All I can say is yum, yum, yum!! The creamy nature of these shells is so satisfying. The garlic and onion are the stars of the show here and the toppings really bring the dish together. You can watch me make this incredible dish below, the video is directly from my social media page.
Preparation is key
The easiest way to maximize your time with this recipe (and pretty much all others) is to have your ingredients prepped and ready to go! What does this mean? Chop all herbs & veggies and mince garlic ahead of time, portion out your spinach, and have the other ingredients waiting with measuring cups ready. So here's my confession-I love crumbling and grating my own cheese. You can certainly buy the feta pre-crumbled but for me, it's satisfying in a way. Plus I enjoy the freshness of cheese right off the block.
Another helpful way to be prepared is by toasting the breadcrumbs.
The filling for Spanakopita Stuffed Shells
Part of what I really enjoy about the filling here is that there isn't much stove time needed, the oven does most of the work. The most you'll have to do is saute the onions and garlic, then wilt the spinach a bit and let it cool. You can do this first so the ingredients can cool before stuffing.
Cut down on cook time
You can save several minutes of pasta cool-down time by draining the pasta in a colander and then running the pasta under cold water to cool down the shells faster. This is actually a best practice with many pasta dishes because doing so stops the cooking process of the pasta.
Once all of the steps are complete, you are ready to assemble and enjoy!
Watch me make Spanakopita Stuffed Shells here
ANOTHER PASTA RECIPE!!!
Spanakopita Stuffed Shells
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings
Description
So tasty and full of flavor!! A new twist on traditional Spanakopita.
Ingredients
16 pasta shells
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
One quarter of a whole onion
2 tbsp fresh parsley
1 tsp fresh dill
1 tbsp minced garlic
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil **optional toasted panko/parmesan breadcrumbs, chopped green onion**
Instructions
- Boil pasta shells until they're nearly done, drain and set aside to cool. Chop all vegetables, herbs, spinach, and feta if needed.
- Saute onions in butter and olive oil. Once they are translucent, add garlic cooking until garlic is fragrant.
- Add spinach and cook until spinach has wilted. Set aside to cool.
- In a mixing bowl combine Greek yogurt, Feta cheese, Parmesan cheese, cooled spinach mixture, salt, pepper, dill, and parsley. Mix until combined.
- Take a very small amount of the spinach mixture and spread on the bottom of a baking dish.
- Using a small spoon, fill shells with mixture and line them in your baking dish.
- Bake in the oven at 350° for 20 minutes. Sprinkle topping if desired.
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