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
This was tasty. I didn’t change a thing, but I found a package of jumbo shells makes a ton of the recipe. I whipped up another batch of the stuffing . . . good thing I purchased the 32 ounce ricotta, and sent the other pan of it to my mom and sister for dinner. Mom, sister, husband and son-approved. It looked exactly like the photos. Yummy!
Yay, wonderful! Great to hear that your family enjoyed our Stuffed Shells Recipe.
What a great idea! I wish I had read your comment earlier. I ended up tossing the remaing shells. Next time I will do the same as you and prepare two batches!
I used Italian blend cheese instead of plain mozzarella and it tasted great!
Great to hear that you enjoyed it, Linda!
Could shrimp be added to this? If so, would it need to be baked first?
Thank you
Hi Gina! I think you could but I haven’t tested it myself. If I were to do so, I’d probably add cooked shrimp to the stuffing mixture. Let us know how it turns out if you experiment with it.
If you make ahead for couple day Should I bake before storing.
Hi Carolle! See my notes above under “make-ahead” for recommendations.
Hey again! I didn’t have pasta shells but I used cut open some macaroni to put the filling inside . I was wondering if that could work.
I think they’re smaller I’m not sure if that will work but feel free to experiment!
This is a delicious recipe! My grandson has an egg allergy. What can I use instead of the egg?
Hi Monica, thanks for your good comments and feedback. 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.
Thanks so much, Natasha. I’ll definitely give the cornstarch a try!
Made those for dinner tonight but added mild Italian sausage meat for consistency and every one loved it.
Thanks for this delicious recipe.
You’re welcome! So glad you loved it! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Natasha. Do you think RAGU chunky sauce will work instead of marinara sauce? thanks
Hi Jessica! I think that would be fine.
Help! My sauce is way too acidic!
I’ve added a bit of sugar but that hasn’t helped.
Any suggestions?
I’m making this today to serve tomorrow 😬
Hi Sandy! I’m sorry to hear that. Sugar usually works for me. Possibly baking soda, but I have not tested that so you may want to research it on google to get instructions on how to use it. I hope that helps.
Add goat cheese. It’s neutral in flavor, but cuts the acid.
Hi I made this evening for dinner. We added some pan fried chicken breast and a fresh salad. Hmmmmmm! So great! Thank you, Natasha. I love your recipes and your style of video. 💕
Hi Alicia! That sounds amazing! I’m so glad you loved the recipe. Thank you for sharing.
I wanted to print off this recipe, but I did not trust the instructions on “Proceed to Download”, this feels like a hacker attempting to take over my computer. I’ve printed recipes from this site in the past and never had this problem. Not sure why you would use this system for your visitors. I know I can find this same recipe somewhere else. I think you should know what is going on with your site and if it is legitimate, you should probably make a statement in each of your recipes about the process to print a recipe from your site.
Hi Cherie, thank you for your feedback, you may click Jump to recipe, click Print, save as pdf on your device and print. I hope that helps.
If using your marina sauce would I add the 3 cloves of garlic and onion still?
Hi Amanda! Yes, I still do even when I use my marinara sauce.
Is it possible to freeze this? I think I’ve read that freezing cooked pasta is a good idea?
Thanks for your advice.
Hi Janet, yes, you can freeze these. Fully assemble roll-ups in a casserole dish (without baking), cover tightly with foil, refrigerate overnight or freeze for up to 3 months—Bake from frozen (covered with foil) at 375˚F for about 45 minutes. I hope this is helpful!
I made a half recipe and they were a big hit with my husband and I. Next is a full batch that I plan to freeze for a dinner for house guests! Thanks for your excellent recipes and advice! Love your site. Always have very good results when following your recipes.
I’m so happy you love our recipes! Thank you so much for the fantastic review and your encouraging words. I am smiling big reading your comment, Janet!
Why are you referring to the pasta shells as roll ups?, sorry, am I getting confused with your lasagna roll ups?
Hi ML, that’s my mistake; that should say stuffed shells. The freeze and make instructions are identical for the shells and the lasagna roll-ups. I hope that helps!
Dear Natasha,
I think you’re amazing! Thank you for helping me become the cook I’ve always wanted to be. I also have a question maybe you can help me with. I love this stuffed shells recipe and would like to bring pre-cooked individual servings to my son. One problem – he doen’t have an oven. Can these be heated in a microwave? If so, can you give some guidelines on how long? His microwave is 1,000 watt. Thank you for all you do!!!
Hi Diana! Thank you! I’m glad you have found my recipes helpful. These stuffed shells will reheat great in the microwave. For reheating, he can warm portions in the microwave until they are heated through and the cheese is melted. I hope he loves them!
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. ❤️
That’s wonderful, Emily! Thank you for sharing. I’m so glad you love my recipes.
Absolutely delicious! Whole family delighted, even hubs who always prefers a white cream sauce, not this time!
That is the best when the family loves what we parents make. That’s so great!
How long will these keep in the refrigerator? I want to bake them all at one time but can’t possibly eat them all at once!!
Hi Jaye, Cooked stuffed shells will last 3-5 days in the refrigerator. You can also make this ahead and bake it fresh as needed. To make ahead, Fully assemble roll-ups in a casserole dish (without baking), cover tightly with foil, refrigerate over night or freeze for up to 3 months—Bake from frozen (covered with foil) at 375˚F for about 45 minutes. I hope this is helpful!
Too salty for me. Too garlicky for him. I would not make this again. Thanks!
Hi Liz, I haven’t noticed this being too salty – did you possibly add more salt than what is called for in the recipe?
Hi! I went ahead and cooked them covered with foil, and did not uncover for the last few minutes. I intend to refrigerate and warm up in the oven tomorrow. At what temp and for how long should I reheat them???
Hi Daniel, these shells reheat really well. Place the shells in an oven-safe dish, cover them with aluminum foil, and bake at 375 degrees until the shells’ internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Hello I wanted to make these to bring over someone’s house. Do you think it would be ok to follow all the directions exactly and basically take it from the oven(once cool to handle) ? Do you have any tips for traveling a 20 minute drive with this dish?
Hi Amber! I think you could keep them warm-wrapped foil and maybe a large towel during transport. These also reheat great and if you’d like to make this ahead of time, you could do so by fully assembling roll-ups in a casserole dish (without baking), covering tightly with foil, refrigerating overnight or freezing for up to 3 months—Bake from frozen (covered with foil) at 375˚F for about 45 minutes.
These were absolutely delicious! I added 1lb of Italian seasoned ground Turkey to the sauce and some cooked spinach I had on hand to the filling. I also used a full cookie scoop to fill the shells and it was perfect. 10/10 would recommend!
Thank you for the perfect rating, we appreciate your review!