These stuffed shells are filled with three types of cheese, then covered in marinara sauce and more cheese and baked to golden brown perfection. A comfort food classic that’s great for feeding a crowd!
When I’m looking for an easy meal that will please both kids and adults alike, I turn to baked spaghetti, lasagna roll ups, or these ultra cheesy stuffed shells.
Stuffed shells are a popular dish for good reason – they’re hearty and elegant looking, yet easy to make. And who can resist all of that cheese? This version uses ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, along with zesty marinara sauce, for a totally satisfying meal.
How do you make stuffed shells?
Start this dish by boiling your pasta shells. While the shells are cooking, prepare the filling by mixing together ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, along with seasonings and egg. Use a spoon or piping bag to fill each cooked shell with the cheese mixture. Pour marinara sauce into the bottom of a baking dish, then arrange the shells on top of the sauce. Spoon more sauce over the shells, then sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Bake the pasta covered, then uncovered until browned and bubbly. Add a sprinkle of fresh parsley, then serve and enjoy.
Tips for the perfect pasta
- Be sure to undercook your shells by 1-2 minutes because they will continue to cook when they go into the oven.
- I prefer to use whole milk ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, but if you’re looking to save a few calories, you can use part skim.
- Skip the pre-shredded bags of cheese and grate your own instead. I find that the pre-grated cheeses at the store tend to be coated with anti-caking agents and preservatives, and do not melt as smoothly.
- 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. You may need to add another 10 minutes to the baking time to compensate for starting with chilled pasta.
- Choose a high quality jarred marinara sauce. I typically use Newman’s Own or Classico brands.
Flavor variations
This is a classic version of baked shells with a cheese filling, but you can add a variety of ingredients to this dish to customize it to your tastes.
- Protein: Stir 8 ounces of cooked crumbled ground beef, Italian sausage or ground turkey into the cheese mixture. You can also try using shredded cooked chicken.
- Vegetables: Add up to 1 cup of veggies to the cheese filling such as spinach, mushrooms, onions, red bell peppers, broccoli, zucchini or kale. Make sure to finely chop the vegetables and cook them before they go into the mix.
- Sauce: Swap out the marinara sauce for creamy Alfredo sauce, or use a hearty bolognese style meat sauce instead.
- Cheese: You can use other types of cheese instead of the three I’ve listed, such as cream cheese, small curd cottage cheese, provolone, fontina, asiago or romano.
Can you freeze stuffed shells?
This dish will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months. Assemble the shells, 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. You can also freeze individual sized portions of leftover shells that have already been cooked. Reheat previously baked shells in the microwave in 90 second intervals until heated through.
How long are stuffed shells good for?
Stuffed shells will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, which makes them a great candidate for meal prep. You can store your baked shells in the pan with foil to cover, or transfer them to an airtight container.
More pasta recipes you’ll love
Stuffed Shells Video
Classic Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 24 jumbo pasta shells cooked according to package directions
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided use
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 cups marinara sauce divided use
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9"x13" baking pan with cooking spray.
- Spread 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce in an even layer in the bottom of the pan.
- Place the ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, Italian seasoning, egg, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese in a bowl. Stir to combine.
- Fill each shell with the ricotta mixture and place in the baking dish.
- Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over the shells, then sprinkle the other 1 1/2 cups of cheese over the top.
- Cover the dish with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover the pan, then bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown.
- Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.
Patricia says
What’s the serving size for the nutritional Information ?
Andrea says
Great recipe. Really tasty and easy to make! The pastry bag tip is a must! I mustn’t have found the right size shells because it made so many that I needed a 9×13 and a 8×8 but I did have enough filling for all of them! I also used my homemade marinara, which I had planned to freeze the remainder of but it turned out to be the perfect amount for all of those shells. 😉
Lucy G says
I had the same experience. Perfect recipe that made too much – even more perfect!
Erica says
Made the dish today using this recipe but added in some ground sausage and it was DELICIOUS!
Sue says
So the recipe says 24 shells but video only includes 16 shells. Does this recipe make enough filling for 24?
Sara says
Yes my dish on camera is just a little smaller which is why there’s less there!
Judy Duer says
Can these be frozen and baked at a later date??
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
Cheryl Boggs says
Pepperoni?
Kim says
This is the first time I have made Stuffed Shells. The recipe was easy to follow and it turned out wonderful. I will definitely be making this again.
Virginia Fabritz says
I haven’t made this. I’m sending it to my son and hopefully he’ll bring me a plate of them or he could freeze some and I’ll bake them. I do have a question tho’. You said to use a block of cheese for the mozzarella cheese because the pregrated cheese usually has a drying agent and other stuff in it and it does not melt right. Does this also apply to the Parmesan cheese?
Sara says
It applies to both but it’s a lot more noticeable on the mozzarella since it covers the top of the dish, the parmesan is mixed into the filling so you probably couldn’t tell the difference if you used pre grated there!
Cathy says
Love how easy these are!
Jacque says
Prepared this with my daughter last night and not only did she love helping me in the kitchen, this is her new favorite recipe; she is already asking for it again this evening!
Jennifer says
It was not only easy, it looks great served and is delicious. An additional bonus is that it can be prepared a day or two ahead for those busy nights you don’t feel like getting dinner ready. Just pop it in the oven and enjoy!
Toni says
This is such a delicious meal for dinner any night of the week! My family loved it!
Toni says
This was so good! A huge hit at our house!
Beti says
We love stuffed shells!! This is such a fantastic recipe, can’t wait to try it!
Jacque Hastert says
These stuffed pasta shells sound incredible! I can’t wait to bake these and devour them.
Vikki says
The kids and I loved these easy stuffed shells! So delicious
Erin says
These stuffed shells look heavenly!
Allyson Zea says
Stuffed shells is one of my all-time favorite dinners! Thanks for this easy recipe!
Beth says
Yum! My family and I love this recipe! It’s so delicious and has a lot of flavor!