I love giant pasta shells—anything with “giant” in the name goes down a treat in our hungry household. These Pinto Bolognese Stuffed Shells freeze well, so you can make a large batch to keep for easy weeknight dinners. They also work beautifully as the centrepiece for a relaxed weekend lunch with friends, served with a green salad, garlic dough balls and a bottle of wine.
If you can’t find pinto beans, other canned beans such as borlotti or black-eyed beans will work nicely.
Please note: This recipe is not vegan. The Veg Space has been fully vegan since January 2016, but older recipes may be vegetarian rather than vegan.
📖 Recipe
Beany Bolognese Stuffed Shells
Kate Ford | The Veg Space
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 carrot finely chopped
- 1 stick celery finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 flat mushrooms finely chopped
- 1 courgette finely chopped
- 500 g passata
- 400 g tin pinto beans (or borlotti)
- handful fresh spinach chopped
- 300 g giant pasta shells (conchiglioni)
- 350 g tub cheese sauce
- 2 tablespoon breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoon vegetarian parmesan
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
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Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook gently for 3–4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and courgette and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the passata and beans, then simmer for 10 minutes.
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While the bolognese simmers, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta shells according to the packet instructions. Drain, return to the pan and cover with cold water to prevent sticking.
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Remove the bolognese from the heat, add the chopped spinach, then pulse briefly with a hand blender. Aim for a mix of small chunks and thick sauce—don’t over-process.
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Oil a large ovenproof dish (similar size to a lasagne dish). To fill the shells, hold each shell open, spoon about one dessert spoon of the bolognese into it, and place the shell in the dish with the crease down. Arrange them however you prefer.
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When all the shells are stuffed, pour the cheese sauce evenly over them. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and vegetarian parmesan. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden on top and bubbling underneath.
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Serve hot with a crisp green salad.
Nutrition
Calories: 709kcal
Carbohydrates: 100g
Protein: 23g
Fat: 26g
Fiber: 12g
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