Stuffed Shells With Meat Sauce
The whole family will love these Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce! Jumbo pasta shells are loaded with a cheesy ricotta mixture, nestled into a hearty meat sauce, and topped with golden brown mozzarella cheese.
This hearty pasta dish is sure to become a family favorite!
A simple but flavorful meat sauce gently simmers while jumbo pasta shells boil and then get stuffed with a creamy ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan mixture, then the whole thing is finished off with more stringy mozzarella cheese before being baked to golden brown perfection. Yum!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Jumbo Shells – Shell-shaped pasta perfect for stuffing with a cheesy mixture.
Crushed Tomatoes – The base of the sauce. Look for ones that include basil for more flavor.
Ground Beef – The meat in the sauce. You could also use ground pork, sausage, or a mixture.
Ricotta – Adds creaminess to the filling.
Mozzarella – A stringy cheese used in both the filling and on top. I highly recommend grating the mozzarella yourself for the best stringiness and flavor.
Parmesan – Adds more flavor to the filling. Just like the mozzarella, I suggest freshly grating the parmesan.
Parsley – Adds freshness and color to the filling. I also like to sprinkle more on the top after baking to add more color and freshness.
Step By Step Instructions
Note: Full list of ingredients, their amounts, and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
Step 1:
Heat oil over medium heat in a large oven-safe casserole dish or skillet.
Step 2:
Add the diced onion and sauté, stirring often, until translucent about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds.
Step 3:
Add the ground beef to the pan and sauté until cooked through about 8 minutes. Drain.
Step 4:
Mix the salt, pepper, and dried oregano into the ground beef. Then, stir in the crushed tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low to gently simmer.
Step 5:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
Step 6:
Boil the pasta for 1 minute less than the package direction call for. Drain and rinse under cold water.
Step 7:
While the pasta is boiling, mix together the ricotta cheese, half of the mozzarella, parmesan, parsley, an egg, and salt.
Step 8:
Remove the sauce from the heat.
Using either a spoon or a small cookie scooper, evenly divide the ricotta mixture between the shells. After each one is filled, place it in the sauce.
Step 9:
Sprinkle the top with the remaining mozzarella. Bake for 25 minutes then broil for about 2 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
Step 10:
Allow the pasta to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with extra parsley for freshness and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
- Pull the beef from the oven 30 minutes before cooking. This makes the meat easier to cook and it breaks down into more even pieces.
- If you don’t have a casserole dish to make the sauce in, use a skillet to cook the sauce. Then, transfer the sauce to a 9×13 baking dish before adding the stuffed shells.
- The shells need to be nestled together fairly tightly to all fit. I have found the best way to do this is to push some of the sauce aside with a fork and place the shell in that spot. You can also move the shells around a bit after they’ve been placed.
Storage & Reheating
Store the stuffed shells in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat in a 300 degree F oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until warmed through.
Or, reheat in a microwave in 30-second intervals until warmed through.
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Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
Meat Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 teaspoons salt fine kosher or sea
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes ideally with basil
Shells & Filling
- 24 jumbo pasta shells
- 15 ounces ricotta
- 16 ounces freshly shredded mozzarella divided
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt fine kosher or sea
Instructions
- In a large oven-safe casserole dish or skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Sauté the onions until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another 30 seconds.
- Add the ground beef and sauté until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain.
- Stir the salt, oregano, and black pepper into the ground beef. Add the crushed tomatoes and reduce the heat to low to gently simmer. Stir occasionally.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
- Add the shells to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute less than the package directions call for. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- While the pasta is boiling, mix together ricotta, half of the shredded mozzarella, parmesan, egg, parsley, and salt.
- Remove the sauce from the heat. With a spoon or small cookie scooper, evenly divide the ricotta mixture into the cooked pasta shells. Nestle the stuffed shells into the meat sauce as you go.
- Top the stuffed shells with the other half of the mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes then broil under high heat for about 2 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
- Allow the pasta to cool for about 10 minutes then sprinkle with extra fresh parsley before serving.
Notes
- If possible, pull the beef from the oven 30 minutes before cooking. This makes the meat easier to cook and it breaks down into more even pieces.
- If you don’t have a casserole dish to make the sauce in, use a skillet to cook the sauce. Then, transfer the sauce to a 9×13 baking dish before adding the stuffed shells.
- The shells need to be nestled together fairly tightly to all fit. I have found the best way to do this is to push some of the sauce aside with a fork and place the shell in that spot. You can also move the shells around a bit after they’ve been placed.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
