Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
Ricotta stuffed shells are an easy, hearty, and classic Italian comfort food that can feed the whole family. Tender jumbo pasta shells are stuffed with a delicious cheese mixture made with three types of cheese and placed on a layer of marinara sauce before popping into the oven to bake until golden brown, bubbly perfection. Plus, stuffed shells are so easy to make ahead and store for another day. The perfect lazy day dinner!
Why You’ll Love Ricotta Stuffed Shells
- They’re quick and easy. Ricotta stuffed shells are easy to make with just a handful of ingredients. Plus, the prep time is quick, taking about 15 minutes. Then, pop them into the oven for 30 minutes and Enjoy a comforting dinner that took just 45 minutes from prep to table.
- The perfect family meal. When it comes to the best family dinners, it’s all about comfort foods and casseroles that can feed a crowd. Stuffed shells check all the boxes. Some other favorites that both adults and kids will love are Lasagna Roll Ups and Pasta Bake with Sausage.
- Easy to make ahead for meal prep. These ricotta stuffed shells are a great dinner to meal prep for weeks to come. You can make them up to a day ahead and store in the fridge until ready to bake (perfect to prep in the morning and pop into the oven at dinner time). You can also freeze them for up to 3 months and enjoy on another day.
Ingredients and Substitutions
To make delicious Stuffed Shells, you will Need the following ingredients (full quantities in recipe card below):
- jumbo pasta shells
- marinara sauce – feel free to use homemade marinara sauce or store-bought. You can also substitute with pasta sauce.
- cheese – you will need 3 types of cheese — ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan.
- egg
- parsley
- salt and pepper
You can customize these stuffed shells by adding other ingredients into the ricotta cheese mixture. Some popular items are spinach, mushrooms, zucchini. Or bell peppers. Make sure to cook them first before adding to the filling mixture.
You will also need measuring cups and spoons, medium cooking pot, mixing bowl, cookie scoop, and an 8-inch square casserole pan.
How to Make the Best Stuffed Shells
- Cook the shells. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add pasta jumbo shells and cook until al dente (fully cooked but still firm) according to package directions, about 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking to the pot. Drain and rinse the jumbo shells under cold water to cool off completely and set aside in the pot.
- Make cheese mixture. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all three kinds of cheese, egg, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix well until smooth.
- Stuff the shells and assemble. Use a cookie scoop to stuff each cooked pasta shell with approximately ⅓ cup of the cheese mixture. In an 8-inch square casserole pan, add and spread marinara sauce evenly. Place the stuffed shells on top and sprinkle with a layer of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 375F preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and broil until the cheese turns golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve warm.
Storing Instructions
- How to freeze uncooked stuffed shells: Assemble the shells (until just before baking), then cover tightly with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. You can bake the shells directly from frozen and add an extra 30 minutes to the cook time.
- How to store: Store ricotta stuffed shells in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Allow the stuffed shells to cool completely before storing them to avoid condensation.
- How to freeze cooked stuffed shells: You can also freeze cooked stuffed shells. Store them all together in an airtight container or portion them out into individual-sized meal prep containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
- How to reheat: You can reheat cooked stuffed shells in a 350 F preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until warmed through. You can also reheat in the microwave on low to medium heat for several minutes.
More Baked Pasta Recipes
- 40 Best Pasta Recipes
- Meat Lasagna
- Cheesy Tortellini and Sausage Bake
- Pasta Bake with Sausage
- White Chicken and Spinach Lasagna
- Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo Pasta Bake
Did you make this recipe?I would greatly appreciate a comment and rating below, letting me know what you thought of the recipe. You can also snap a picture and tag me on Instagram@aheadofthymeor share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.
Don’t forget to sign up for myemail newsletterso that you don’t miss any recipes. You can also follow along onInstagram,Pinterest, andFacebookfor more recipe updates.
clock icon
cutlery icon
flag icon
folder icon
instagram icon
pinterest icon
facebook icon
print icon
squares icon
heart icon
heart solid icon
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Description
Ricotta stuffed shells are an easy, hearty, and classic Italian comfort food that can feed the whole family. Easy to make ahead and freeze for another day.
- 16 jumbo pasta shells
- 3 cups marinara sauce, homemade or store-bought
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
For the cheese filling:
- 1 + ½ cups ricotta cheese(14 ounces/400 grams)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg, beaten
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add pasta jumbo shells and cook until al dente (fully cooked but still firm) according to package directions, about 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking to the pot.
- Drain and rinse the jumbo shells under cold water to cool off completely and set aside in the pot.
- In a mediummixing bowl, combine all three kinds of cheese, egg, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix well until smooth.
- Use acookie scoopto stuff each cooked pasta shell with approximately ⅓ cup of the cheese mixture. In an8-inch square casserole pan, add and spread marinara sauce evenly. Place the stuffed shells on top and sprinkle with a layer of mozzarella cheese.
- Cover withaluminum foiland bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and broil until the cheese turns golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
- Garnish with parsley and serve warm.
In this space, I am always sharing flavorful, fresh, (mostly) healthy recipes that I love to make and eat in my real, actual, every day life. If I wouldn’t eat it in real life, I won’t put in on the blog. You’re cooking for yourself, your family, your roommates, or your friends. I want you to be so excited about these recipes that you eagerly await 5pm when you can go home from work and start cooking.
Notes
How to freezeuncooked stuffed shells: Assemble the shells (until just before baking), then cover tightly withaluminum foiland freeze for up to 3 months. You can bake the shells directly from frozen and add an extra 30 minutes to the cook time.
How to store:Store ricotta stuffed shells in anairtight containerin the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Allow the stuffed shells to cool completely before storing them to avoid condensation.
How to freeze cooked stuffed shells: You can also freeze cooked stuffed shells. Store them all together in anairtight containeror portion them out into individual-sizedmeal prep containersand freeze for up to 3 months.
How to reheat:You can reheat cooked stuffed shells in a 350 F preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until warmed through. You can also reheat in the microwave on low to medium heat for several minutes.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: stuffed shells, ricotta stuffed shells, stuffed shells with ricotta, jumbo shells with ricotta, stuffed jumbo shells, jumbo shell casserole
FAQs
What is the easiest way to stuff shells? ›
How to Make Stuffed Shells - YouTube
Do you have to put egg in stuffed shells? ›Eggless Ricotta Stuffed Shells are not only simple, but they are also a great make-ahead meal! You can prepare it and put it in the refrigerator until you're ready to finish it, or you can even freeze it, sans the sauce, for a hectic night.
Do you put egg in ricotta for stuffed shells? ›Ricotta filling:
While pasta is cooking, mix the filling. Combine ricotta cheese, egg, herbs, pressed garlic, Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella cheese, and seasoning in a mixing bowl. Use a fork to mix everything well, until all ingredients are evenly incorporated throughout.
How many Stuffed Pasta Shells Per Person? I generally assume about 2-3 shells per person. Larger appetites might like 4, while smaller eaters may prefer 2. This recipe yields about 20-22 stuffed shells with a hearty meat sauce, and it typically feeds about 6-8 people.
Why do stuffed shells get watery? ›If you cook the shells too long, they'll tear when you try to stuff them, and the pasta will end up mushy, since it continues to cook as the stuffed shells bake. Use a slotted spoon to remove the shells from boiling water and transfer to a bowl of cool water to stop the cooking.
Do you have to mix ricotta with egg for lasagna? ›Ricotta cheese oozing between layers of lasagna in a baking pan. Adding egg to ricotta cheese helps to bind the cheese for lasagna so that it does not ooze out of the casserole when cut.
How long can you keep uncooked stuffed shells in the refrigerator? ›Tightly cover the uncooked stuffed shells with foil, and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
What can you substitute for eggs in ricotta cheese? ›You can use mashed parsnip to substitute for egg in lasagna the same way you would mashed potatoes. Use as a 1 to 1 substitute for creaminess and body!
How many calories are in 4 stuffed shells? ›| Calories | 350.3 |
|---|---|
| Sodium | 553.5 mg |
| Potassium | 119.7 mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 39.0 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3.6 g |
Nutrition summary:
There are 258 calories in 2 Meatless Cheese Filled Stuffed Shells with Tomato Sauce.
How fattening are stuffed shells? ›
One serving of stuffed shell (3.5 oz / 100g) has 141 calories (60 calories from fat). One serving has 6.6 total fat (2.3 saturated fat), 37mg cholesterol, 397mg sodium, 304mg potassium and 6.6g total carbohydrates.
How long can you keep uncooked stuffed shells in the refrigerator? ›Tightly cover the uncooked stuffed shells with foil, and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
How do you make conchiglie from scratch? ›Cucina Edinburgh make delicious conchiglie pasta shells - YouTube
How do you make hand pasta shells? ›How to cut and shape fresh pasta - YouTube