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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We love Pasta recipes from Creamy Shrimp Pasta to Shrimp Scampi Pasta and of course our Homemade Pasta from scratch. If you are a fan of pasta, this Stuffed Shells Recipe is a must-try!
Stuffed Shells Video Tutorial
My kids love these stuffed jumbo shells filled with ricotta and melty mozzarella cheese over a bed of Marinara Sauce. They always disappear fast and reheat well so I put them into their lunchboxes and those lunchboxes always come home empty which feels great.
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What are Stuffed Shells?
Stuffed shells are similar to Italian Manicotti or Cannelloni. Stuffed shells are jumbo pasta shells (sold in most grocery stores usually in the pasta isle), stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese filling. Pasta shells are perfect pockets for easy stuffing.
How to Make Stuffed Shells
There are 3 main elements to stuffed pasta shells; the pasta, sauce and cheese filling, but the process is easy.
- Cook Pasta Shells – according to package instructions in salted water.
- Make the Red Sauce – Sautee onions in oil, add garlic, salt pepper, and oregano. Stir in 3 cups of your favorite Marinara Sauce. Pour sauce into a 13×9 casserole dish.
- Combine Cheese Sauce – In a large bowl, mix together ricotta, 2 cups shredded mozzarella, parmesan, 1 egg, salt, pepper, and oregano.
- Stuff Shells – The easiest way to portion is to fill a trigger ice cream scoop halfway with cheese filling then transfer it into the shell. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup mozzarella over the pasta shells
- Bake – Cover with foil, and bake at 375˚F for 30 minutes then broil uncovered for 2-4 minutes.
Common Questions
Once shells are cooked to al dente, drain the hot water then fill with cold water to stop the cooking process and keep the pasta from sticking.
Al dente means firm to the bite. Most package instructions will give you timings for perfectly cooked al dente pasta. Do not overcook shells or they will be flimsy and hard to stuff.
Yes, this will work great in a glass casserole dish. 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.
The best substitute for ricotta in stuffed shells is drained and mashed plain cottage cheese.
Serve With
Stuffed shells are the perfect vegetarian main course paired with Garlic Bread and a simple side salad or veggies
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.
- 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 minutes.
- Reheating: Warm portions in the microwave or oven until shells are heated through and cheese is melted.
Microwaving Tip:
Pasta tends to get dry when reheated, but here’s a simple trick that could be used to retain moisture: Add a drizzle of water over your food before reheating. Also, to prevent splatter, we highly recommend using a plate cover.
Stuffed shells truly are easy to make. The prep time is minimal and the oven does the rest. It’s sure to end up on your list of go-to dinners.
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 which is perfect for meal prep.
- Baked Feta Pasta – easy and excellent
- Classic Lasagna – layers of noodles and beefy sauce
- Chicken Lasagna – in white sauce
- Baked Ziti – noodles in meat sauce
- Lasagna Roll-Ups – the easiest way to serve lasagna
- Chicken Tetrazzini – in cheesy cream sauce
Stuffed Shells Recipe
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 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 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.
- 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 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 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.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
This was SOOOOOO good! We’re never going out again! 😉
What other sauce can you cook a few stuffed shells in. Person loves the stuffed shells but not tomato. Make and love this easy recipe
I Liz! I haven’t tried another substitution here. With the combination of ingredients, we prefer the marinara sauce but feel free to experiment with it.
You may also enjoy our Chicken lasagna recipe with white sauce.
I love this recipe! I’ve made it 3-5 times. I follow the recipe but I add a lb of 80/20 hamburger meat and a package of mild sausage drained.
I made a double recipe tonight and I have about 80 shells! The kids like them and they reheat well.
We made this for Christmas Eve. It was the best stuffed shells that we have ever had!! We omitted the onion, since we don’t like onions, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Thank you for sharing!
That’s wonderful to hear, Jennifer! So glad it was a hit.
Made this for Christmas and it was an absolute hit! I was tasked with making a non meat dish for my sister in law and everyone loved it. Just wish I had made more. This is definitely a go to recipe for future meals.
Made these today to take to a Xmas eve dinner. I tried using a bag to fill shells and filling came out the top. Tired ice cream scooper..too messy. Finally used a tsp to fill shells and worked . Am anxious to see how they taste. But they look delicious.
My family loves this dish. It takes me so long to make it. By the time I make the sauce and filling then cook and fill the shells I am ready to hang up my Italian flag. Any advice to make it go quicker? I noticed the prep time said 15 min but it took me closer to a few hours. Help! 🤪
Hi Mary! See my notes in the “make ahead” section. You can prep it ahead and have it ready for when you need to make it.
Make your sauce & feeling the day before, no stress!!!
Do you have meat mixture to stuff the shells with?
Hi Laurie! I do not. To add meat to this dish, we usually top it with a meat marinara sauce.
Do you have a meat mixture to stuff the shells with by any chance?
Hi Laurie! I do not. If we’re adding meat, we usually just top with meat sauce marinara.
Good Morning Natasha I am making this to have for Christmas Eve however I would like to know if I can make these and freeze them? Thank you. Stephanie
Hi Stephanie! Yes, you sure can. See my notes in the “make-ahead” section.
Made this dish exactly as per your recipe, wow, so tasty, easy to put together, and light to eat, thank you, this is an absolute keeper.
I tried this tonight but added spinach and pancetta to the filling and it was SO amazing!
That sounds wonderful!