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
Spinach and ricotta filo parcels with tomato salad
Crisp filo parcels with a spinach and ricotta filling, and a sharp tomato salad.
By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 20 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 reaches 71°C in 20 to 25 minutes at 190°C
- Confirm 70 g of filo makes four parcels
- Photograph the finished parcels
- Time
- About 50 min
- estimated
- Serves
- 2
- see below
- Energy
- 535 kcal
- per serving
- Protein
- 25 g
- per serving
Ingredients for 2 servings
Check off ingredients as you go.
Contains eggs, gluten, milk. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:
- feta. Some feta is made with animal rennet; check the label if you are vegetarian.
- filo pastry. Filo can contain soya; check the packet.
Cooking steps
Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F (170°C fan).
Wilt the spinach in a dry pan, tip it into a sieve, and press it hard until it stops dripping. Chop it roughly.
Mix the spinach with the ricotta, the feta broken into small pieces, the egg and the nutmeg. The feta is salty, so taste before adding any more salt.
Keep the filo you are not using under a damp cloth. Brush one sheet with oil, add a quarter of the filling, and fold into a parcel. Repeat to make four.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the filo is golden and the filling is hot through.
Cooked when: 71°C / 160°F in the centre. A food thermometer is the reliable way to tell.
Slice the tomatoes, dress them with the lemon juice and any remaining oil, and serve alongside.
The useful detail
Keep the filo you are not working with under a damp cloth. It goes from pliable to brittle in about two minutes in a warm kitchen, and brittle filo cannot be folded.
Make it work for you
One serving is Two parcels with half the tomato salad. 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
Wetter, so drain it first. More protein for the same weight.
Per serving: about 50 kcal less, about 4 g more protein, about 6 g less fat.
Leave out the feta
Milder and softer, and noticeably less salty. It also takes the protein down by about a third.
Per serving: about 70 kcal less, about 4 g less protein, about 7 g less fat.
Frozen spinach, 250 g, thawed
Squeeze it harder than fresh. No other change.
Estimated nutrition
Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.
A vegetarian dinner where two cheeses do the work of the protein and the pastry is filo rather than shortcrust, which is the difference between a light case and a heavy one.
| Energy | 535 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 25 g |
| Fat | 33 g |
| of which saturates | 15 g |
| Carbohydrate | 38 g |
| of which sugars | 4 g |
| Fibre | 5 g |
| Sodium | 990 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| spinach | 250 g | FDC 168462Spinach, raw | 58 kcal | 7.1 g |
| ricotta | 200 g | FDC 170851Cheese, ricotta, whole milk | 300 kcal | 15.1 g |
| feta | 100 g | FDC 173420Cheese, feta | 265 kcal | 14.2 g |
| eggs | 50 g | FDC 171287Egg, whole, raw, fresh | 72 kcal | 6.3 g |
| ground nutmeg | 0.5 g | FDC 171326Spices, nutmeg, ground | 2 kcal | 0.0 g |
| filo pastry | 70 g | FDC 172791Phyllo dough | 209 kcal | 5.0 g |
| olive oil | 14 g | FDC 171413Oil, olive, salad or cooking | 121 kcal | 0.0 g |
| tomatoes | 250 g | FDC 170457Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average | 45 kcal | 2.2 g |
| lemon juice | 15 g | FDC 167747Lemon juice, raw | 3 kcal | 0.1 g |
| Whole recipe | Divided by 2 | 1074 kcal | 50.0 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. The filo softens in the fridge. Reheat in the oven rather than a microwave if you want it crisp again.
- 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
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A savoury mushroom-lentil filling with a soft potato topping.
About 1 hr · 360 kcal · 20 g protein per serving
Vegetarian