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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
This looks delicious, going to make this weekend! Confused about the directions tho… you said add all the mozzarella to the béchamel sauce, then to sprinkle mozzarella over the filled shells, pour remaining béchamel sauce over & finish with Parmesan. Do you use half the mozzarella for the sauce & part to sprinkle over filled shells, or?? Just wanted to clarify. Thanks much. 🙂
Hey Christine,
You can just sprinkle the top with some extra mozzarella. I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This looks fabulous! Could it be made with no boil lasagna noodles as a lasagna instead? Thank you!
Hey Lacey,
Yes, that should work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Can you freeze this meal?
Hey Janine,
You sure can, just freeze before baking. You can bake from frozen or thaw and then bake. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! To make ahead of time do you fully assemble and then put in the fridge? And then do you put from fridge directly to oven?
Thanks!
Hey Tory,
Yes, that would be best! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Thanks for such a quick response! Making it now for tonight- can’t wait!
Can’t wait to try this recipe on Thanksgiving!
I have two questions-
1. Is there a substitute for Ricotta other than cottage cheese? My fam isn’t a fan of either.
2. I think I saw this video on your stories one day but I can’t find it anymore. Is the video posted anywhere else? I love to follow along while cooking.
Thank you for sharing all these yummy recipes with us!
Hey Emmy,
You could use mascarpone or cream cheese in place of the ricotta cheese. Sorry, I did not save this video on IG. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi! I want to take this as a heavy appetizer to a party I have to attend. What are your suggestions for optimal taste regarding reheating??
Hey Amber,
I would make up until the point of baking and then bake when you are ready to serve. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This is right up my alley!!! We made one of your creamy lasagna soup recipes the other night and it was so good.
Question. For a family who doesn’t care for ricotta cheese what would you recommend to use in place of that?
Thanks!!
I’m not a huge fan of the sweetness of ricotta either – subbing with cottage cheese is my usual move.
Hey Nina,
I would do cream cheese or mascarpone in place of the ricotta cheese. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I made this recipe for my boyfriends family and it was a hit. I used fresh spinach (uncooked)instead of frozen and it was delicious. It had such nice flavors, it was cheesy and delicious. 10/10 recommend!
Hey Al,
Wonderful! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I totally forgot the milk when making this so my sauce ended up a little thicker than intended but all in all it was a great recipe that my family finished within the first 20 mins. It’s definitely going into my recipe book:)
Hey Brooklyn,
Wonderful! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Poorly written recipe.
Hi Dina,
Did you try the recipe and have an issue? Can you be a little more specific? I’d love to help! xTieghan
Over all pretty good, I cut the seasonings in half (1 tsp instead of 2 of the herbs) and I did half wine half fresh made chicken broth. In the future I will probably cut the herbs a little more and do a fourth of the wine and the rest chicken broth. Its good but its just too much wine flavor and it does not cook out. I aslo added shredded rotisserie chicken over the top before baking to make it a dinner meal. I would add some Salt and pepper to the ricotta filling as well its very bland obviously.
This recipe made 2 casserole dishes (I froze one) and I still had half a box of noodles left so only cook as many noodles as you can fit in your pans OR double up the shells. I could not find shredded provolone locally but found a mix of mozz and provolone which i just split evenly between the sauce and filling. If you dont have the shells you could easily roll lasagna noodles woth the filling! start with 1/4 the seasoning when making the cheese sauce and then taste after you’ve added broth and milk.
Just made this for dinner tonight and everyone loved it!!! I enjoy your daily posts and love making a few of your dishes each week. Everything is always delicious. Thank you. Can’t wait for your cookbook!!
Hey Lisa,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
Hey Abby,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. xTieghan
Absolutely LOVED this recipe! The store was out of shells so I turned it into a lasagne! It was perfection!! Thank you for your amazing recipe Teighan! I make one of your recipes at least once a week. Can’t wait for the next book to come out.
Hey Meghan,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! Thanks for trying so many recipes! xTieghan
Made this on Saturday for our friends. Big hit!
Hey Lori,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best day! xTieghan
I made this dish for an early thanksgiving dinner with the family and two cups of wine completely over powered the sauce. I had to throw it all out and start over. I used chicken broth the next time and it was much better. It took nearly 2.5 hours before we could eat. It was tasty but I wouldn’t make it again.
Hey Amanda,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, thanks for giving it a try. xTieghan
Hey Amanda, If you tasted the alcohol that means you didn’t let it cook off long enough. I’ve made that mistake with Alla vodka. First time I cooked it is was vodka alla with some penne lol . Just let it simmer through and then do a taste test(important). If you still taste the bitterness keep cooking. When done properly wine will give you a subtle sweetness in your food.
Tieghan says to only cook off the wine sauce over heat for one minute…. bad instructions.
Flavorful and pretty! Thanks for another great recipe. I used fresh spinach and sautéed it which worked out great. I love that this recipe can feed a group. Very hearty.
I’m excited for your new cookbook. I have your other cookbooks which are fantastic! They are beautifully done and make a perfect gift!
Hey Sandy,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best day! xTieghan