Delicious Vegetable Stuffed Shells with an Indian take, this recipe adds aromatic and Desi touch to the Classic Italian stuffed pasta. This is a definition of a beautiful thing that happens when East meets West.
This dish is just creamy, luscious, and irresistibly good. The wonderfully blended flavors of paneer, corn, spinach, and a lip-smacking sauce will have you going back for seconds or even thirds.
Let’s learn to make Paneer Vegetable Stuffed Shells with step by step process and video.
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Who doesn’t love pasta? We know we do.
My Favorite pasta recipes are baked feta pasta, five cheese ziti, Spicy chipotle pasta, Lasagna, and Pesto pasta.
Those are some classic recipes. I also enjoy Fusion pasta dishes.
Fusion pasta offers an incredible amount of diversity that you can’t get anywhere, regardless of the ingredients from the cultures that you wish to combine.
Fusion pasta can be so good that you may never return to eating classic pasta dishes again. So for all the pasta lovers out there, here is a must-try recipe for you!
About this recipe
Our today’s recipe is of course not the classic way of making stuffed shells, this is just my fun Indian take!
These Paneer Vegetable Stuffed Shells are inspired by Indian flavors. This dish combines Indian spices, Makhni sauce, Vegetables like spinach and corn, paneer with jumbo shell pasta, and of course Cheese.
It has a great balance of sweet, sour, and savory flavors that will soon make their way to your favorite and go-to pasta dishes.
This Fusion Pasta recipe is so simple to make. But the results will make you think you are sitting in high-end restaurants.
What’s more, the combination of Indian and Italian spices will make your taste buds dance with joy.
This Indian style Pasta
- it’s perfect for serving a crowd.
- Leftovers are great for lunch, or you can freeze them for later.
- is relatively easy to make, with minimal chopping.
- is packed with so much flavor.
- Kids-friendly
- makes a comforting and hearty dish.
- will be a show-stopper vegetarian meal at your upcoming Diwali party or any event
Ingredients required
For stuffing
- Paneer – Use homemade or store-bought paneer. When using a store-bought paneer, soak it in warm water for 20 minutes and then grate it for softer paneer.
- Vegetables – I have used frozen corn and fresh spinach. You can also use bell peppers, mushrooms, and carrots.
- Spices – Cardamom powder, black pepper powder, Italian seasoning, and salt.
- Cheese – For the cheese, I have used Kerrygold brand classic cheese. That’s what I had in my fridge. So you can use a cheese of choice and also use less or more as per your preference.
- Heavy cream – This combines the ingredients and adds some moisture.
For sauce
- Marinara sauce – I used Rao’s Marinara Sauce. Feel free to use your choice of marinara sauce. Homemade Marinara works perfectly fine too.
- Spices – I have used Indian-inspired spices such as Garam Masala, Kasuri methi, and also Italian seasoning. For the spicy kick, I have added a few crushed pepper flakes. But it’s completely optional.
- Butter – For the creamy and buttery flavors. You can use oil instead of butter.
- Onion – any onions will work here.
- Garlic – Use grated or minced. But make sure to use fresh garlic for the best flavors.
- Cashew – To make the sauce creamy and to give the nutty flavors.
- Maple syrup – To balance the tang from the marinara sauce. Use your choice of sweetener.
Other ingredients
- Pasta – For this recipe, you will need a Jumbo Pasta shell. You can use either regular or whole grain shells.
- Cheese – you will need some more cheese for the topping. Use any cheese of your choice.
- Herbs for garnishing – I have used fresh basil and fresh cilantro for the flavors.
Step by step process
Cooking pasta
- Boil jumbo shell pasta in boiling water. Be sure to undercook your shells by 1-2 minutes less than directed on the package because they will continue to cook when they go into the oven. (image 1 and 2)
- Rinse with cold water to prevent further cooking and drain well. Keep the pasta aside.
- Tip – Make sure pasta is not sticking to each other. Arrange them in a single layer on a plate.
For the stuffing
- Take grated paneer, grated cheese, finely chopped spinach, corn, cardamom powder, black pepper powder, salt, Italian seasoning, and heavy cream in a big mixing bowl. (image 3)
- Mix everything very well and keep it aside. (image 4)
For sauce
- Heat butter in a pan. Add garlic and onions. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until onions are translucent. Stir in between. (image 5 to 7)
- Switch off the flame and take this sauteed onion garlic in a blender jar.
- Add cashew nuts and 1 cup cold water. Blend it and make a fine paste. Keep it aside. (image 8 and 9)
- Now in the same pan, take marinara sauce, cashew-onion paste, garam masala, Kasuri methi, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and salt. Mix everything well. (image 10 to 12)
- Switch on the flame and cook this sauce for 3 to 4 minutes on medium heat, stirring frequently.
- Taste the seasoning. Switch off the flame.
Assemble
- Pre-heat the oven @375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
- Take a 9×13 inch pan. Spread half of the sauce in an even layer at the bottom of the pan.
- Take a boiled jumbo shell and fill each shell with the paneer veggie mixture and place in the baking dish.
- Spoon the remaining half sauce over the shells, then sprinkle the 1 cup of cheese and some chopped cilantro over the top.
- Cover the dish with foil. Bake @375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Uncover the pan, then bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown.
- Sprinkle with some more cilantro and basil leaves, then serve this vegetable stuffed shells with crusty bread and a nice salad.
Notes, Pro-tips and quick FAQs
- Skip the pre-shredded bags of cheese and grate your own instead.
- You can assemble this dish up to 8 hours before you plan to bake it. Cover the dish with foil and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
- Choose a high-quality jarred marinara sauce. I either make my own or use Rao’s brand marinara sauce.
- Make sure your pasta is not overcooked
- I’ve used a spoon to stuff the shells, but you could use a pastry bag or a zip lock bag to pipe the filling.
- Do not add a lot of salt in the filling as the cheese already has salt, and the marinara has salt.
This dish will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months. Assemble the shells, take them into the air-tight container (preferably in Individual sized portions) then cover tightly and freeze.
When you’re ready to eat, bake the shells from frozen, and be sure to add another 30 minutes to the cooking time.
Stuffed shells will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, which makes them great for meal prep. You can store them in the pan with foil to cover or transfer them to an airtight container.
Reheat in microwave when ready to eat.
Yes, absolutely.
Simply swap the regular cheese with non-dairy cheese, butter with oil, and paneer with crumbled tofu.
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Paneer Vegetable Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
For gravy
- 2 cups Marinara sauce (around 450 grams) (use good quality)
- ½ cup onion chopped
- ½ tablespoon grated garlic
- 3 tablespoon cashew nuts
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes use more if you want spicy
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 cup water
For Stuffing
- 1 cup grated cheese
- 1 cup grated paneer
- 1 cup finely chopped spinach
- ½ cup corn I used frozen
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ⅛ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 4 tablespoon heavy cream
Other ingredients
- 18 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 cup grated cheese
Chopped basil and cilantro for garnishing
Instructions
Cooking pasta
- Boil jumbo shell pasta in boiling water. Be sure to undercook your shells by 1-2 minutes less than directed on the package because they will continue to cook when they go into the oven.
- Rinse with cold water to prevent further cooking and drain well. Keep the pasta aside.Tip – Make sure pasta is not sticking to each other. Arrange them in a single layer on a plate.
For the stuffing
- Take grated paneer, grated cheese, finely chopped spinach, corn, cardamom powder, black pepper powder, salt, Italian seasoning, and heavy cream in a big mixing bowl.
- Mix everything very well and keep it aside.
For sauce
- Heat butter in a pan. Add garlic and onions. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until onions are translucent. Stir in between.
- Switch off the flame and take this sauteed onion garlic in a blender jar.
- Add cashew nuts and 1 cup cold water. Blend it and make a fine paste. Keep it aside.
- Now in the same pan, take marinara sauce, cashew-onion paste, garam masala, Kasuri methi, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and salt. Mix everything well.
- Switch on the flame and cook this sauce for 3 to 4 minutes on medium heat, stirring frequently.
- Taste the seasoning. Switch off the flame.
Assemble and bake
- Pre-heat the oven @375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
- Take a 9×13 inch pan. Spread half of the sauce in an even layer at the bottom of the pan.
- Take a boiled jumbo shell and fill each shell with the paneer veggie mixture and place in the baking dish.
- Stuffed jumbo pasta shell in a baking tray
- Spoon the remaining half sauce over the shells, then sprinkle the 1 cup of cheese and some chopped cilantro over the top.
- Stuffed shells in pan, ready to be baked
- Cover the dish with foil. Bake @375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Uncover the pan, then bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown.
- Sprinkle with some more cilantro and basil leaves, then serve with garlic bread and a nice salad.
Video
Notes
- Skip the pre-shredded bags of cheese and grate your own instead.
- You can assemble this dish up to 8 hours before you plan to bake it. Cover the dish with foil and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
- Choose a high-quality jarred marinara sauce. I either make my own or use Rao’s brand marinara sauce.
- Make sure your pasta is not overcooked
- I’ve used a spoon to stuff the shells, but you could use a pastry bag or a zip lock bag to pipe the filling.
- Do not add a lot of salt in the filling as the cheese already has salt, and the marinara has salt.
- For FAQs, scroll the above up.
Nutrition
Warm Regards,
Dhwani.
Would cut up lasagna sheets work if I can’t find the jumbo shells
Yes, absolutely. Just do it like how you layer the lasagna or you can stuff it into the lasagna sheet and make rolls. Hope this helps.
Can use different vegetables
Yes, absolutely you can.