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe for Stuffed Pepper Soup (with Rice) has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

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If you loved my seafood lasagna, you are going to love these Jumbo pasta shells, which are generously filled with a creamy, savory seafood filling and coated in a rich Alfredo-based sauce.

Seafood Lovers Dream

Is it true that you either love seafood or hate it? Where are my seafood lovers at? This recipe combines creamy, cheesy deliciousness with succulent crab and shrimp, all loaded in a jumbo pasta shell. All my seafood-loving follower’s dreams just came true!

How to Make Seafood Stuffed Shells

You’re going to want to make this seafood stuffed shells recipe again and again. The prep and assembly time is only about 20 minutes, and then the oven does the rest of the work. It looks and tastes really elegant, but it’s actually so easy to make!

1. Cook the Shells: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cook the shells according to the package directions until they are al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Make the Filling: In a large bowl, stir the ricotta cheese, egg, old bay seasoning, Italian seasoning, Dijon mustard, salt, and black pepper. Fold the shrimp and crabmeat into the filling mixture.
3. Make the Sauce: In a separate bowl, whisk together the alfredo sauce, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour about ½ cup of the sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.
4. Fill the Shells: Take one jumbo shell in one hand and stuff it with about 2 tablespoons of the filling seafood mixture.
5. Pour Over the Sauce: Place the seafood stuffed shells open-side up in the sauce-lined baking dish. Until the filling has been used and the dish has been filled. Pour the rest of the sauce over the stuffed shells.
6. Make the Topping and Bake: In a small bowl, whisk together the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, butter, and seasoning. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the sauce-covered shells and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the shells are heated through and the topping is browned. Remove the seafood stuffed shells from the oven and let rest for a few minutes before serving.

More Delicious Seafood Recipes

If you liked these seafood stuffed shells, you would love my creamy lemon garlic seafood pasta. You should also try these other seafood-inspired recipes.

Appetizers

Salmon Rillettes

2 hours 40 minutes

Recipe Skill Levels

Sushi Bake

1 hour 3 minutes

Dinner

Tuna Steak

34 minutes

Dinner

Marry Me Shrimp Pasta

30 minutes

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Our family’s favorite sausage stuffed shells recipe has an incredibly flavorful filling made with sausage, ricotta, and spinach. It’s also surprisingly easy to make.

Everyone I’ve shared these with has loved them. The cheesy, sausage filling tucked inside each shell makes this recipe hard to resist. The first time I made them, I stepped away from the table for just a minute and came back to find that Adam had already eaten half the pan.

That’s when I knew this one was special. So many of our readers have fallen for these sausage and spinach stuffed shells, and I can’t wait for you to try them too.

Key Ingredients

• Pasta Shells: Use large dried pasta shells and cook them in boiling water until al dente before filling.
• Sausage: Italian bulk sausage is my go-to, but fresh sausage links with the casings removed work just as well. For extra kick, try using hot or spicy sausage.
• Tomatoes and Spinach: I use canned tomatoes and frozen spinach. Be sure to thaw the spinach and squeeze out any excess moisture before mixing it into the filling.
• Ricotta and Mozzarella: I like whole-milk ricotta and shredded mozzarella for the creamiest filling. Cottage cheese is a great substitute for ricotta. It’s actually what I use in our popular manicotti recipe.
• Marinara Sauce: You’ll bake the shells on a layer of marinara sauce. You can use homemade marinara, our easy pasta sauce, or your favorite store-bought pasta sauce.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Sausage Stuffed Shells

Tip 1: Make the filling while the pasta shells cook. While the pasta shells cook in boiling water, I make the easy sausage filling. I brown the sausage, then stir in garlic, tomatoes, and spinach. Then, for my favortie part. To make it creamy, I mix in the ricotta cheese.

Tip 2: Bake on a bed of marinara. I love how the shells turn a little golden and crisp on top as they bake. Placing them on top of the marinara sauce instead of covering them helps with this.

I stuff the ricotta sausage mixture into the shells, set them on a bed of marinara, sprinkle cheese over the top, and bake until the edges begin to brown and the cheese melts.

Serving Suggestions

Serve these with a crisp green salad tossed in a simple vinaigrette, or go classic with our Caesar or Italian chopped salad. Add slices of cheesy garlic bread, homemade focaccia, or a crusty baguette on the side for soaking up the sauce. For a little extra veggies, roasted vegetables like broccoli, zucchini, or asparagus are perfect.

More Stuffed Shells Recipes

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These Crab Stuffed Mushrooms are a deliciously savory appetizer, perfect for impressing guests at any gathering. With a rich crab filling in every bite, they’re sure to be a crowd favorite!

The BEST Appetizer

I don’t know about you, but I love stuffed mushroom appetizers! These crab stuffed mushrooms are no exception. The creamy, savory seafood filling with a crunchy texture from the panko that just melts in your mouth! I could seriously eat the whole batch! I know you guys will love these!

Crab Stuffed Mushroom Ingredients

How to Make Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

These adorable crab stuffed mushrooms are easy to prepare and taste absolutely amazing! Perfect for your next get-together, game day, or holiday celebration! Don’t have the energy to stuff mushrooms, but want that same flavor? Make my stuffed mushroom dip!

1. Prep Mushrooms: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and either grease a sheet pan or line it with parchment paper. Clean and destem the mushrooms, discarding the stems or reserving them for a separate recipe. Place the mushroom caps top-side down on the sheet pan.
2. Sauté: Add the butter to a small skillet and melt over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the shallots pale in color. Remove the shallot mixture from the heat and set aside in a small bowl.
3. Beat Cream Cheese: Add the cream cheese to a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the egg yolk, parsley, paprika, and salt and beat until combined.
4. Mix in Shallot Mixture: Add the crabmeat, parmesan cheese, and shallot mixture and mix until combined. At this stage, it will become very soft and wet.
5. Transfer to a Bag: Beat in the panko, transfer the crab mixture to a large ziplock bag, and snip off the end of it.
6. Fill Mushrooms and Bake: Squeeze the crab mixture into the centers of the mushrooms, letting it mound on top. Bake for 25 minutes or so, until the tops begin to brown. Serve crab stuffed mushrooms warm.

More Mushroom Recipes

Dinner

Mushroom Lasagna

55 minutes

Soup

Mushroom Bisque

55 minutes

Side Dishes

Creamy Mushroom Risotto

1 hour 30 minutes

Dressings, Sauces, and Dips

Homemade Mushroom Gravy

20 minutes

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Marry me stuffed shells take the viral sauce you love and turn it into a cozy, baked pasta moment. Think creamy chicken-stuffed shells, melty cheese, and just enough sun-dried tomatoes for that extra swoon-worthy touch.

Ingredients for Marry Me Stuffed Shells

• Add Spinach: Stir 1–2 cups fresh baby spinach or 1 cup thawed, well-drained frozen spinach into the sauce during step 3 for a pop of green.
• Cooked Chicken: Rotisserie chicken works great, but leftover shredded, chopped chicken, or canned chicken works as well.
• Sun-Dried Tomatoes: I usually use julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, but dry-packed works too. If using dry-packed, soak them in the chicken broth for 15–20 minutes, then strain and use both as directed.

• Want extra sauce? Go for it! If you love a really saucy pasta, make 1½ to 2 times the sauce so there’s plenty to spoon over every shell.

How to Make Marry Me Stuffed Shells

My family can’t get enough of this dish. The creamy sun-dried tomato sauce is always a hit on busy weeknights. Pair it with focaccia bread for the ultimate meal.

Shells & Filling

1. Boil the Pasta: Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a 3-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, then cook the jumbo pasta shells according to the package directions for al dente pasta. Drain the shells and rinse them in cold water to stop the cooking process. Toss lightly with 1-2 teaspoons of olive or vegetable oil to prevent sticking.
2. Mix the Filling Ingredients: Add the chicken, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to a large bowl and mix until combined. Set aside.

Sauce & Assembly

3. Start the Sauce: Add the butter to a large skillet and melt over medium heat. Once melted, add the garlic and cook for about 30-60 seconds, until fragrant. Add flour and whisk to form a paste. 
4. Add Broth, Cream, and Cheese: Cook for 1-2 minutes before slowly whisking in the chicken broth, cream, and parmesan until smooth and combined. It will be quite thick as you first begin to whisk in the liquid.
5. Add Tomatoes and Seasoning: Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Continue to whisk the sauce for a few minutes until it thickens.
6. Start Assembly: Add about ¾ of the sauce to the bottom of the prepared baking dish. 
7. Stuff the Shells: Stuff each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the filling. Arrange the filled shells in an even layer on top of the sauce. 
8. Bake: Spoon the remaining sauce evenly over the top of the shells. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the shells are starting to brown. Let the marry-me stuffed shells rest for about 5 minutes before garnishing with fresh basil if desired, and serving. 

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