Easy, cheesy stuffed shells (with a secret ingredient in the filling!!) that can be assembled and in the oven in a matter of minutes. This easy dinner recipe is incidentally vegetarian and made with the option to use homemade or jarred sauce (if you’re in a hurry!). Less than 20 minutes of prep! Recipe includes a video tutorial!
Classic Stuffed Shells
While stuffed shells aren’t the most beautiful of dinners, they make up for their rustic appearance with their incredibly comforting and satisfying flavor. This classic recipe is a staple in our household once the weather gets cooler and we crave hearty, filling dishes (like my pot roast!).
Today we’re pairing jumbo, perfectly cooked shells with a velvety, cheesy filling and flavorful tomato sauce. Bake the whole thing into bubbly perfection, and oh boy, you’re in for a treat! The whole family loves this recipe, and as a bonus, it’s a vegetarian dinner option–great for meatless Monday!
Why You’ll Love My Recipe
- Can be made in advance or even frozen. Ideal for meal-prepping!
- Flexible. This recipe works with store-bought sauce or homemade sauce. If you’re in a pinch and need a quick dinner, stick with store-bought, otherwise I really recommend you use my homemade marinara sauce.
- Includes a secret ingredient in the filling! This lends a smooth, velvety creaminess and a subtle depth of flavor. I swear by it!
- Ready to eat in less than an hour. This is minimal effort, maximum reward kind of comfort food!
Ingredients
My recipe uses just a few basic ingredients plus one sneaky secret addition.
- Jumbo shells. Make sure you boil a few more than you need, just in case you have a some that tear or stick to the bottom of the pan. Any extras you don’t use make a nice little snack while you wait for your dinner to finish baking 😉
- Marinara sauce. You will need three cups of sauce. You can always get creative and use something other than marinara like arrabiata sauce (for spice lovers!) or vodka sauce.
- Ricotta cheese. Ricotta is a classic ingredient for shells and lasagna! I prefer whole milk ricotta here for best results.
- Cream cheese. My secret ingredient! Adding cream cheese to the filling makes for a luxurious texture and depth of flavor. It’s not overpowering though! If you’re a cream cheese hater, I want to let you know that I have two siblings who hate cream cheese, but love this recipe and can not detect so much as a whiff of cream cheese flavor. I’ve tried this recipe with and without the cream cheese, and it just tastes so much better with it. I also use it when making manicotti.
- Egg. The egg helps to serve as a binder for the filling. If you can’t or don’t do eggs, you can leave it out, just note the filling will be looser after baking.
- Fresh parsley. This adds some color and fresh flavor to our filling (which is much needed with all that cheese!). If you don’t have fresh parsley, you can substitute two teaspoons of dried parsley instead.
SAM’S TIP: To prevent overcooking, cook your shells until they are al dente and rinse with cold water after boiling. The shells will continue cooking in the oven and will be perfect when they’re done!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Stuffed Shells
Boil the shells
To make them easy to manage (and less prone to tearing or falling apart), boil them one minute shy of package instructions. Then, drain, rinse with cold water (this stops the cooking process and cools them down so they can be handled right away) and arrange on a baking sheet so they don’t stick together.
Prepare the filling
Stir together the cheeses, egg, garlic, parsley, spices, and salt. The cream cheese should be slightly softened to make it easy to stir (you can also just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to help move things along!).
Stuff the shells
Lightly grease a casserole dish (I use butter, but a bit of olive oil would work, too) and add a layer of sauce. Stuff filling into each shell and arrange in rows in your prepared pan.
Layer it up
Add the final layer of marinara sauce overtop and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
Bake, then serve
Bake covered at first, then uncovered for the last 10 minutes (this will help turn the cheese slightly brown and bubbly). I recommend serving with a side salad and some garlic knots or crusty artisan bread or sourdough bread.
SAM’S TIP: If you want to prep your shells in advance, I recommend doing so before baking. I provide instructions for this below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! You can store the assembled casserole dish covered tightly with plastic wrap or foil in the refrigerator for up to three days before baking.
Yes, and I recommend doing so before you bake them (rather than after). You can freeze one of two ways:
Boil and stuff each shell, place on a wax paper lined baking sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes. Place frozen shells in an airtight container like a Ziploc bag (because they are frozen, you won’t have to worry about them smashing one another or freezing into one another) and freeze for up to several months. When ready to bake, follow the recipe instructions for preparing the pan/covering the shells with sauce and cheese, and bake as indicated. Frozen shells will take longer to bake than indicated in the recipe.
Or, prepare the recipe, but don’t bake! Cover dish tightly with plastic wrap and foil so that it is airtight and freeze for up to several months. Allow casserole dish to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.
Keep in mind you should not put a freezing cold glass/ceramic dish in the oven–the temperature change will cause it to crack!
Yes! You can either use my meat sauce as the sauce or you could just crumble some ground beef or ground sausage over the shells when assembling. If you’re looking for a meatier pasta recipe, check out my rigatoni or baked ziti in the meantime.
If you’re looking for a side, I recommend whipping up a batch of my garlic knots. Yum.
Enjoy!
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Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 20 jumbo shells¹
- 3 cups (719 ml) marinara sauce²
For Filling:
- 15 oz (425 g) ricotta cheese
- 2 cups (226 g) shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- ⅓ cup (60 g) grated parmesan cheese plus additional for topping, if desired
- 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese softened
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano optional
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 large garlic clove pressed
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C)
- Prepare shells according to package instructions, but boiling one minute less than instructed on package. Drain, allow to cool several minutes, then separate and place on a baking sheet while you prepare your filling. While the shells are boiling, I’ll usually start preparing my pan and making my filling:20 jumbo shells¹
- Lightly butter the sides and bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish. Layer with several spoonfuls of marinara sauce (just enough to lightly coat the bottom).3 cups (719 ml) marinara sauce²
- Prepare filling by stirring together ricotta cheese, 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese (170g), ⅓ cup parmesan, cream cheese, egg, parsley, garlic, oregano, salt, and ground pepper until well-combined.15 oz (425 g) ricotta cheese, 2 cups (226 g) shredded mozzarella cheese, ⅓ cup (60 g) grated parmesan cheese, 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese, 1 large egg, 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon ground pepper, 1 large garlic clove
- Portion into prepared shells by heaping spoonful.
- Evenly spoon remaining marinara sauce over shells. Top with remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese (56g) and a sprinkle of grated parmesan (if desired).
- Lightly butter one side of a piece of foil (or spray with cooking spray) and loosely place foil (butter side down) over your dish. Transfer to 350F (175C) oven and bake for 20 minutes, covered, then remove foil and continue to bake an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Notes
¹Shells
You will only need 20 shells for this recipe, but I usually boil a few extra in case some tear²Marinara
You can use store-bought marinara sauce or you can use my homemade marinara sauce recipe (better option!!). My recipe makes 3 cups, so you will use all of it for this recipe.Storing and Freezing
Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This recipe may also be frozen, I recommend preparing and then freezing before baking. To bake, you can bake from frozen or thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Recipe originally published Feb 27, 2019. The recipe itself is unchanged, but I’ve updated the post to include more tips and helpful information, and new photos!
Julie
Wow, just wow! Up until now I’ve always “liked” stuffed shells but they tend to be a little bland for me, probably due to the ricotta. This recipe has changed all of that, though! The filling is incredibly flavorful on its own – no need to drown these in sauce to add flavor, as I’ve had to do with other recipes. Well done, Sam! These are most definitely a keeper!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Julie! 🙂
Debbie
Your recipes are appearing blurred. It’s like they’re printed twice over top of each other but not lined up. Everything else if fine but can’t read the actual recipe. This problem just started recently. Anyone else having this problem? You are
Sam
I am so sorry this happened, Debbie! It should be fixed now, but please let me know if you are still seeing this issue. Thank you for your patience. 🙂
Mabel Martinez
Hi Sam, this dishes were very delicious. The most thing that attract me to your recipes is that way you explain and the instructions are very easy to follow. Thank you.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Mabel! 🙂
Jenise
Love stuffed shells. Awesome
Jody
I do not care for Ricotta Cheese. What could I use as fill in?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Jody! Some have used a combination of cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese. Possibly give that a try? You could even blend with spinach. 🙂
Rachel
My sister uses cottage cheese, and it’s yummy. Surprisingly it’s a great alternative.
Karen
Can you freeze shells? If so before or after baking?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Karen! Yes, you can! I typically freeze mine before baking. 🙂
Morgan
Amazing recipe. Delicious and easy to make & it was a total hit for the whole family! Thanks for sharing!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that everyone enjoyed it and it was such a crowd-pleaser, Morgan! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Courtney
These looks amazing!!!! I don’t have ricotta cheese. Is there a way to do the recipe without that?
Thanks!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Courtney! Cottage Cheese can work as a substitute. You could also try a blend of Italian cheeses with cream cheese as well. Granted the taste will differ. I hope that gives you some ideas. 🙂
Renée
These look delicious!!! Cannot wait to try them!!! Just wanted to tell you when I make lasagne, I always dot some cream cheese in and it makes such a difference! Thank you for all of your recipes!!!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Renée, and thank you for sharing! 🙂
margaret karrel
Excellent recipe and really explained well. Thank you.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you found the recipe easy to follow and enjoyable, Margaret! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
AnnL
These shells are delicious! My kids love them and they are so easy to make!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that your family enjoyed the stuffed shells, Ann! Thanks for trying my recipe and for taking a moment to comment, I appreciate it! 🙂
Beth
I like the idea of adding the cream cheese and will probably try the recipe. However, in the video it looks like you used parmesan cheese from a can which I have never heard of. I’ve always used fresh grated or shredded parmesan. That seems like a lot, if from a can. Does it taste stronger that way, and maybe I should use less to make it a little creamier? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Beth! You can use fresh grated or the kind that comes in a plastic container. My preference is fresh grated.
Selah Howard
Hi there!
I definitely agree with the other comments made about these stuffed shells! They are great!
Family liked them even though they’re super picky. Thanks for the recipe!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the stuffed shells! 🙂
Cynthia Ann Shields
Without a doubt your Stuffed Shells were comparable to what one would buy in a good Italian Restaurant. Nothing disappointing about this that is for sure. Cynthia
Sam
Thank you so much, Cynthia! ☺️I am so glad you enjoyed the shells. 🙂
christine cussatt
The cream cheese makes these shells so good.I love the secret ingredient!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it Christine! 🙂