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
These are a winner in our house. I’ve made six casseroles the past month. Three were for visiting guests, and three were for neighbors & friends who lost electricity after Hurricane Helene. Everyone loves this recipe! And it gets better everytime I make it— thank you Natasha!
That’s wonderful to hear, Terry!
This recipe was amazingly easy and delicious. My husband was sitting there going yummy yummy through the meal. It made enough.I could give my girlfriend some for her family. She said they loved it as well. Fantastic job on the description and what I was supposed to do to make this.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Charlotte!
This was amazing! Not one to leave reviews but I just had to. The flavors were incredible! All my kids loved it. This will definitely be a regular for us.
Thank you so much, Kim! I appreciate you taking the time to do so. So glad you liked the recipe.
Really tasty and overall simple, definitely takes some time to stuff the shells but I am not sure how much of that was because I was running back forth playing referee between the 1.5 and 3.5 year old lol.
Can I add sausage or ground beef to the recipe?
Hi Ida, yes, you can sautee 1/2 lb of ground beef with the onion. Also, push the shells down into the sauce afterward. The shells go in easier without the meat in the sauce, but both taste great. Can you tell I’ve experimented with a meat sauce? I hope you love the recipe!
The stuffed shells and sauce came out AMAZING. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
My family loved this recipe so it’s definitely a keeper! The only issue I had is that the jumbo shells stuck together when boiling. So much so, that half of them were ruined but thankfully I had another box. What do suggest for that?
Great to hear that! Please check this portion in the recipe “How to keep pasta shells from sticking together?” for more tips.
I meant how to keep the shells from sticking together abd to the bottom of the pot while boiling them.
A couple of tips that can help, be sure to use a pot large enough so there is plenty of water and space for the pasta. Do not over cook the pasta (it should be al-dente). Don’t forget to salt your water.
Add some cooking oil to your water before you add the pasta and mix right away after you add the pasta. That should prevent it from sticking together.
This is hands-down the best shells recipe ever. I made it today for me & my husbands’ 39th wedding anniversary dinner. He kept raving about them; they are excellent. Followed the recipe, just added extra garlic & onions. This is our holiday, bday & special occasion meal now. Thank you Natasha!
Delicious! I never thought of broiling at the end, but it makes such a difference! Definitely a hit at my house!
I use nutmeg in my cheese mixture and it is delicious! Gives it a nice smoky flavor to the cheese! I read this recipe on a box of shells and I have never seen it anywhere else but it is delicious! Not a whole lot of nutmeg but just enough that you can taste it! I promise you will love it
Hello,
Is it okay if I do not use the egg for the shell stuffing?
Thank you
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.
I live in Italy. If you use real parmigiano (not the stuff in the green can) you can leave out the egg. We don’t always put egg in pasta stuffing when using ricotta. The parmigiano melts and helps to bind the other indgrediants together. Also, try putting the ricotta through a sieve so that the consistancy is less crumbly.
Could you use this with alfredo sauce in place of marinara sauce?
Hi Kristy! 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.
Love this recipe and so easy to fix. Heat up well the next day for leftovers as well. Made them for a neighbor after her baby was born for her to heat up to feed the family and she asked for the recipe.
That’s wonderful, Kristy!
Made this tonight and it was a hit in our household! I couldn’t find the big shells so I used cannelloni instead. Any tips on filling them? My ziplock bag idea was a bit of a mess. Definitely will make this again. Thanks Natasha for another great recipe 😊
Hi Sara! You’re very welcome. I’m so glad you tried the recipe and loved it. A ziploc bag would be my go to as well for filling them.
I just tried this recipe. I added chicken to the recepie yummy!!
Thank you for the recepie.
You’re very welcome, Carole!
I love this recipe for both stuffed shells and manicotti. I’ve made it twice and each time it was fantastIc!
Love this recipe! Family favorite I always make a double batch as family has a tendency to show up on shells day!!
Question: I just made your marinara sauce exactly the way you said. Then I was making your stuffed shell recipe which said to sauté the onion, the garlic, the spices and add marinara sauce again. If the original recipe has the onions and garlic and spices do you still have to add them for the marinara sauce that’s under the stuffed shells?
Hi Ellen! Yes, I still do even when using my homemade marinara.
Loved ❤️ loved ❤️ loved it… superb taste and it was so easy to make…. thank you very much… 😍
Have made this and many of your recipes including chicken pot pie, fancy chicken salad and chicken tetrazzini to name only a few. Thank you for all these!
You’re welcome! I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try.
Can you use parsley spice instead of fresh parsley?
Hi Rheeza, I haven’t tested that but if you are going to substitute, you would replace 1/4 cup fresh parsley with 1 Tbsp of dried parsley. That should work well in the sauce but I would not garnish with dried parsley.