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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!
Creamy White Wine Mushroom Stuffed Shells
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 693 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter
- 3 cups shiitake or cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups dry white wine or chicken broth
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 pound jumbo pasta shells
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded provolone
- 2 (10 ounce packages) frozen spinach, thawed and drained
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium pot. Add the mushrooms. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes or until golden. Add the thyme, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook 4-5 minutes, until fragrant. Remove the mushrooms from the skillet. 3. To the skillet, add the reaming 6 tablespoons butter, the garlic, basil, oregano, and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Add the wine, then the milk. Bring to a boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is fully melted and the sauce is smooth. Set the cheese sauce aside.4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and boil the pasta until al dente according to package directions.5. In a bowl combine the ricotta, provolone, and spinach. 6. Spread 1/3 of the cheese sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Working with one pasta shell at a time, spoon 1 tablespoon of the ricotta mix into each shell, placing the filled shell into the baking dish as you go. Sprinkle over 1/2 cup mozzarella, pour the remaining cheese sauce over top. Top with a 1/4 cup of parmesan and then the mushrooms. Cover and bake 25 minutes or until the top has bubbled up. Remove the foil and bake another 15-20 minutes. Serve with fresh thyme.
This post was originally published on November 8, 2021
Would fresh spinach work here?
Hey Christie,
Totally! You will just want to sauté it down first and remove any excess liquid. I hope you love this dish!
This was off the hook fantastic. Not sure where the negative comments about flavor are coming from – cause they wrong. I made this to the tee with the exception of adding rosemary to the thyme mixture – just because we like rosemary. Also did half wine half chicken broth – but only because I drank the other cup while making this dish. Was really fantastic T, and all your books are wonderful as well! Four of them hold a place of honor on my kitchen cookbook shelf.
Hey Emily,
Yay! Love to hear this dish turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! Have the best week:)
This is DECADENT. Follow recipe to the tee and you will NOT be disappointed.
Hey Janet,
Happy Sunday!! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed:)
Ok! Based on the reviews, here’s my take on these and my substitutions.
1C white wine
1C chickenbroth
1 12 Oz bag of spinach (not 2)
I added a drizzle of pesto, Red Pepper Flakes, and Penzy Italian Herb blend to the Ricotta along with an egg.
I topped the entire dish with a dash of Penzy Pasta Seasoning, drizzle of Sundried tomatoes and some fresh basil. The sundried tomatoes made this exceptional! So much yum!
Hi Alison,
Fantastic!! Thanks for trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear it turned out well! Happy New Year! xx
Can this be prepped and then frozen to cook later? If not, how many days will it last in the refrigerator before serving!
Hi Gretchen! I haven’t ever tried that before, but I would imagine it should be fine! I would just add some more fresh cheese on top before baking and cover in foil! xT
This may be a silly question… but do you stuff the pasta shells when they are uncooked or do you cook them first? Thanks
Hi there! Yes, you cook the shells and then you stuff them! 🙂 xT
Disappointing, bland, and a lot of work for basically, a tasteless sauce dish.
Hey Skye,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed. Please let me know if there is anything specific that I can help with! xT
Just made this again. It is delicious! Sharing with a neighbor and co-workers. We all loved it the last time! Thank you! I would share a pic but I don’t see anyway to do that.
Hey Teresa,
Happy Sunday!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for making it and your feedback! xx
This is such an amazingly delicious and special recipe! Making this for the second time for my daughter’s birthday dinner tomorrow evening.
Hey Kristin,
Awesome! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Have a great weekend! xT
way too much wine in the recipe. i made this for family and followed the directions, they all said it was missing something or just overall not good. it did smell great cooking but the flavor was just okay.
Hi Tori,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! x
Amazing! Will definitely be a special occasion dish on my family table.
Thanks so much, Jill! Love to hear that this dish turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! xT
This absolutely yummy! I used the milk I had to make ricotta (for the filling) so substituted with whey and nonfat powdered milk. Today I plan to make chicken and mushroom pot pies with wined bechamel gravy.
Hey Mona,
Fantastic! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you! xT
I made this tonight and while taste testing my sauce I decided on adding some chicken broth to drown out a little of the bold wine flavor but not so much that it took the wine flavor away completely. I also added more garlic because we LOVE garlic in my household, left out mushrooms because none of us eat them and added Rotisserie chicken to both the sauce and the cheese mixture. It was absolutely delightful!! Next time I think I will do one cup wine and one cup chicken broth because I will definitely be making this again!!
Hey Christine,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, love to hear that it turned out well! xT
I don’t like provolone what can I replace it with?
Hi Christine,
You could just use additional mozzarella in this recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this dish! xT
Unfortunately, there was no instruction on the temperature for the skillet. Once I added the milk, it curdled and everything was ruined.
Hi Dominique,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear this recipe did not turn out for you. Please let me know if I can help in any way! xx
What is the temperature for heating the cheese sauce?
Hi Danielle,
Once you boil the liquid for 1 minute in step 3, you are going to remove from the heat and then add the cheese to make the cheese sauce. I hope this helps! xx
I plan on making this for a group of friends. I was thinking of using Gruyère and Asiago in place of mozzarella and provolone…any thoughts?
Hey Donna,
Sure, I think that sounds delicious! I hope you love this recipe! xT
Loved this recipe! I added salmon to my shells! Delish! Thanks for sharing!!! It was hit for dinner, my mother in law loved it!
Hey there,
Love to hear this! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment:) Love the addition of salmon. Happy Sunday! Xx
This was a hit at a dinner party! Thanks so much for the recipe. I doubled the quantities since I was feeing 9 people, but had so much extra. Recommendations:
– I used one less cup of mushrooms (even when doubling) and can’t imagine having more in it
– Buy pre-sliced mushrooms to save time!
– I doubled the garlic, thyme, and basil for more flavor. I also sprinkled fresh basil & red pepper flakes over the top once it was done cooking
– I used a little less than 2 bags of fresh, Trader Joes organic baby spinach (6oz each) and cut it up prior to mixing in with the provolone & ricotta. This was the perfect amount
– I used one less cup of white wine (even when doubling) and could honestly have done a cup less, unless I boiled it off for longer
Hi Caroline,
I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback! Love all of your handy notes and what worked best for you:) xT