Stuffed Shells

5 from 5

Topped with rich pasta sauce, and filled with three types of cheese and aromatics, these Stuffed Shells are a perfect make ahead meal for busy weeknights or entertaining guests.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: ricotta stuffed shells, stuffed jumbo shells, stuffed pasta shells

Servings: (5 shells each)

Ingredients

32 ounces pasta sauce (best quality of your choice - see note)
9 ounces uncooked jumbo pasta shells (about 30 shells)
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated parmesan , plus more for garnish
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic , finely minced
1 large egg
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of cracked red pepper flakes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 10x14 baking dish with nonstick spray and spread half of the pasta sauce on the bottom. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook for 9 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to prevent further cooking. Spread them out on a baking sheet.
In a large mixing bowl, place the ricotta cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, parsley, minced garlic, egg, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and cracked red pepper flakes; mix until incorporated. Transfer to a large pastry bag (or resealable plastic bag with a corned cut off.) Pipe mixture evenly into the shells.
Arrange the stuffed shells side by side, open-side up, on top of the sauce in the baking dish. Top with remaining 2 cups sauce, spreading it so all the shells are coated.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, until heated through and the sauce is bubbly. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and set sit for 10 minutes.
Serve on individual plates with a little sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley and freshly grated Parmesan.

Video

Notes

Make extra shells. Most jumbo pasta shells come in a 12 ounce box with about 40 shells. You will only need about 30 for this recipe, but I always cook a few extra in case one or more tear, which seems inevitable when cooking shells or lasagna noodles.

The sauce you use is very important. The sauce is a key component in this dish, so choose a very good quality one with loads of flavor, whether it be homemade or store-bought. I highly recommend our homemade marinara sauce or spaghetti meat sauce - both are excellent.

Variations. For recipe variations, please refer to the full article.

Nutrition