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!

Course Main Dishes

Cuisine American-Italian

Keyword Baked Pasta, Stuffed pasta

Servings to 6 people

Calories 433kcal

Author Freda Dias

Ingredients

18 jumbo pasta shells uncooked, about 6 oz
1 teaspoon olive oil
24 oz marinara sauce

Cheese filling for stuffed shells

15 oz whole-milk ricotta cheese
1.5 to 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 large egg
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, plus more for garnishing
3 tablespoons fresh basil divided,
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

Instructions

Cook shells as per the package instructions, three minutes less than that directed on the packet. Drain, rinse with cold water, drizzle olive oil, and toss to coat the shells. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, egg, minced garlic, fresh parsley, 2 tablespoons fresh basil, dried oregano, red pepper flakes (optional), ground nutmeg, salt, freshly cracked black pepper. Mix until well incorporated.
Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Stuff the shells with a spoon or a pastry bag, about 2 tablespoons per shell. Place the stuffed shell, seam side up, on top of the sauce. Repeat with the rest of the shells.
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 30-35 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the sauce begins to bubble and the cheese has melted.
Let the baked shells rest for 5-10 minutes, sprinkle some chopped parsley, and serve. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

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.
This recipe yields about 6 servings, if you consider 3 shells as a serving along with sides. You can get 4 servings out of this recipe if you serve it without any sides.
Nutrition Disclaimer: Nutrition values listed are estimates calculated using an online nutrition calculator. If you rely on them for your diet, please use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 teaspoon = 5 ml

Nutrition