Cheesy Stuffed Shells Recipe made with a flavorful three-cheese ricotta filling and easy, homemade marinara sauce. Learn how to make this delicious stuffed shells recipe and make ahead of time for an easy weeknight dinner or freeze leftovers for later!
Recipe For Stuffed Shells
Stuffed shells remind me of my childhood. My mom would always buy frozen, pre-stuffed shells, whichever store-bought pasta sauce that was on sale, top with cheese, and bake. Easy, delicious, and still one of those feel-good family comfort foods.
While I will always love my mother’s less-than-homemade version of stuffed shells, I prefer my own homemade version. Creamy, delicious, and SO full of flavor.
This recipe is incredibly easy to make, BUT also very time-consuming (especially if you make homemade pasta sauce). Like lasagna, you’ll need a solid 1-2 hours to make stuffed shells from scratch start to finish. I don’t know about you guys, but that’s not something I can do mid-week all the time. My advice? Make extra! Double or even triple the recipe and freeze leftovers for a rainy, lazy dinner.
Tip – Add some ground beef, ground turkey, or Italian sausage to your pasta sauce for an extra meaty, cheesy, and comforting casserole pasta dish.
How to Make Stuffed Shells
For the full list and amounts of ingredients, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
To prepare this recipe you’ll need:
- 9×13 inch baking dish
- Mixing bowls and measuring spoons
- Stockpot
- Rimmed baking sheet
Step 1 – Cook the pasta shells.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add your jumbo shells and cook for approximately 6-8 minutes, or until al dente (I like to cook mine 1-2 minutes less than the recommended cooking time to prevent them from overcooking and becoming soggy).
Drain and rinse the shells with cold water. Immediately transfer shells to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together.
Step 2 – Preheat and prepare.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a large 9×13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and spread 1-2 cups of prepared pasta sauce over the bottom of the baking dish.
Step 3 – Prepare the ricotta mixture.
Transfer the eggs, ricotta cheese, parsley, Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Mix well to combine. Add the shredded parmesan cheese and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese to the ricotta mixture and mix again.
Step 4 – Stuff your shells.
Fill each shell with approximately 2 tablespoons of the three-cheese ricotta mixture. Transfer each shell, seam-side-up, to the prepared baking dish.
Spoon additional sauce on and around the shells and sprinkle with the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese.
Step 5 – Bake.
Tent the baking pan with aluminum foil and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.
How Long to Bake Stuffed Shells
Stuffed shells take approximately 20-25 minutes to cook in a preheated oven set at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. For a golden cheesy top, remove the foil and continue to bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Can you Freeze Stuffed Shells?
Stuffed shells can be prepared and frozen for up to 3 months.
To freeze your stuffed shells, cover your prepared unbaked shells with plastic wrap and press down, removing as much air as possible. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and transfer to the freezer.
To cook stuffed shells from frozen, simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight then bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. To cook directly from frozen, tent your baking dish with foil and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes.
What to Serve with Stuffed Shells
I love serving stuffed shells with a light salad like this Balsamic Tomato Salad or easy Spinach Salad. Of course, veggies are always a great idea, like these Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Asparagus, or yummy cooked Beets (which happen to be my personal favorite).
Need more protein you can always serve a bowl with,
- Garlic Butter Steak Bites (reader favorite!)
- Roast Chicken Recipe
- Easy Baked Chicken Breasts (taste great with everything!)
- Garlic Herb Lamb Chops (delicious alternative to beef or chicken)
- Garlic Butter Pork Chops
Stuffed Shells in the Slow Cooker
Is it possible to cook stuffed shells in the Crockpot? YES!
It is totally possible to make this recipe (or at least finish it) in the slow cooker. To prepare this in the slow cooker simply follow the instructions as instructed, but rather than transferring the shells and sauce to a baking dish, add it to the bowl of a large slow cooker. Top with cheese and cook on high for 4-6 hours.
Tips and Tricks
- Boil shells until al dente, or perhaps a little less. If you overcook the shells, the pasta will become delicate and fall apart when stuffed with cheese.
- I like to rinse my shells with cool water and immediately transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. This helps prevent the shells from sticking to each other.
- Use a small spoon to fill each pasta shell, or, for extra speedy shell stuffing, transfer the ricotta filling to a large ziplock bag with the tip cut off.
- If you don’t like ricotta, swap it for cottage cheese. Make the filling extra creamy and add softened cream cheese.
- Add your favorite store-bought sauce or try this stuffed shells recipe with homemade tomato sauce (recipe below), meaty spaghetti sauce, or spicy arrabbiata sauce.
More Pasta Recipes,
30 Minute Creamy Ham and Pea Pasta
Easy Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe
If you try making this Stuffed Shells Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
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Stuffed Shells Recipe
Ingredients
For the Homemade Sauce (use storebought if preferred)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion - diced
- 6 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes
- 2 teaspoon sugar - (optional)
For the Shells
- 1 (12 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
- 4 cups homemade pasta sauce (recipe below) - or 2 (16 ounce) jars store-bought sauce
- 2 large eggs - beaten
- 30 ounces ricotta cheese - (2 containers)
- 2 tablespoon parsley - minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup parmesan cheese - shredded
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese - shredded
Instructions
For the Sauce
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and stir well to coat in the olive oil. Cook until soft, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper to the onions. Mix well and continue to cook for an additional 30-60 seconds.
- Increase heat to medium-high. Mix in the tomato paste and cook, stirring continuously for approximately 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice and sugar and mix well to combine.
- Cook the sauce, mashing the tomatoes with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Allow the sauce to come to a low simmer before reducing heat to low. Allow the sauce to cook, uncovered, for approximately 25 minutes, mashing occasionally as needed.
- If you prefer a smoother sauce, transfer part, or all, of the sauce to a large blender and process until desired consistency is reached. Return the sauce back to the pot and season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
For the Shells
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the shells and cook for approximately 6-8 minutes, or until al dente (I like to cook mine at least 1-2 minutes less than the recommended cooking time to prevent them from overcooking and becoming soggy). Drain and rinse shells with cold water. Immediately transfer shells to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a large 9x13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread 1-2 cups of prepared pasta sauce over the bottom of the baking dish.
- Transfer the eggs, ricotta cheese, parsley, Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a large mixing bowl. Mix well to combine. Add the shredded parmesan cheese and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese to the ricotta mixture and mix again.
- Fill each shell with approximately 2 tablespoons of the prepared cheese mixture and transfer to the prepared baking pan.
- Spoon additional sauce on and around the shells and sprinkle with the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese (and chopped parsley, if desired).
- Tent the baking pan with foil and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake until golden, approximately 20-25 minutes. For a golden cheesy top, remove the foil and continue to bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Jessica's Notes
- Save time and use your favorite store-bought sauce or prepare the sauce the day before.
- Boil shells until al dente, or perhaps a little less. If you overcook the shells, the pasta will become delicate and fall apart when stuffed with cheese.
- I like to rinse my shells with cool water and immediately transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. This helps prevent the shells from sticking to each other.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
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