Healthy Stuffed Shells with Ground Turkey and Spinach

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:

• Casserole Dish
• Serving Spatula
• Colander
• Skillet
• Mixing Bowls

Want more easy and delicious dinner ideas?

Browse all my dinner recipes!

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

5 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Skill Level: Easy

Recipe Type: Beef, Healthy Choices, Turkey

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 6 Servings

Ingredients

 

• ▢ 1 12oz box jumbo shells
• ▢ 1 lb ground turkey
• ▢ 1 lb ground beef
• ▢ 1/2 onion diced
• ▢ 1 10oz bag frozen spinach
• ▢ 1 15oz container ricotta cheese
• ▢ 1 9oz container parmesan romano cheese mix
• ▢ 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ 2 24oz jars of 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.