Stuffed Shells Recipe | How To Make Stuffed Shells

These stuffed shells are filled with a creamy and savory mixture made with three different types of cheese. They are smothered with marinara sauce, topped with more cheese, and baked until the cheese is ooey gooey and bubbly. An easy, delicious, and comforting pasta dish for busy weeknights!

I fell in love with these stuffed shells the first time we ordered them at Olive Garden. Well what’s not to love about pasta filled with cheese, doused in a blanket of more deliciousness, right? So, I had to try recreating it at home. As fancy as these cheesy stuffed shells are, they couldn’t be easier to prepare. Seriously! You just need to do the following:

• Cook the pasta
• Make the cheese filling
• Stuff the shells 
• Bake

This stuffed jumbo shells recipe comes together fairly quickly. I adapted the recipe that’s printed on the back of Barilla jumbo shells pasta box and changed up the cheese filling to include some seasonings and fresh herbs. The only time-consuming part is stuffing the shells which isn’t really laborious, per se.

But the good news is that these can be prepared ahead of time. Having some frozen stuffed shells in the freezer makes it super handy for a busy weeknight dinner or to satiate those sudden cozy and cheesy comfort food cravings.

My kids often request this dish, and hence, I always have some stuffed shells in the freezer. The entire thing comes together in a snap. Make a fresh salad while the pasta bakes and you have this wholesome, delicious, and complete meal on the table under an hour. This is a gorgeous meal, perfect for date nights  :p

These meatless stuffed shells are a big hit among meat-eaters too. Given a choice, my husband would opt for meals with meat, but he absolutely loves devouring these which makes it a win-win for me  😀

Ingredients needed for stuffed jumbo shells

There are three components that go into the making of these simple and classic Italian-American stuffed shells;

1. Conchiglioni pasta also known as jumbo pasta shells in the US: I’ve used Barilla jumbo shells
2. The creamy and cheesy, three-cheese filling: The stuffing is a mix of ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
3. Sauce for stuffed shells: I’ve used jarred marina, but homemade would be even more awesome! Check out more options for the sauce in the substitution section below.
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Add-ins for the cheese filling

This is a really simple and basic stuffed shell recipe. I’m listing a few of my favorite add-ins. I normally add one or a combination of either of these ingredients for a different version sometimes. You can’t go wrong with any of them. 

Spinach: Add 5-6 oz of frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry of excess moisture, to the ricotta mixture. You can also use half a pound of fresh spinach, saute it in a skillet until it wilts, let it cool, squeeze out excess moisture, chop and add it to the cheese filling. You can also add a 10 oz can of artichokes, drained and diced into small pieces, along with the spinach. Spinach and artichoke is a classic pairing that goes well in this cheese filling. 

Broccoli: Add 10 oz of frozen broccoli, thawed, drained, and chopped into small pieces in the cheese mixture.

Pesto: Add about 1/3 cup of basil pesto to the cheese filling.

Mushrooms: Clean and chop 1 pound of baby bella mushrooms, saute the chopped mushrooms in butter or olive oil with a pinch of salt, pepper, and a clove of minced garlic until the mushrooms are well-browned, and the moisture has evaporated. Let it cool, then add along with the rest of the ingredients for the cheese filling. You can add more garlic cloves while sauteing and skip the raw garlic in the cheese filling if you prefer. 

Ground Meat: You can incorporate meat in this dish in either of these ways.

• The simplest one: Use jarred or homemade meat sauce instead of marinara.
• Or make a quick one by sauteing 1/2 lb or (more if you like) of lean ground beef, turkey, or Italian sausage, add the marinara sauce, and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Or incorporate the sauteed meat into the cheese filling after it cools down. Drain off any drippings. 

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Chicken: Add about 3/4 cup of shredded rotisserie chicken to the cheese filling.

Substitutions

Ricotta cheese: If you are not a fan of ricotta, substitute it with cottage cheese, or use half of both. If using cottage cheese, I suggest mixing the three kinds of cheese in a food processor, so that the cottage cheese is well blended and you have a creamy filling. 

Other cheeses: Feel free to experiment with other types of cheese such as goat cheese, pecorino romano, fontina, asiago, mascarpone, cream cheese, etc

Shells: You can use the same filling to stuff manicotti pasta, or even make lasagna roll ups. 

Sauce: You can use your favorite pasta sauce instead of marinara. If you like it spicy, use Arrabbiatta sauce or consider using meat sauce if you don’t like meatless meals. You can also use Alfredo sauce, along with marinara to make a copycat version of Olive Garden’s giant stuffed shells. If you do that, definitely add some breadcrumbs on top too and bake. Using only alfredo would make this a pretty one-dimensional dish with creamy and cheesy notes. 

Eggless: You can skip the eggs here. The eggs are used as a binder which helps the cheese filling set. You could substitute it with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, potato starch, potato flakes, or ground oats.

Gluten-free: I’ve seen gluten-free brown rice jumbo pasta shells on Amazon, though I’ve not tried them personally. I think they will work fine, simply follow the cooking instructions mentioned on the packet as they need a longer time to cook than regular jumbo pasta shells. 

Handy tips for making stuffed shells

• Cook the pasta 2 to 3 minutes less than directed on the packet. That’s because they will finish cooking in the oven. Rinse with cold water to prevent further cooking and drain well. 
• Cook a few extra pasta shells as a back-up, just in case a few break apart while stuffing. I learned that the first time I tried my hands at making this. Wasted time cooking more shells.
• If using fresh ricotta, drain it or else it will make the filling runny. 
• Chill the cheese mixture in the fridge for an hour or so, if you find it to be too runny. 
• Do not add a lot of salt in the cheese filling as the cheese already has salt, the marinara has salt and the pasta is cooked in boiling salted water. An excess amount of salt will render the entire dish inedible. 
• Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil for the first 30 minutes, so that the sauce does not dry out. Uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly. 
• I’ve used a spoon to stuff the shells, but you could use a pastry bag or a zip lock bag to pipe the filling for convenience.
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You should try this recipe because it is 

• Not only beautiful but also easy and delicious
• Versatile, adaptable, and customizable {check ideas for add-ins and substitutions above}
• Perfect to feed a crowd
• Good for meal prep
• Freezer-friendly
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How to make stuffed shells with marinara sauce – Step by step instructions

Step 1: Cook the shells

Cook shells as per the package instructions, three minutes less than that directed on the packet. Drain, rinse with cold water, drizzle about 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and toss to coat the shells. You could also lay them in a single layer on a plate or tray to prevent them from sticking to each other. 

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Step 2: Prepare the stuffing

In a medium bowl, combine 15 oz whole-milk ricotta, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley, 1-2 tablespoons fresh basil, 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional), 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper. Mix until well incorporated. 

Step 3: Stuff the shells 

Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.

Stuff the shells with a spoon, about 2 tablespoons per shell. Or transfer the filling to a pastry bag or zip-lock bag, seal the top, snip off one of the bottom corners of the zip-lock bag and squeeze in the filling into the shell.

Place the stuffed shell, seam side up, on top of the sauce. Repeat with the rest of the shells. 

Step 4: Top the shells with more marinara, cheese, and bake

Top the shells with the rest of the marinara sauce, sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoons of chopped basil,  remaining 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese, and1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, and bake at 350° F for 30 to 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the sauce begins to bubble and the cheese has melted.

Step 5: Serve

Let the baked shells rest for 5-10 minutes, sprinkle some chopped parsley, and serve. Enjoy!

Note

• You can substitute ricotta cheese with cottage cheese. Refer to the ‘substitution’ section of the post for alternatives.
• This dish tastes best with whole-milk ricotta cheese. To cut back on calories, you can use part-skim ricotta cheese or low-fat cottage cheese.
• We love this dish to be saucy and cheesy, but you can customize this recipe to suit your taste buds.
• Don’t like it as saucy? Use about 1.5 cups of marinara, spread the sauce at the bottom of the baking dish. You can serve extra sauce on the side while serving.
• Don’t like as much cheese? Reduce the mozzarella cheese to 1 & 1/2 cups, 1 cup for the cheese filling, and 1/4 to 1/2 cup for topping the shells. You can also reduce the parmesan to 2 tablespoons for the topping. 
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Side dishes

Serve these baked jumbo shells with;

• Chopped Italian salad or green salad along with some 
• Garlic knots or garlic bread
• or Homemade dinner rolls
• or crusty artisan bread, or a loaf of Italian bread or French baguette
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Make-ahead

You can either make the cheese filling in advance or stuff the shells and keep them in an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 1-2 days. When you are ready to bake, spread the sauce at the bottom of the baking dish, follow step 4. 

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.

Freeze

This recipe does not make a lot, it is enough for 4 to 6 servings. I like to serve about 3 shells per serving with some salad and crusty bread to mop up the sauce. You can double or even triple the batch, bake some right away and freeze the rest in either of the following ways;

Freeze the assembled dish:

• Follow steps 1-4, cover the baking dish with cling wrap, followed by aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months.
• Thaw it in the fridge overnight. When you ready to bake, remove the cling wrap, cover with the foil, bake as instructed above.
• Or bake from frozen at 350° F for about 50 to 60 minutes covered, and 10 minutes uncovered or until the shells are heated through and the sauce begins to bubble.
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Freeze only the filled shells:

• Place the stuffed shells on a baking tray, cover with cling wrap and freeze for 1-2 hours until completely frozen and then transfer them to a labeled freezer-safe bag.
• When you are ready to bake, remove as many shells as you’d like to eat. Spread the sauce at the bottom of the baking dish, place the frozen shells, pour the rest of the sauce and cheese and bake at 350° F for 50 to 60 minutes, covered, and 10 minutes uncovered, or until heated through.
• You can also thaw the shells overnight in the fridge, and bake as directed in the instructions. 
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I prefer freezing the filled shells, as it optimizes the freezer space, and you can cook only as many shells as you need. 

Reheating stuffed pasta shells

To reheat leftovers, place the required number of shells on a microwave-safe plate, sprinkle some water or sauce, cover, and microwave for a minute on high. 

Or place the shells in a shallow oven-safe dish, spoon some of the sauce on top of the shells, cover with an aluminum foil and reheat at 350° F for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through. You can sprinkle additional cheese, and bake uncovered for few more minutes.

★ If you try this easy stuffed shells recipe, I would love to hear from you! I’d appreciate it if you could rate and leave a review below in the comments. Your reviews help others know the recipe better too. Thanks so much 🙂 

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