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
I can’t wait to try this recipe. Right now your baked ziti is in the oven. My family has loved every recipe of yours I’ve made. We absolutely love your tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches! I made your cranberry orange loaf and took it to a friend. It was delicious!
Hi Janice! I’m so glad to heat that. I hope you love this one too!
Looking to make this. Curious what your family favorite marinara sauce is? Store bought, everyday marinara 😉 Thanks!
No Nadia! We love our to use easy homemade marinara sauce rather than store bought.
I will have to try your homemade marinara! Made this recipe with a store bought one today. 5 stars. Good solid recipe. It tastes even better if it has 2 min to cool YUM 😉
So easy and yummy. I wasn’t sure if my one picky son would like them (he doesn’t love cheese) but he liked them and asked for second serving!
That’s wonderful!
stuffed shells really are such an easy and great dinner to make! thank you so so much for sharing this amazing recipe and reminding me how tasty and easy this dish is!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Jess! Thank you for your great review!
Wonderful! Made it for company tonight and they loved it! Will definitely make again! Thanks for the tip using the scoop to fill the shells – worked perfectly!
These were amazing! I added some steamed spinach and my family loved it. Definitely making these again.
Hi Jenna! That sounds like a great addition. So glad you loved the recipe.
Loved the stuffed shells and your marines sauce. Easy to make and was delicious! Family loved it. Making again for a dinner party.
I’m so glad it was a hit, Bonnie! Thank you for sharing.
I made the stuffed shells along with your marinara sauce. It was amazing. So easy too. My husband loved it. Will be making this again.
So glad to hear that, Bonnie!
My 7 yr old wanted to make these. As per her idea we ommitted the onion and sauteed 1 lb mild Italian sausage instead and then mixed the sauce in. It was a family hit!
That sounds wonderful!
None of my family likes ricotta cheese. What cheese and amount of that cheese could I substitute?
Hi Rosie, I wish I could be more helpful, but I haven’t tried any substitution to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes!
I mashed up small curd cottage cheese and mixed with the egg and parmesan cheese. I always do this for lasagna too.
Your family will not know it is in it and this is a awesome dish!!!
This recipe is so easy and tastes amazing. I did add some ground beef to half – my husband likes to have meat in his meals. I also cut down on the amount of parsley 1/4 of a cup looked like a lot (i was scared). Will totally make this again!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Michelle!
The stuffed pasta shells were incredible! I watched the video first and followed instructions exactly and they were easy to make, and tasted delicious!
So glad to hear that, Lori!
Hello, my husband and I will be inviting some friends over for dinner and I think i just found the recipe I’d like to try out! I cannot wait to try this! I admit, I am not a huge marinara sauce fan, so would it be okay to sub marinara for vodka sauce?
Hi Kelly! Yes- that would be fine! I hope you love the recipe!
I made these last night and it’s a keeper! Soooo yummy! I cooked a little ground beef to add to the sauce. I also didn’t have an onion so just did a few shakes of onion powder and it seemed to taste fine. I also didn’t simmer the sauce, just stirred it up and baked it with the rest of the recipe (was lazy). These are my new standard stuffed shells!!!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Kristin!
Big hit. Great easy recipe that can be tweaked endlessly. Thanks so much for the recipe.
You’re welcome, Teri!
This is our first time making Stuffed Shells and it was so easy to make! Thank You, so much for another great dinner recipe!!!
You’re so welcome! Happy to hear that you loved it.
Love this recipe and most of your recipes so much! I’ve asked for your cookbook for Christmas!
Hi Linda! That’s great. I hope you get your copy of the cookbook. Enjoy!
Love love love this recipe! It is so simple and delicious! I use my own homemade meat sauce that I make in bulk/portion freeze.
Love it! Thanks for your great comments and review, Amanda.
Took a lot longer to prepare the the 15 minutes cited in the recipe, and I am an experienced cook using a prepared tomato sauce(no need to saute onions…)
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I have made this recipe a few times now. My family really enjoys it and it has become a go to for company adding chicken schnitzel and a side salad. Everyone agrees that it is delicious. Freezes well too, a bonus in my books.
Thank you for the wonderful feedback, Donna!