Stuffed Shells

Stuffed shells are an easy, comforting, and fast dinner option with less than 20 minutes of prep work! My version uses a sneaky secret ingredient in the filling for the BEST results.

Recipe includes a how-to video!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings shells

Calories 185kcal

Author Sam Merritt

Equipment

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

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 9x13 casserole dish. Layer with several spoonfuls of marinara sauce (just enough to lightly coat the bottom).
3 cups 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 ricotta cheese, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese, 4 oz 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!

Video

Notes

¹Shells

You will only need 20 shells for this recipe, but I usually boil a few extra in case some tear

²Marinara

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