It's always good to try to improve and be a better person and whatnot, but I think when you reach your 30s, you start to give up on that a little bit and accept that in some areas, you're just always going to fall short. And that's okay! Sometimes giving up is liberating. Like on a Saturday, when you're like, "I'm not going out today; I'm wearing sweatpants!" Those are the best days, aren't they? So now, instead of intending to be better about the whole Christmas thing every year and then failing, I'm okay with admitting that I am the worst at Christmas. There, I said it! I forget to send Christmas cards, I go shopping at the last minute, we don't even decorate. I do have a pine-scented candle that I like to light, though. It smells like the holidays all up in here!
So I'm going to admit to you now, December is not going to be all holiday recipes all the time on my blog. But this Cremini and Chard Stuffed Shells recipe is kind of a holiday recipe. Chris's family usually has stuffed shells for Christmas. So there you go! Vegetarian stuffed shells are usually stuffed with either cheese alone or cheese and spinach, but I thought chard, mushrooms, and cheese would be a good way to switch things up. And it was! Adding veggies makes the cheese filling feel a bit less rich and mushrooms make everything delicious. While these make a great vegetarian option for holiday meals, they're still perfect for a weeknight dinner too. And bonus: they freeze well!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
- 1 bunch about 8 ounces Swiss chard, stems discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 ½ cups marinara sauce divided
- 16 jumbo pasta shells cooked according to package directions
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for about 4 minutes, until softened and lightly browned. Stir in the chard and heat until wilted, 1-2 minutes more. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mushrooms and chard to a large bowl; discard any leftover liquid. Stir in the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning. Taste the filling and add more salt and pepper if desired, then fold in the egg.
- Spread ¾ cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of a medium baking dish that's been sprayed with an oil mister (or cooking spray if you don't have a mister). Fill the pasta shells with the ricotta mixture and place them in the baking dish. Once all the shells are filled, spoon the remaining marinara sauce over the top, then sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes; remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes more, or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Let the shells sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Jennifer King says
Hi Kiersten - I'm snowed in here in Connecticut tonight, and made your cremini and chard stuffed shells. So delicious - the filling is so flavorful, and with the addition of the vegetables to the ricotta, it's nice and light at the same time! Thanks for this great take on stuffed shells - I'll be making this dish again! Jennifer 🙂
Kiersten says
This is definitely the perfect dinner for a snow day! (Will you send some snow down to North Carolina?!) I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Shirley says
I like the idea of chard for stuffed shells! I like the spinach ones, but it's nice to mix it up. I gave chard another chance this year and liked it, and ate it throughout the fall.
Every year I want a magical Christmas season, and every year I get stressed and bummed and do everything last-minute. It never fails!
Kiersten says
Yeah, I was pretty last minute this year too. Sigh. Maybe next year. 🙂
Libby says
So good! Made them tonight, I've never made stuffed shells before. I cooked a few extra shells just in case. I ended up having enough filling for 19. I used a 9x13 Pyrex and it fit perfectly. Delicious, can't wait to try some veggie variations.
Kiersten Frase says
Thanks for your comment--I'm glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
heather says
i made this w/ shitake and it was amazing! fantastic recipe!
Kiersten Frase says
I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Annie says
Hi, I was looking for a good vegetarian recipe and came across this which, although it sounds delicious, is not actually vegetarian. Parmesan cheese always contains rennet, an enzyme from a calf's stomach and a byproduct of veal. And, although some mozzarella is made with fungal or microbial enzymes, it can also be made with rennet. I am assuming you are unaware of this, because it is not mentioned at all in this post. I suggest you research the topic of rennet before you encourage fellow vegetarians to unknowingly consume meat.
Kiersten Frase says
This isn't true - there are several brands of vegetarian parmesan cheese. I use Organic Valley and Whole Foods 365 brands, both of which are made without animal rennet. The EU has labeling laws that mandate that all parmesan must be made with rennet, but these laws do not apply in the US, where most of our audience is based.
Denise says
Made these tonight, came out very good! I've never made stuffed shells, I usually do lasagna or manicotti. I did use packaged baby spinach because that was the only green I could get from Trader Joes. I also put the mushroom and spinach mixture once cooked in the food processor to chop them up more.
I used a 9x13 pyrex, I could fit 20 shells, I still had filling left over for maybe 5-6 more.
I want to make again only with swiss chard next time!
Sherry Engel says
I was wondering at what point would I freeze this recipe...before or after I bake it?
And what are your recommendations for cooking it from frozen?
I am newly vegetarian and LOVE to cook...I look forward to trying many of your recipes =)
Sherry
Vanessa says
This is such a wonderful dish! I added a little red pepper flakes because we like spicy! The first time we made this we were in love and made it again the next day to put in our freezer. And I have to say it did just as great from frozen...our guests gobbled it up! I'm now prepping it for my cousin's birthday dinner! Thanks so much for this fantastic recipe!
Kiersten says
I'm so glad to hear you enjoy it! 🙂 I make it (or a variation of it with kale) all the time too.
Shannon says
I am prepping some freezer meals for baby #2 and just got all the ingredients to quadruple this recipe 🙂 Do you have any directions for freezing? How long should I cook from frozen? Thanks much!
Kiersten says
Congratulations! 😀 Once you assemble the shells, freeze them. To bake them, you can either thaw them first in the fridge overnight (I put them in the fridge after dinner the night before, so they're almost in the fridge for a full 24 hours) *or* if you have a casserole dish that's freezer-to-oven safe, you can put them directly in the oven. If they're thawed, cook time and temp is the same as if you make them fresh; add about 20-30 minutes for frozen.