Spinach and ricotta stuffed shells
Pasta shells filled with spinach and ricotta beneath a tomato sauce.
About 55 min · 540 kcal · 30 g protein per serving
Vegetarian
Leek, pea and ricotta tart
A small filo tart with leeks, peas and ricotta.
By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 12 September 2026; not yet cooked in a test kitchen or photographed, so the times and yield are estimates. How we develop our recipes
What still needs a real kitchen
- Confirm the filling sets in 30 to 35 minutes
- Photograph the finished tart
- Time
- About 55 min
- estimated
- Serves
- 2
- see below
- Energy
- 400 kcal
- per serving
- Protein
- 19 g
- per serving
Ingredients for 2 servings
Check off ingredients as you go.
Contains eggs, gluten, milk. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:
- filo pastry. Filo can contain soya; check the packet.
Cooking steps
Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan). Warm half the oil in a pan and cook the leek for 8 minutes, until soft. Let it cool a little.
Beat the ricotta, eggs and milk together, then stir in the leek and peas.
Brush a small dish with oil and lay in the filo sheets one at a time, brushing each with oil and letting the edges overhang. Keep the sheets you are not using covered, or they dry out and crack.
Pour in the filling, fold the overhanging pastry back over the edge and brush it with the last of the oil.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set with no liquid egg left and the pastry is golden.
Cooked when: 71°C / 160°F in the centre. A food thermometer is the reliable way to tell.
The useful detail
Keep unused filo covered while assembling. Exposed to air it goes brittle in a couple of minutes and tears as you lift it.
Make it work for you
One serving is Half the tart. You can switch to a smaller portion in the ingredients above; it is three quarters of this, and it contains correspondingly less energy and protein. It is an option, not a goal.
Cottage cheese instead of ricotta
More savoury and less rich; drain it first.
Per serving: about 40 kcal less, about 3 g more protein, about 4 g less fat.
Asparagus instead of peas
Steam it briefly first and cut it short.
Per serving: about 30 kcal less, about 2 g less protein, about the same fat.
Unsweetened soya milk
Sets in the same way.
Per serving: about the same energy, about the same protein, about the same fat.
Allergens: Adds soya. The ricotta still contains milk.
Estimated nutrition
Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.
A tart whose case is filo rather than shortcrust, so far less of the energy is pastry, and the eggs and ricotta carry the protein.
| Energy | 400 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 19 g |
| Fat | 20 g |
| of which saturates | 8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 37 g |
| of which sugars | 7 g |
| Fibre | 4 g |
| Sodium | 360 mg |
Show calculation notes
Each ingredient’s weight is multiplied by its USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g. The whole recipe is added up and divided by 2. Raw weights are used for meat, fish and vegetables; beans and lentils are drained weights. All of the oil is counted as eaten. Added salt is not included; sodium from stock, bread, cheese and tinned food is.
| Ingredient | Weight used | Source | Energy | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| olive oil | 9 g | FDC 171413Oil, olive, salad or cooking | 80 kcal | 0.0 g |
| leek | 150 g | FDC 169246Leeks, (bulb and lower leaf-portion), raw | 92 kcal | 2.3 g |
| ricotta | 150 g | FDC 170851Cheese, ricotta, whole milk | 225 kcal | 11.3 g |
| eggs | 110 g | FDC 171287Egg, whole, raw, fresh | 160 kcal | 14.1 g |
| milk | 31 g | FDC 171267Milk, reduced fat, fluid, 2% milkfat, with added vitamin A and vitamin D | 15 kcal | 1.0 g |
| frozen peas | 100 g | FDC 170016Peas, green, frozen, unprepared (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) | 77 kcal | 5.2 g |
| filo pastry | 50 g | FDC 172791Phyllo dough | 150 kcal | 3.5 g |
| Whole recipe | Divided by 2 | 799 kcal | 37.4 g |
Per serving the energy is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, grams to the nearest whole gram and sodium to the nearest 10 mg. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.
Storage and reheating
- In the fridge
- Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Eat within 3 to 4 days. Good cold; the pastry softens but the filling keeps well.
- In the freezer
- Freezing keeps food safe indefinitely; the texture is best if it is eaten sooner rather than later.
- Reheating
- Reheat until it reaches 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout.
Checked against US Food and Drug Administration, Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures and FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is shorter, at two days for most leftovers.
Try another recipe
Mushroom and lentil cottage pie
A savoury mushroom-lentil filling with a soft potato topping.
About 1 hr · 360 kcal · 20 g protein per serving
Vegetarian