These Creamy Seafood Stuffed Shells are the perfect pasta dish for your weeknight dinner or meal prep. This meal is loaded with crab meat, shrimp, lobster, and drizzled with a decadent cream sauce and gooey cheese.
2cupsfinely chopped fresh spinachYou can also use frozen. Be sure to thaw and drain it first.
1cupshredded mozzarella cheeseDivided into 1/2 cup portions.
1/4cupgrated Parmesan Reggiano Cheese
1 1/2teaspoonsOld Bay SeasoningSubstitute your favorite seafood seasoning if preferred.
salt and pepper to taste
foil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pasta Shells
Cook the shells in accordance with the instructions on the packaging, but remove them 2 minutes prior to the noted cook time. (When the cook time provides a range of minutes, I remove the shells 1 minute prior to the low end of the recommended cook time.)This will prevent overcooking as the shells will be baked again. Cool the shells in cold water when they have finished cooking. This will prevent sticking.
Cream Sauce
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the flour and stir until thickened.
Add the heavy cream, almond milk, and white wine. Stir.
Add in the garlic, Parmesan cheese, Italian Seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Taste the sauce repeatedly. Add spices if needed. Stir until smooth and set aside.
Seafood and Filling
Heat the skillet on medium-high heat. Add in 1/2 tablespoon of butter. When melted, add in the shrimp and lobster.
Cook for 3-4 minutes on both sides until cooked through. Remove the shrimp and lobster from the skillet.
Add the cream cheese, cooked shrimp, lobster, crab, chopped spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, Parmesan Reggiano cheese, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste to a large bowl. Stir to combine.
Shell Assembly and Bake
Pour the pasta sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
Load the seafood mixture into each of the pasta shells. I aim for 1 1/2 tablespoons to 2 tablespoons of filling in each shell. Place the filled shells in the baking dish over the pasta sauce. (You may want to keep a moist towel handy for your hands while stuffing the shells).
Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella throughout.
Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the cheese is light brown.
Cool before serving.
Video
Notes
Substitute the seafood used in the recipe for anything you like. You can use 1 1/2 pounds of shrimp and omit the crab and lobster, etc.
Using 1 1/2 tablespoons of seafood filling per shell results in about 18-20 stuffed shells.
You can add the Old Bay seasoning to the shrimp and lobster as it cooks, or to the seafood filling (when adding the cream cheese, etc). Both options work fine.
Al dente is the term used to describe perfectly cooked pasta. It means firm to the bite. Most packages of pasta will include instructions on how to get the pasta al dente. Don't overcook the pasta. This will result in pasta that is sticky, flimsy, and difficult to stuff. If your shells are mushy and hard to handle, you overcooked them.
Be sure to cool the shells completely with cold water immediately after cooking.
Covering the dish with foil will prevent the shells from drying out and will keep the shells soft. If you cook them uncovered, the shells will harden.