My beef stuffed shells recipe features ricotta-stuffed shells, baked with an easy ground beef tomato sauce, and topped with plenty of melty mozzarella cheese.
This is comforting Italian food at its finest, making it perfect for a cozy weekend dinner or an alternative holiday main dish.
Delizioso!
Stuffed shells are a classic Italian American dish that I just love.
This baked pasta recipe feels a lot like a lasagna to me. In fact, it has most of the same ingredients and components. But beef stuffed shells feel different, more special even, because to make this dish, you take the time to fill each jumbo pasta shell with a creamy ricotta mixture – and love!
An easy meat sauce made with marinara and ground beef gives this dish extra protein and tons of savory flavor.
It takes a little bit of time to assemble this casserole, so plan ahead. If you’re short on time for tomorrow’s dinner, you can also assemble this one up to a day ahead of time. Pop it in the fridge, then just add it to the oven 45 minutes before you’re ready to eat.
Ingredient Notes
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Shells: Look for jumbo shell pasta for this recipe. Smaller shells will take way too long to fill up with cheese! A 9×13-inch pan can fit approximately 25-30 jumbo shells, depending on how large they are. For this recipe, I boil the pasta in salted water first, but keep it slightly undercooked. Then I rinse with cold water and drain the pasta while I prepare the sauce and filling.
- Ground Beef: Choose lean ground beef (I like 95/5 or 90/10) or try this recipe with ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Marinara Sauce: Using jarred marinara makes this recipe a little easier. Use any brand that you like. We’ll doctor it up with fresh onion, garlic, and seasonings. You can, of course, use homemade marinara sauce too, if you have it.
- Cheese Filling: This creamy mixture of ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan is held together with one large egg and seasoned with fresh basil, parsley, and ground black pepper. Choose full-fat or whole milk ricotta and low-moisture mozzarella for the best texture.
Tip!
Undercook your pasta shells by about 2 minutes so that they won’t get too soft while they bake in the oven. Al dente shells are easier to handle so they won’t tear or break while you add the filling.
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How to Serve Stuffed Shells
While the shells are still hot from the oven, portion into shallow bowls or plates, then sprinkle each serving with a little bit more Parmesan cheese and some freshly chopped herbs.
On the side, try a Caesar salad and a basket of homemade breadsticks!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Beef Stuffed Shells
Equipment
- 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking dish
- Large skillet
- Large pot
- Mixing Bowls
- Spoon or small scoop for filling shells
- Aluminum Foil
Ingredients
For the Meat Sauce
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 pound (450 g) lean ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 24 ounces (680 g) marinara sauce
For the Pasta Shells
- 8 ounces (225 g) jumbo pasta shells (about 30 shells)
- Salt for the pasta water
For the Cheese Filling
- 1 pound (450 g) full-fat ricotta cheese
- 1 cup (115 g) shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup (25 g) grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 large egg
For Assembly
- 1 cup (115 g) shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons (10 g) grated Parmesan cheese
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Chopped fresh parsley and basil for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook for 2 minutes less than the package directions.
- Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté for 2 minutes until slightly softened.
- Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a spoon, until no longer pink.
- Add the minced garlic, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
- Pour in the marinara sauce and stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, basil, parsley, black pepper, and egg. Mix until well combined.
- Spread half of the meat sauce evenly in the bottom of a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking dish.
- Fill each cooked pasta shell with about 1½ tablespoons of the cheese mixture.
- Arrange the stuffed shells on top of the sauce in the baking dish.
- Spoon the remaining meat sauce over the stuffed shells.
- Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
- Lightly spray one side of a piece of foil with nonstick spray and cover the dish, sprayed side down.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and broil for 2 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven, garnish with fresh parsley and basil, and serve warm.
Notes:
- Cooking the pasta slightly underdone prevents the shells from becoming too soft during the baking process.
- Servings: 8 ounces of jumbo shells is usually around 25-30 pieces. Each serving will be 3 or 4 shells with meat sauce. If your family is extra hungry, this dish may only feed five or six people! Feel free to halve the recipe if you’re cooking for one or two.
- Storage: These will taste even better the next day! Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Make Ahead: You can prepare this dish a day in advance. Assemble, cover, and refrigerate. Bake just before serving, adding 10 minutes to the baking time.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Recipe Tips
- Cooking the Pasta: You won’t need a whole box of jumbo shell pasta for this recipe, which is baked in a 9×13-inch pan, so only cook the amount you need. If you cook extra, that’s ok, but you likely won’t have enough filling for all of them.
- Use freshly grated cheeses, rather than pre-shredded bagged cheese. The flavor is always going to be better this way, and processed cheese can often include additives that keep it from melting properly.
- Melty Cheese: For a browned and bubbly, cheesy top layer, turn on your broiler for the last 2 minutes of cooking. Keep a close eye on the dish at this point so that the cheese doesn’t burn.
- Make Ahead: Assemble the stuffed shells as directed, but instead of baking the dish right away, cover it and place it in the fridge for up to a day. Bake it when you’re ready, but add an extra 10 minutes to the baking time.
- Beef Stuffed Shells Freezer Meal: The assembled but unbaked casserole can also be wrapped well with plastic wrap and then foil, and frozen for up to 3 months! Bake the casserole directly from frozen after removing the wrapping and replacing it with fresh foil. Add about 30 extra minutes to the baking time.
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