These healthy stuffed shells are going to rock your world! They’re stuffed with spinach, a yummy blend of cheeses, then lightened up with ground turkey.
A healthier, freezer-friendly, delicious dinner option.
If you like healthy food but you still like things to taste good… this recipe is for you, baby.
Ground Turkey + Ground Beef
No matter how you season it or cook it, ground turkey is not going to taste like ground beef. I tried. So my compromise here is to lighten up this dish by using half ground beef and half ground turkey. The ground beef infuses flavor into this dish while the ground turkey adds that meaty texture but cuts the grease in half. You can opt to use all turkey or all beef, but this half and half blend is my personal favorite way to make these stuffed shells healthier without sacrificing flavor.
This recipe feeds a large family or a small crowd.
These stuffed shells are pretty easy to prep but do take a little time so I’d recommend making two batches at a time—have one for dinner and either share one dish with a friend or put it in the freezer for an easy heat-and-eat weeknight dinner. These freeze and reheat well using a casserole dish.
If you don’t want to make a huge batch, two batches, or if you’re just short on time, then cut the amount of ingredients in halfv to make half the amount. A half batch will still feed 3-4 people.
Watch how to prepare and cook these stuffed shells:
Tips for stuffing the shells:
If you’ve never stuffed shells before, don’t worry it’s pretty easy it just takes a little time and some practice to find your grove.
• Make sure to stir your jumbo noodles while cooking, otherwise they can stick together and rip when you try to pull them apart.
• Don’t overcook your shells. Drain immediately after they’re done cooking. Cooked properly, they hold their shape better and are easier to stuff.
• After you drain the shells, don’t let them sit too long. They’ll dry up and start to stick together. I cover mine with a wet paper towel if I need more time to mix up the stuffing.
• Use your fingers to stuff the shells with the spinach-cheese-meat mixture if a spoon isn’t working well.
What ingredients are needed to make these healthy stuffed shells?
You don’t need a long list of ingredients to make this yummy dinner.
Here’s everything you need: Ground turkey, ground beef (or use double turkey), jumbo pasta shells, onion, spinach (fresh or frozen), ricotta cheese, Parmesan Romano cheese blend, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, tomato sauce (I love Rao’s sauce!), Mozzarella cheese, and parsley if you want a pretty garnish.
Helpful tools for making these stuffed shells:
Want more easy and delicious dinner ideas?
These healthy stuffed shells were featured on South Your Mouth, Menu Plan Monday, and Inspire Me Monday and have been pinned more than 15,000 times with lots of rave reviews! I hope you enjoy them too!
Healthy Stuffed Shells with Ground Turkey and Spinach
Ingredients
- 12 oz jumbo shells
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ onion diced
- 10 oz frozen spinach
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 9 oz parmesan romano cheese mix
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 48 oz tomato sauce
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella
- fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Boil jumbo shells according to package. Drain and set aside covering with a wet paper towel to keep from drying.
- Brown ground meat in a skillet together over medium heat with diced onion. Cook until no pink meat remains. Drain any excess fat.
- Thaw spinach in a colander under warm water. Press to remove excess water.
- In a large bowl, mix together parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, spinach, meat, onions and spices including salt and pepper.
- Take meat and cheese mixture and gently stuff into shells. Line a large baking pan or two smaller baking pans (freeze one!) with shells.
- Cover shells with tomato sauce. Top with slices of fresh mozzarella. Bake at 375˚ for about 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce it bubbling in the center. Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.
Gwen Little
Monday 18th of April 2022
I made these today for dinner! 😋 I used parm chz, mex triple chz & mozz chz. Next time I was suggested to use Gouda 😋
Angela G.
Tuesday 19th of April 2022
Sounds yummy! Changing up the cheese is a great way to give this dish a new spin. Thanks for sharing!
Winfield
Thursday 10th of March 2022
Made this last night - big hit! It made two large 9 x 13 pans. The only addendum I made was using more mozzarella on top. Tasted even better the next day! Will absolutely make again! I even sent it to a few friends. Thanks for the recipe!
Angela G.
Thursday 10th of March 2022
Thanks for the review! So glad you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for sharing it with friends!
Kelsey
Monday 24th of January 2022
Whats the serving size ? I saw it said 962 calories per serving, how many shells are in each serving ?
Kelsey
Tuesday 25th of January 2022
@Angela G., thank you so much ! I can’t wait to make this
Angela G.
Tuesday 25th of January 2022
Thanks for asking, Kelsey. I reset the serving size to 3 shells, which is a pretty hearty serving since they are stuffed and topped with sauce and cheese as well. You can see the updated calorie count and nutrition information now. Sorry about that. The Facts were auto generated recently as a new feature I added to my recipes but I had not input the appropriate serving size.
Shawna
Monday 13th of July 2020
How long does this stay good if I freeze it?
Angela G.
Monday 13th of July 2020
Hi Shawna, generally you can freeze this for 2-3 months before it might start to loose quality due to freezer burn. If you can store it in an air tight container, that’s best.
LaToya
Wednesday 4th of March 2020
Hello,
Is this to be frozen with the sauce and cheese on top?
Angela G.
Thursday 5th of March 2020
Yes, it can be frozen with sauce and cheese on top, just be sure to cover it with foil when you're ready to cook it so the cheese doesn't burn. Thanks for asking! :)