If you want a cheesy, savory pasta dish, these Baked Stuffed Shells are my favorite recommendation. My version includes some spinach and mushrooms stuffed into the jumbo shells with ground meat and ricotta cheese for the best savory filling ever. I promise that the vegetables add texture, balanced flavor, and some vitamins and minerals, too.
Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Main Dish
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 30 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 8
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Rich, cheesy, herby, and comforting.
- 🍚 Best Served With: Garlic bread, salad, or roasted veggies.
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes, assemble ahead or freeze for later.
Summarize and Save This Content On
Baked pasta dishes are one of my favorite things to prepare on a Sunday evening! There's just something about rich tomato sauce, gooey cheese, and tender pasta. This recipe has become one of my favorites because it stands on its own. You get protein, starch, and veggies in one delicious casserole.
I highly recommend lazy lasagna and chicken manicotti alfredo for more stuffed pasta recipes.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review
"This came out amazing!!!! We loved it so much! Definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing!"
-Ivy
"What an amazing recipe. You can literally stuff the shells with whatever you want. They are so filling that all you need is simple side salad! Yummy😋"
-Tailor
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's great to prepare ahead: I love that you can prepare these homemade stuffed shells in advance and bake them later. It makes dinnertime much easier.
- It bakes in 30 minutes: The shells only take about 30 minutes to bake in the oven. So, it will be ready for the table when you are.
- It's easy to make: The process to make this stuffed pasta shells recipe is super simple, even if you don't cook that often.
Ingredients
Here are the most important ingredients needed for this easy stuffed shells recipe. They are common items you can find at the grocery store any time!
- Pasta shells: Any brand of jumbo pasta shells is great for this recipe. You'll cook them according to the package directions and cool them before you get them stuffed with the delicious filling.
- Pasta sauce: Use any jarred marinara sauce that you enjoy. There are so many kinds, including garlic and herb, cheese varieties, and more.
- Ground meat: Use any combination of ground beef, pork, veal, sausage, or even turkey that you want. My favorite combo is half ground beef or veal and half sausage.
- Veggies: I add mushrooms, spinach, and onions for flavor and texture. Plus, it can't hurt to add vegetables for balanced nutrition, too!
- Cheese: I fill the shells with ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella, leaving some extra mozzarella to sprinkle on top. This adds creaminess and sharp flavor to the filling that complements the other ingredients.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Alfredo: Use your favorite jarred Alfredo sauce in place of the marinara for an extra cheesy version.
- Vegetarian: Leave out the ground meat and add chopped zucchini instead to make the recipe vegetarian-friendly.
- Add pesto: Replace some or all of the tomato sauce with pesto for a lighter twist.
How to Make Baked Stuffed Shells
To get started, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and generously spray your casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. While you work on the filling, boil your shells according to the package directions and allow them to cook until you need them.
Step 1: Spread the sauce. Grab your greased 9x13 casserole dish and spread a layer of tomato sauce on the bottom.
Step 2: Sauté the mushrooms. Then, heat a skillet over medium heat with olive oil. Once hot, add the mushrooms, onions, and garlic and cook them for about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Cook the meat and spinach. Next, add the ground meat and cook until it's no longer pink. Stir in the spinach before taking the skillet off the heat.
Step 4: Combine the filling. In a mixing bowl, stir the cheese and egg until they're smooth. Then, add the meat mixture, Italian seasoning, and a little olive oil and mix until it's all well-combined.
Step 5: Stuff the pasta shells. Now you can fill each shell with about 2 ½ tablespoons of filling and place it on top of the sauce with the opening facing up.
Step 6: Spoon sauce on top. When all the shells are filled and in the dish, spoon the remaining tomato sauce on top of them.
Step 7: Sprinkle the cheese. Then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on top.
Step 8: Bake. Pop the pan in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, then switch to broil for a couple of minutes to fully brown the top. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes and then enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Reheat with extra tomato sauce: If you find that the leftover stuffed cheese shells have become a little dry, add some extra tomato sauce for moisture when reheating them.
- Don't overfill the shells: Don't fill the shells more than ⅔, or the filling will ooze out of the pasta as it bakes.
- Avoid the broken shells: There will be some broken shells; avoid using those, as they will not be able to hold the filling as well as the unbroken ones.
If you love jumbo stuffed shells, you should try these Olive Garden stuffed shells, too.
Storage Directions
- Storing: Store leftover stuffed shells in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You may freeze the leftovers for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Reheat an individual portion in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. You may reheat the whole casserole covered in a 350-degree oven for 15-20 minutes. If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge or bake straight from frozen for 30-340 minutes.
- Make ahead: You may make the stuffed shells up to 24 hours in advance and wait to bake them until before serving. I like to do this to plan for a busy evening.
Serving Suggestions
- I love serving bread with these baked stuffed shells to dip in the extra sauce. This air fryer garlic bread and pizza dough breadsticks are perfect for it!
- Enjoy a refreshing hot girl summer salad as a side dish, or a simple tossed salad with chardonnay vinaigrette dressing.
- Finish the meal with a piece of pumpkin earthquake cake to complete the experience!
Recipe FAQs
Tent the stuffed shells with aluminum foil if the cheese is browning too much and too fast. Sometimes, I cover the baking dish for the first 10-15 minutes of cooking time and then remove it at the end so it can gain some color.
Avoid overcooking them when you boil them. I cook them until they are al dente, where they are cooked but still have a little bite. The shells will cook again in the oven and become mushy if they're too soft.
Yes! You can't stuff the shells with raw meat. It will not cook properly, and excess grease will cause the sauce to separate. Always brown it first!
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Do you like pasta recipes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Baked Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 1 large box pasta shells, jumbo
- 2 large jars pasta sauce, tomato based - or my homemade marinara
- 1 pound any combination of ground beef, pork, veal, sausage or turkey
- 1 ½ cups onion, finely chopped
- 1 ½ cups mushrooms,fresh, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1 pkg. chopped frozen spinach
- 1 tub ricotta cheese, 16 oz.
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated or shredded to taste
- 2 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, grated or shredded to taste
- 2 large eggs
- 1 heaping tblsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- olive oil
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Thaw and squeeze dry the spinach in paper towel. Try to get as much water out as possible. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a teaspoon or so of salt and roughly a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Stir regularly to prevent shells from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Drain, rinse under cold water and set aside. We usually just leave them in the sink.
- Lightly spray 2 8x8 pans, a 9x13 inch pan or the equivalent with cooking spray.
- Coat the bottom of each pan with tomato sauce, either store bought or my homemade marinara sauce. Set aside.
- In a medium skillet, heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, mushrooms and garlic and cook, stirring frequently until tender, around 5 minutes. Add the ground meat or meats and cook, stirring regularly, until done. Add the squeezed spinach and continue stirring for a few more minutes. Add salt and pepper and remove from heat.
- In a separate, large bowl, whip together the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Next add the meat mixture, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and Italian seasoning to the ricotta mixture. Stir to combine thoroughly.
- Spoon about 2 ½ tablespoons of the filling into each cooked pasta shell. Place the filled shells in the prepared dish or dishes with the opening facing up. Don't use the broken pasta shells unless you have to. You will likely have some extras. Each shell should be over flowing and touching each other.
- Pour more marinara sauce over the filled shells and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Then turn the oven up to broil for a few minutes until cheese is nicely browned if desired. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Do not overcook the jumbo shells, or they will become mushy after they bake in the oven.
- Use some extra tomato sauce when reheating leftover baked stuffed shells to keep them from becoming too dry.
- Avoid overfilling the shells so that the filling doesn't ooze out as they bake.
Ivy says
This came out amazing!!!! We loved it so much! Definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing!
Karin and Ken says
As always you are most welcome! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe it’s a personal favorite. You made my day. All the best. Karin
Tailor says
What an amazing recipe. You can literally stuff the shells with whatever you want. They are so filling that all you need is simple side salad! Yummy 😋
Karin and Ken says
I love this recipe too! So happy to hear. Thank you for taking the time to let me know you made my day. All the best. Karin