Creamy White Wine Mushroom Stuffed Shells.

These Creamy White Wine Mushroom Stuffed Shells are the perfect baked pasta for cozy November and December nights with family and friends. Spinach and ricotta stuffed shells, creamy buttery béchamel sauce, and golden caramelized mushrooms all come together in this vegetable-focused pasta dish. It’s rich, cheesy, full of wonderful flavors, and so delicious! Top the stuffed shells with fresh thyme before serving for an extra pop of color. This is a great make-ahead dish for Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving, and all the upcoming holiday dinner parties.

Ingredients

• Salted butter
• olive oil
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Dried thyme 
• Garlic cloves 
• Dried basil 
• Dried oregano 
• fresh basil, oregano or parsley for garnish
• Kosher salt and black pepper 
• All-purpose flour 
• Milk 
• Dry white wine or chicken broth 
• Shredded mozzarella cheese 
• Grated parmesan cheese 
• Jumbo pasta shells 
• Whole milk ricotta cheese 
• Shredded provolone 
• Frozen spinach, thawed and drained 

What to have in the kitchen for this recipe

• 9×13 inch pan 
• Medium pot and large pot
• Skillet 
• Baking dish 

I say this every year, but in terms of the Thanksgiving menu, I think it’s nice to have a vegetarian main course option that’s just as exciting (if not more so) than the turkey. There are so many people who either don’t eat turkey or just don’t love it enough to get super excited about it on Thanksgiving.

For those people out there (and I know there are a lot of them), provide something extra delicious!

For many years I’d do a yummy vegetable-focused lasagna. But this year, I’ve got something new and delicious…stuffed shells!

I based this recipe on my aunt Katie’s white lasagna that I’ve loved since I was a kid. Her béchamel sauce was the secret, she made A LOT of it so the lasagna was never dry.

These shells are basically her lasagna, but in the form of stuffed shells, and with the addition of a bit of wine (which she would love).

The details – make the béchamel

Start with the mushrooms. Just cook them up in a bit of butter and add lots of thyme. Then pull them out of the skillet and start making my Aunt Katie’s béchamel.

It’s butter, garlic, basil, and oregano mixed together with flour. You’ll then add milk and a good amount of wine. As the sauce thickens the wine will cook out. Stir in the cheese and season up the sauce with salt and pepper.

Assemble

Now that the sauce is made, the rest is easy. Boil-off the shells, then mix the ricotta cheese with thawed spinach.

Grab a baking dish and spoon some of the béchamel into the bottom. Start stuffing the shells with the ricotta, then place them into the dish. Pour over the remaining béchamel, sprinkle on some cheese, and then finish with the mushrooms. Cover and bake until that cheese is bubbling up and golden…

It’s going to smell delish.

Perfect dinner to entertain with over the next couple of months. You can prepare the dish in advance, keep it fully assembled in the fridge, and then bake before serving. Love dishes like this for holiday entertaining…they make life so easy!

Hoping these stuffed shells are the perfect start to your week! My tip? Test out the recipe this week and then perfect to your liking for Thanksgiving!

Looking for other easy holiday dinners?? Here are my favorites: 

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash 4 Cheese Pesto Lasagna

Crispy Prosciutto Cheesy White Lasagna

One Pot Creamy French Onion Pasta Bake

Lastly, if you make these Creamy White Wine Mushroom Stuffed Shells, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

@halfbakedharvest

NYE dinner #whitewine #mushroom #shells #halfbakedharvest #foodtok #holidayrecipes #christmasrecipes

♬ Moonlight Serenade – Ella Fitzgerald