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
Tortellini with peas, mint and ricotta
Cheese tortellini tossed with peas, mint and loosened ricotta.
By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 22 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 ricotta emulsifies with pasta water into a pouring sauce
- Photograph the finished bowl
- Time
- About 20 min
- estimated
- Serves
- 2
- see below
- Energy
- 545 kcal
- per serving
- Protein
- 26 g
- per serving
Ingredients for 2 servings
Check off ingredients as you go.
Contains eggs, gluten, milk. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:
- tortellini. Filled pasta varies: check the packet for the filling, the allergens and whether it is suitable for vegetarians.
- Parmesan. Parmigiano Reggiano is made with animal rennet, so it is not vegetarian. Vegetarian Italian-style hard cheeses are widely sold.
Cooking steps
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the tortellini according to the packet, adding the peas for the last 3 minutes.
Before you drain them, take out a mugful of the cooking water and keep it.
Put the ricotta in a large warm bowl with the oil and beat in the hot cooking water a spoonful at a time until it is loose enough to pour from the spoon.
Drain the tortellini and peas and tip them straight into the bowl.
Toss everything together with the chopped mint and the grated Parmesan, loosening with more of the water if it tightens.
The useful detail
Loosen the ricotta with hot pasta water before the pasta goes anywhere near it. Added to the pan as it comes from the tub it clings in lumps and coats nothing.
Make it work for you
One serving is Half the tortellini with half the peas and ricotta. 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
Blend it smooth first. More protein for the same weight, and sharper.
Per serving: about 40 kcal less, about 3 g more protein, about 4 g less fat.
Vegetarian hard cheese instead of Parmesan
Identical. Parmesan is made with animal rennet; check the tortellini filling too.
Per serving: about the same energy, about the same protein, about the same fat.
Fresh basil instead of mint
Sweeter and less sharp against the peas.
Per serving: about the same energy, about the same protein, about the same fat.
Estimated nutrition
Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.
A twenty minute dinner where filled pasta, peas and two cheeses between them reach the mid twenties for protein.
| Energy | 545 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 26 g |
| Fat | 24 g |
| of which saturates | 11 g |
| Carbohydrate | 57 g |
| of which sugars | 6 g |
| Fibre | 6 g |
| Sodium | 660 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tortellini | 160 g | FDC 172094Tortellini, pasta with cheese filling, fresh-refrigerated, as purchased | 491 kcal | 21.6 g |
| frozen peas | 200 g | FDC 170016Peas, green, frozen, unprepared (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) | 154 kcal | 10.4 g |
| ricotta | 150 g | FDC 170851Cheese, ricotta, whole milk | 225 kcal | 11.3 g |
| olive oil | 14 g | FDC 171413Oil, olive, salad or cooking | 121 kcal | 0.0 g |
| fresh mint | 10 g | FDC 173475Spearmint, freshFresh mint is 44 kcal per 100 g on FoodData Central 173475, so the few grams a recipe uses add 2 kcal at most. That record has no sugars value, so the mint is listed here rather than counted, which keeps the recipe's sugars calculable. | · | · |
| Parmesan | 25 g | FDC 170848Cheese, parmesan, hard | 98 kcal | 8.9 g |
| Whole recipe | Divided by 2 | 1089 kcal | 52.3 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. Ingredients marked “Not calculated” are excluded and could add at most 3 kcal to the whole recipe. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.
Storage and reheating
- In the fridge
- Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, though filled pasta is much better fresh.
- Reheating
- Reheat in a pan with a splash of water until 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