These easy Stuffed Shells are the perfect dinner and a family favorite. Filled with three kinds of cheese and baked in Marinara Sauce, it’s quick to prepare, and leftovers keep and reheat beautifully. Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is to make ricotta-stuffed pasta shells.
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Helpful Reader Review
“These are simply the best! I love all your Italian recipes but this is my #1! So easy to make and feeds an army! Also they freeze exceptionally well.” – Laurie ★★★★★
Stuffed Shells Video
My stuffed shells recipe feeds my whole crew with leftovers for later in the week. It’s a great freezer meal for meal prepping and always gets rave reviews when I bring a pan to the neighbors.
I love Pasta recipes from Creamy Shrimp Pasta to Pierogi, and of course, our Homemade Pasta from scratch. If you are a fan of pasta, this Stuffed Shells Recipe is a must-try!
Best Stuffed Shells Recipe
This Stuffed shells recipe makes a casserole similar to Italian Baked Ziti with pasta that looks like seashells and is similar to Manicotti. The pasta shells are stuffed with a ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan filling, making them easy to portion. It’s a delicious, cheesy, warm comfort food everyone loves.
My kids especially love these stuffed jumbo shells, so they always disappear fast. In the off chance we have a few left over, they reheat well, so I put them into their lunchboxes, and those lunchboxes always come home empty.
Stuffed Shells Ingredients
The ingredients for this stuffed shells recipe are similar to those of other Italian comfort food recipes, so you know it will be good.
- Jumbo pasta shells – or “Conchiglioni” in Italian, found in most grocery pasta aisles. You’ll need a 12oz box.
- Aromatics – onions (chopped), garlic cloves (minced), salt, pepper, and dired oregano
- Marinara sauce – Homemade Marinara is best, but you can use canned sauce if needed.
- Cheeses – ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella. To substitute the ricotta in stuffed shells, drain and mash plain cottage cheese and substitute 1:1.
- Egg – to hold the filling together
- Garnish – parsley, parmesan, and mozzarella cheese
How to Make Stuffed Shells
There are 3 main elements to stuffed pasta shells: the pasta, sauce, and cheese filling. Each element takes just minutes but comes together…*chef’s kiss*!
- Cook the pasta shells according to the package instructions, al dente (firm to the bite), since they will be baked later. Then drain and refill the pot with cold water to keep the shells from over-cooking and sticking.
- Make the red sauce – Sauté onions in oil, add garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano. Stir in 3 cups of your favorite Marinara Sauce. Pour tomato sauce into a 13×9 casserole dish.
- Combine Cheese filling – In a large bowl, mix ricotta, shredded mozzarella, parmesan, egg, salt, pepper, and oregano.
- Stuff the shells – spoon a few tablespoons of ricotta filling into each pasta shell, and then sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella over the pasta shells
Pro Tip:
The easiest way to portion is to fill a trigger ice cream scoop halfway with ricotta mixture, and then fill the shell.
- Bake – Cover with foil, and bake at 375˚F for 30 minutes, and then broil uncovered for 2-4 minutes if you want the cheese to brown a bit.
Pro Tip:
Note on glass casserole dishes: Broiling is not recommended with glass bakeware, so once you remove the foil, increase the heat to about 475˚F and bake for 3-5 minutes until cheese is bubbly.
What to Serve With Stuffed Shells
Stuffed shells are the perfect vegetarian main course, garnished with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and paired with Garlic Bread and a simple green salad or veggies.
Stuffed shells are a popular vegetarian casserole that feeds your whole crew, and they are also truly easy to make. The prep time is minimal, and then the oven does the rest. Toast up a side of garlic bread for the ultimate Italian comfort dish.
Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 20 jumbo pasta shells, cooked to package instructions
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 15 oz ricotta cheese*
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup parsley, plus more to garnish
Instructions
- Cook Pasta: Preheat oven to 375˚F. Cook shells in salted water according to package instructions (stirring several times to keep the pasta from sticking to the pot), then drain and fill pot with cold water to stop the cooking process and keep shells from sticking to each other.
- Make the red sauce: In a deep pan over medium-high heat, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and sauté chopped onion until softened and golden (3-5 min). Add minced garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and 1/4 tsp oregano. Sauté another 1 minute, stirring constantly until garlic is fragrant. Add 3 cups of marinara and bring to a uniform boil, then simmer for 2 minutes, and pour the sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Combine cheese filling: In a large bowl, add 15 oz ricotta cheese, 2 cups mozzarella, 1/3 cup parmesan, 1 egg, 1/4 cup parsley, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Stir until well combined.
- Stuff the shells: Use about 1/2 ice cream scoop or just until filled (do not overstuff). Place them in the casserole over the marinara sauce in a single layer. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese over the top.
- Bake: Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. The sauce should be bubbling at the edges. Remove foil and broil for 2-4 minutes to lightly brown the cheese. Remove from the oven and garnish with parsley to serve.
Notes
- To Refrigerate: Assemble, cover with foil, and refrigerate unbaked stuffed shells within 2 hours for 1-2 days, then bake as directed, adding 5 minutes to the bake time if baking a chilled casserole. You can also refrigerate a fully cooked and cooled casserole.
- Freezing: Fully assemble shells in a casserole dish (without baking), cover tightly with foil, and freeze up to 3 months. Bake from frozen (covered with foil) at 375˚F for about 45-55 minutes.
- Reheating: Warm portions in the microwave or oven until shells are heated through to 165°F and cheese is melted.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Pasta Casseroles
Pasta bakes are the best kind of family-friendly dinner. Each of these recipes makes a big batch, and each reheats really well, making them perfect for meal prep.
- Baked Feta Pasta
- Classic Lasagna
- Chicken Lasagna
- Chicken Orzo Bake
- Lasagna Roll-Ups
- Chicken Tetrazzini
- Baked Mac and Cheese
This meal was quick to make and quickly devoured.
I would like to make these but need to know….What could I replace the egg with??
I have not tried a version without eggs yet to advise but one of readers shared this comment “My two children (and their adults) were so excited to get to try these – one of my children is allergic to egg so I substituted the egg for 2 tsp. corn starch and it worked beautifully! Thank you so much for another wonderful recipe! You make recipes approachable and you’ve never steered me wrong. ” Hope that helps.
Oh. My. Goodness!!! This was absolutely delicious!! Packed with flavor and easy to put together!! This tastes better than what you find in a restaurant!! Thank you, Natasha, for another amazing recipe!!!
You’re so welcome, Jaime! I’m glad you gave these a try!
accidentally made mine with ground beef, but….mmmm-mmmmmm! Absolutely delicious!
I’m glad to hear you still found it delicious!
Absolutely rave-worthy! I always make an Italian dish for Christmas, and while it’s usually my go-to lasagna, this year I wanted to try something different. Naturally, I came straight to Natasha’s Kitchen—because I’ve truly never been disappointed by one of her recipes. These pasta shells were incredible: perfectly comforting, full of flavor, and festive enough for a holiday table. I paired them with her easy garlic bread, and together they were a total hit. Everyone loved the meal, went back for seconds, and by the end of the night there was absolutely nothing left. This recipe is officially a new Christmas tradition in my house—thank you, Natasha, for another home run!
Aww, I especially love when recipes get added into regular rotation and become a family tradition! Thank you for sharing that with me, Edith!
Can you make the whole dish a day ahead and refrigerate?
You sure can, Carol! This is in the recipe post “Make-Ahead To Refrigerate: Assemble, cover with foil and refrigerate unbaked stuffed shells for 1-2 days then bake as directed, adding 5 minutes to the bake time if baking a chilled casserole. You can also refrigerate a fully cooked and cooled lasagna”
I made this as part of our Christmas Eve wpread. It was excellent. I’ll add some salt and pepper to the stuffing next time and use meat sauce. Thanks for a yummy recipe
You’re very welcome, Karen! I’m happy you loved it.
Excellent! Thank you so much for the recipe. This is outstanding, definitely going to be recorded in my make again recipe book.
These Stuffed Shells with the Homemade Marinara are amazing!
I first made it for a family at church who just had a baby. They loved it! So last night I made them for us. The marinara is so fresh and delicious, and the filling, and the shells, oh my goodness! Totally blows spaghetti out of the water! Thank you Natasha. This will be on repeat.
I’m so happy to hear that, Janet! Thank you for sharing.
These are simply the best! I love all your Italian recipes but this is my #1!
So easy to make and feeds an army! Also they freeze exceptionally well.
Fantastic recipe. I just love some beef/italian sausage in my marinara so added that. Otherwise is excellent as is. Lots of leftovers no problem.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, David!
Still frozen solid at 45 minutes. This is frozen in a glass baking Pyrex dish and on a baking sheet that is room temp placed in the middle of a 375 oven. Help! I would love to make this a regular freezer meal for my family but this isn’t working!
Hi Erin, is your oven heating correctly? did you preheat the oven before putting it into the oven?
If using your marinara recipe, do I still need to saute another 1/2 cup of onion and 3 cloves of garlic and add another 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of pepper and oregano? Those ingredients are already in your marinara recipe, so can I skip that step?
Hi Paige. I still add them when using my homemade marinara. I feel like it adds the best flavor to include them.
Have made this several times, especially when guests with kids are visiting. Thoughts on making this several days ahead and leaving in fridge until ready to put in oven?
Hello Jennifer! Yes you definitely make this recipe ahead. You might want to check this portion of the recipe “Make-Ahead” for tips.
My granddaughter always request
This recipe For their birthdays! It’s a winner!
I’ve made this several times and I really like😋