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These Creamy White Wine Mushroom Stuffed Shells are the perfect baked pasta for cozy November and December nights with family and friends. Spinach and ricotta stuffed shells, creamy buttery béchamel sauce, and golden caramelized mushrooms all come together in this vegetable-focused pasta dish. It’s rich, cheesy, full of wonderful flavors, and so delicious! Top the stuffed shells with fresh thyme before serving for an extra pop of color. This is a great make-ahead dish for Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving, and all the upcoming holiday dinner parties.
I say this every year, but in terms of the Thanksgiving menu, I think it’s nice to have a vegetarian main course option that’s just as exciting (if not more so) than the turkey. There are so many people who either don’t eat turkey or just don’t love it enough to get super excited about it on Thanksgiving.
For those people out there (and I know there are a lot of them), provide something extra delicious!
For many years I’d do a yummy vegetable-focused lasagna. But this year, I’ve got something new and delicious…stuffed shells!
I based this recipe on my aunt Katie’s white lasagna that I’ve loved since I was a kid. Her béchamel sauce was the secret, she made A LOT of it so the lasagna was never dry.
These shells are basically her lasagna, but in the form of stuffed shells, and with the addition of a bit of wine (which she would love).
The details – make the béchamel
Start with the mushrooms. Just cook them up in a bit of butter and add lots of thyme. Then pull them out of the skillet and start making my Aunt Katie’s béchamel.
It’s butter, garlic, basil, and oregano mixed together with flour. You’ll then add milk and a good amount of wine. As the sauce thickens the wine will cook out. Stir in the cheese and season up the sauce with salt and pepper.
Assemble
Now that the sauce is made, the rest is easy. Boil-off the shells, then mix the ricotta cheese with thawed spinach.
Grab a baking dish and spoon some of the béchamel into the bottom. Start stuffing the shells with the ricotta, then place them into the dish. Pour over the remaining béchamel, sprinkle on some cheese, and then finish with the mushrooms. Cover and bake until that cheese is bubbling up and golden…
It’s going to smell delish.
Perfect dinner to entertain with over the next couple of months. You can prepare the dish in advance, keep it fully assembled in the fridge, and then bake before serving. Love dishes like this for holiday entertaining…they make life so easy!
Hoping these stuffed shells are the perfect start to your week! My tip? Test out the recipe this week and then perfect to your liking for Thanksgiving!
Looking for other easy holiday dinners?? Here are my favorites:
Stuffed Spaghetti Squash 4 Cheese Pesto Lasagna
Crispy Prosciutto Cheesy White Lasagna
One Pot Creamy French Onion Pasta Bake
Lastly, if you make these Creamy White Wine Mushroom Stuffed Shells, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy White Wine Mushroom Stuffed Shells
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 693 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter
- 3 cups shiitake or cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups dry white wine or chicken broth
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 pound jumbo pasta shells
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded provolone
- 2 (10 ounce packages) frozen spinach, thawed and drained
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium pot. Add the mushrooms. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes or until golden. Add the thyme, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook 4-5 minutes, until fragrant. Remove the mushrooms from the skillet. 3. To the skillet, add the reaming 6 tablespoons butter, the garlic, basil, oregano, and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Add the wine, then the milk. Bring to a boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is fully melted and the sauce is smooth. Set the cheese sauce aside.4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and boil the pasta until al dente according to package directions.5. In a bowl combine the ricotta, provolone, and spinach. 6. Spread 1/3 of the cheese sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Working with one pasta shell at a time, spoon 1 tablespoon of the ricotta mix into each shell, placing the filled shell into the baking dish as you go. Sprinkle over 1/2 cup mozzarella, pour the remaining cheese sauce over top. Top with a 1/4 cup of parmesan and then the mushrooms. Cover and bake 25 minutes or until the top has bubbled up. Remove the foil and bake another 15-20 minutes. Serve with fresh thyme.
These shells taste amazing! Recipe is easy to make and it makes a lot. I used 4 smaller baking dishes and gave three to friends. They were “wowed” by how good they were. Thanks, Tieghan!
Hey Lynne,
Awesome! Love to hear that you liked the recipe, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Holidays! xx
I started looking at these reviews only after I had the pan in the oven and I was a little worried but these are delicious! They reheat well too. I only had about 1.5 cup of white wine left so I just used that and the milk and let it boil for a little while. I used fontina instead of mozzarella because that’s what I had, and instead of two boxes of spinach, I used one box of spinach and one cooked chicken breast. We loved it! I added S&P to each component (filling, sauce, chicken, mushrooms) which I think is really important. Next time I think I’ll do the same but add a head of roasted garlic as one reviewer recommended, and more mushrooms for sure.
Hey Bethany,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Glad I read the other comments and only used 1/4 cup of white wine + 1 1/4 cups of chicken broth. I totally agree that 2 cups of wine would be extremely overpowering. I also used about 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream as part of the 2 cups of milk, and I liked the consistency. One 10 ounce bag of spinach was plenty for our family, and I also had to use lasagna noodles – apparently there’s a shortage of jumbo shells in Indiana as well. Very tasty dish that everyone enjoyed.
Hey Beth,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Love this casserole dish! Can you link? Making this dish for Christmas Eve next week!
Hi Claudia,
So sorry, I no longer have the link for this dish, it is old from Anthropologie. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan!
I’ve tried your spinach and mushroom lasagna, which looks similar to this, and loved it. Even my “is it dinner if there is no meat” son enjoyed it. So thank you for these delicious recipes!
Quick question, I’m wanting to make a version with meat to be a more filling (only) main dish for a large group. Do you have a similar recipe with meat?
Hi Stephanie,
So sorry I don’t, but ground sausage would work well here! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I want to make a day or two ahead for Christmas Eve dinner. What can I do ahead? Thanks!
Hi Sarah,
You can make up until the point of baking, keep covered in the fridge, and then bake when you are ready to serve. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Hi just wondering if you did the stuffed shells in advance and if did how many days in advance, i m planning to make them for Christmas and want to do it 2 days prior and questioning if they will turn up ok.
Thank you so much
Hi Maria,
That will work just fine for you, just cover and keep in the fridge until you are ready to bake. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I made these for a dinner with friends and they were amazing! So delicious and cheesy. Everyone enjoyed them. I used 2 different mushrooms for the top and added a bit more. Will be making it over the Christmas Holidays again.
Hi Diana,
I love to hear that this recipe worked out for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
I made this ahead for Thanksgiving and it was voted best dish of the day! Followed the recipe to a tee and loved every bite. Will definitely make this again.
Hey Terin,
I love to hear that this recipe worked out for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
Hello,
Can I use heavy cream instead of whole milk for the Béchamel sauce ? If so, how many cups ?
Thank you!!
Hey Suzi,
Yes, you can use an equal amount of heavy cream. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Excellent! Could I assemble and freeze and then bake the day of?
Hey Autumn,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Yes, that will work well for you!❄️ xTieghan
I tried this recipe for a Friendsgiving a few weeks ago and the wine taste was way too overpowering. I was making the recipe for 16 people so after doubling, had to use 4 cups white wine. While pouring in, I knew something was off but I don’t have much experience cooking with wine, so I thought to just follow the recipe.
It would really help if there were specific wine recommendations. I ended up adding more milk, more cheese, and LOTS of spice and garlic to make it taste right as I didn’t have enough time to make something else. Would love to try this again with suggestions on how to make it better.
Hey there,
So sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe, thanks for giving it a try. You can use any white wine that you enjoy drinking. xTieghan
Has anyone ever turned this into manicotti or lasagna recipe?? I really wanted to make this for Xmas eve dinner but every grocery store in my area is sold out of jumbo shells. Any guidance is appreciated! Thank you
Hi Caitlin,
I’m sure that would work well for you! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Delicious! I used half wine and half chicken broth. I cooked off the wine a little but it’s wonderful! Thank you Tieghan!
Hey Cheryl,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xTieghan
I was super disappointed in this dish! I’m a big fan and have made almost every recipe and we enjoy almost everything you create! But this was just way to much Wine…
We all forced it down, but I don’t think I will save the leftovers which is unfortunate. Didn’t work for us! I may try again with chicken broth…
Hey Maria,
So sorry to hear this, thanks for giving the recipe a try! xTieghan
I’m not sure what I did wrong with this one. The sauce was very thin and I couldn’t get it to thicken up, but it was a tasty sauce. The taste of provolone overpowered this dish. I didn’t hate it but I wish I used a milder cheese over the provolone, I just don’t know what would have been better.
Hey Cortney,
So sorry to hear this! Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was perfect! Thanks for another great recipe.
Hi Melina,
I love to hear that you liked this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan