These veggie stuffed shells are filled with peas, spinach, and fennel for a dinner loaded with good-for-you ingredients! Try this delicious recipe for a filling meatless dinner!

Vegetable Stuffed Shells
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Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Jumbo pasta shells – You’ll want the large shells meant for stuffing, not small shells.
  • Pasta sauce – Any marinara works here. Use your favorite jarred sauce to keep it easy, or homemade spaghetti sauce if you’re feeling fancy.
  • Fennel – This adds a mild sweetness and a unique, savory flavor. If you don’t like fennel, swap it for finely chopped zucchini. (Although I don’t think the fennel flavor is strong!)
  • Onion + garlic – These help build flavor. You can use shallots if you prefer.
  • Frozen peas – Peas make the filling creamy and help add natural sweetness. Canned peas are fine too, just be sure to drain them.
  • Cottage cheese – This replaces ricotta, adds protein, and blends into a super creamy base. You can swap with ricotta if needed.
  • Frozen spinach – Thaw and squeeze it dry! This is key so your filling doesn’t get watery. You can substitute fresh spinach, but you’ll want to sauté it first to remove moisture.
  • Mozzarella – Shredded mozzarella works best but fresh can be used.
  • Lemon juice + lemon zest – This brightens the filling and makes all the flavors pop.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Can I make this ahead of time? Yes! Assemble everything up to the baking step, cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, add an extra 5–10 minutes to the covered bake time.
  • Do I have to use fennel? Nope. You can replace it with chopped zucchini or even just leave it out. But fennel adds a unique flavor that’s so good here.
  • Can I make this higher protein? You already get a great boost from peas + cottage cheese, but you can add a little extra cottage cheese if you like! Round out your meal with garlicky white beans for extra protein and fiber.

How to Make Veggie Packed Shells

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and cook for 4–5 minutes until the fennel begins to soften. Add the garlic and continue to soften.
In a food processor, blend the peas. Add cottage cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, pepper, and salt. Add spinach and pulse just until combined.
Combine the pea mixture with the fennel mixture.
Fill each shell with about 2 tablespoons of filling and arrange open-side up.
Spoon remaining sauce over shells.
Sprinkle with mozzarella. Cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.
Uncover, broil 5 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned.

What to Serve With Veggie Stuffed Shells

These shells are pretty hearty on their own, but here are my favorite pairings:

How to Store Leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can reheat them in the microwave or in the oven.

More Veggie Packed Recipe

If you like this recipe, be sure to try my vegetable baked pasta recipe. It’s loaded with veggies and it’s an easy dump and bake recipe! You might also like my healthy baked ziti, which has a secret ingredient for more protein!

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Vegetable Stuffed Shells

Veggie Stuffed Shells

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  • Author: Liz Thomson
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 25 shells 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian
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Description

These veggie stuffed shells are filled with peas, spinach, and fennel for a dinner loaded with good-for-you ingredients! Try this delicious recipe for a filling meatless dinner!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 16oz jumbo pasta shells
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 bulb fennel, finely chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 lb frozen peas, thawed
  • 1/2 cup cottage cheese
  • 1 lb frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest (or to taste)
  • 32oz pasta sauce
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • Optional: Parmesan cheese for topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the shells until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water and set aside.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and cook for 4–5 minutes until the fennel begins to soften.
  4. Add the garlic and salt and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the water, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until the liquid evaporates and the fennel is tender. Transfer to a large bowl.
  5. In a food processor, blend the peas until mostly smooth. Add cottage cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, pepper, and additional salt if needed. Process until creamy.
  6. Add spinach and pulse just until combined. Transfer to bowl with fennel mixture and stir together.
  7. Spread one cup sauce in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
  8. Fill each shell with about 2 tablespoons of filling and arrange open-side up. Spoon remaining sauce over shells.
  9. Sprinkle with mozzarella then cover tightly with foil.

  10. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover then broil 5 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned.