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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“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
Love this recipe, but I also add cottage to the top
So good!!!!
Only changes I made was to add ground beef when adding the onions and garlic, drained once browned then added my spices and marinara. I also only put half the sauce on the bottom, then half the sauce over the shells then added my cheese 🙂 even my picky kids loved it!
My family requests this weekly. We love it. Even the pickiest goes back for seconds and thirds.
My picky kids and bf love this recipe! I’m not even a big fan of pasta but the cheese is the star of this show!
I need recommendations for what to do with leftover cheese stuffing though. Maybe a small lasagna?
Hi Sammi, a small lasagna would be nice or maybe a skillet lasagna?
This was a hit with the family and a friend’s family! We both have picky eaters for kids. All three kids went back for seconds! The hubby was over the moon for this recipe
You know its delicious when the picky eaters love it too! I’m so happy it was a hit, Lauree!
Natasha I Love ❤️ your Videos.
Amazing and your so Fun to watch. I will make this stuffed shells soon and get back to you. Keep up the entertaining videos.
Oh my goodness that is an amazing dish.
I never realized you can change the servings and the recipe ingredient amounts change, no more trying to half a recipe, what an awesome idea!!!!! I dont know why I didnt see this before!!
I’m so glad you found that feature! It really makes the list of ingredients convenient. Keep in mind it just changes the list of ingredients but if I mention a specific measurement in the post, it doesn’t change that.
I don’t mean to sound dumb but I am so confused by this. What feature am I missing coz I would be trying to half the recipe too.
Hi Jayne! At the top of the recipe card, you’ll see the number of servings listed. You can change that number and it converts the ingredients list for you.
If you change the number of servings to adjust the ingredient amounts, beware the instructions do not adjust so you still have some math to do.
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!