Mushroom Kale Stuffed Shells

A casserole of mushroom kale stuffed shells.

I don’t make much pasta at home.  Not because we don’t enjoy it — we do.  Maybe we enjoy it too much.  My husband, Scott has tried to impose a moratorium on pasta, because if I make it, he’ll eat it, and he spends way too much time in the gym to undo his good works for a bowl of carbs.  Emily, my daughter, feels exactly the opposite.  She gravitates towards carbs and if I make them, she’s front and center to partake.  So, these shells were for mostly for Emily… but I added vegetables to the blend (for Scott and me).  It’s healthy-ish.  Mushroom Kale Stuffed Shells.

sauteed mushrooms
wilted kale

I wasn’t trying to be sneaky with the kale here — I don’t have picky eaters who would harrumph at something green or vegetal on their plates. What I did have was a bunch of kale in the crisper and thought it would go well with the standard ricotta filling in my stuffed shells.

draining kale
making ricotta filling

Oh, and the mushrooms?  Well, come on — they’re mushrooms.  Who doesn’t like mushrooms?  They add a meaty quality to everything and when you’re making a vegetarian dish for meat eaters — you look for those opportunities when you can.

adding parsley and cheese to ricotta
adding mushrooms to filling


The key to adding the vegetables to the ricotta filling is draining them VERY WELL.  If they’re the slightest bit wet, they’re going to loosen the filling and impact the overall dish.  I squeeze the liquid out of the kale, then dab it and the mushrooms with paper towels to soak up any excess moisture before adding them to the cheese mixture.

Newsletter Signup
Join our community of food lovers!

Get my latest recipes, helpful kitchen tips and more good things each week in your inbox.

adding kale to filling
Assembling Mushroom Kale Stuffed Shells

I used medium-sized shells for this dish and they were perfect.  I slightly undercooked the pasta about 1 minute before al-dente, because they would continue to cook in the oven.  Drain the shells and rinse them with cool water to stop the cooking, then start assembling.

stuffing shells

Spread a bit of marinara in the bottom of your dish,  stuff the shells with a generous scoop of filling and place it on the marinara sauce.  Continue in this manner until the dish is full.  This makes a lot of shells, and I had enough for two extra small casseroles, which freeze beautifully.

arranging shells
adding marinara sauce

I add a little more marinara to the shells (you could cover them with sauce if you like) to keep them moist when baking.

adding parmesan cheese to Mushroom Kale Stuffed Shells
Baked Mushroom Kale Stuffed Shells

Bake the shells until the filling is hot and bubbly and serve with extra marinara and parmesan. It’s heaven — even Scott agreed!

Serving

 I gave Emily a frozen tray of these shells to take back to college for a little taste of home and she shared them with her roommate, Samantha, who isn’t crazy for kale… After one bite, she was hooked!

Spooning out Mushroom Kale Stuffed Shells
Eating Mushroom Kale Stuffed Shells

More pasta dishes you’ll love:

Tried this recipe? Leave a rating and review.

Your comments and shares are invaluable to me and the thousands of readers who use this site daily. If you've made the recipe, leave a star rating and review. We want to hear how you liked it.

We'd love it if you shared the recipe with your friends on social media!

Print Pin
4.50 from 4 votes

Stuffed Shells

If you love stuffed shells, you’ll love this recipe for Mushroom Kale Stuffed Shells! The ultimate Italian comfort food!
Author: Lisa Lotts
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword stuffed shells
Dietary Restrictions Vegetarian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 6

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 box shell pasta medium sized
  • 32 ounces part skim ricotta cheese
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 large bunch kale tough stems removed, very finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 16 ounces mushrooms sliced
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ cup parsley chopped fresh
  • 1 ½ cups Parmigiano Reggiano grated
  • 4-5 cups marinara sauce

DIRECTIONS:

  • Boil the pasta noodles according to package directions, but pull them off the heat about 1 minute before al-dente. Drain the noodles and rinse with very cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain the noodles and set aside.
  • In a large saute pan over medium high heat add the olive oil and sliced mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms brown and give up most of their liquid. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl. Add the kale to the pan along with the water, bring the liquid to a boil and cover with a tight fitting lid. Steam the kale for 2-3 minutes until wilted, but still bright green. Transfer the kale to a fine mesh sieve and press on the kale with the back of a spoon to squeeze out all of the excess water and set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and 1 cup parmesan cheese. With a paper towel, pat dry the mushrooms and make sure the kale is very dry as well. Add the mushrooms and kale to the ricotta mixture and stir completely to evenly distribute the vegetables throughout the ricotta.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°.
  • Spread half a cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of the baking dish(es). Fill the shells with a heaping tablespoon of the ricotta mixture and arrange in the baking dish. Fill in the gaps between the shells with a little extra marinara and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from the oven and serve with extra marinara and parmesan cheese.

NUTRITION:

Calories: 686kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 1866mg | Potassium: 1208mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 2000IU | Vitamin C: 19.9mg | Calcium: 762mg | Iron: 4.5mg

Pin it for later!

If you love stuffed shells, you'll love this recipe for Mushroom Kale Stuffed Shells! The ultimate Italian comfort food!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

18 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Will be making this soon . Is frozen kale ok to use (squeeze out moisture).?

  2. These shells look gorgeous, Lisa! I love that you added mushrooms in this dish!

    1. Thank you for the compliment — they’re very tasty! We love mushrooms in this house – so you’ll find them appearing in many of my recipes!

  3. Gillian's Kitchen says:

    Hi Lisa, This recipe is right up my alley. I’ll be adding it to my Meat Free Monday repertoire for sure. Will pin it for later. 🙂

    1. Glad you like it, Gillian! It’s perfect for a Meat Free Monday!

    1. My family loved this, and you really don’t even notice the kale — though there’s quite a bit in the filling.

  4. Gloria Duggan says:

    It has been a long time since I have made stuffed shells. The presentation is always so awesome. This looks like the perfect weekend dish…and an glass of wine too.

    1. Definitely with a glass of wine, Gloria! I probably should have put that in the instructions… LOL!

  5. cookingtheglobe1 says:

    Wow, these shells look amazing! I love the ricotta, kale, and mushroom filling!

  6. Great minds think alike! I love this healthier version of my favorite comfort food ~ and the kale is an inspired choice, I’m going to steal that idea for sure!