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These giant cheese stuffed shells just might make you rethink your standard lasagna dinner night! Jumbo pasta shells are stuffed with three types of cheese: ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan, baked with a marinara sauce until beautifully bubbly and served with fresh basil. These giant cheese stuffed shells are full of flavor and so easy to make – the perfect combination for a family dinner! They’re an easy vegetarian dinner to throw together that is definitely a family favorite!
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I love pasta in all its forms, and these giant stuffed shells are one of my favorite dishes in that area. With all that melty cheese inside the shells and the marinara sauce that accompanies them, this recipe is one of my go-to’s.
My family loves this recipe. My husband and I also make it to take to other people who are shut-ins and they absolutely love it. It also freezes very well. – Brenda
Recipe at a glance
Cuisine Inspiration: Italian
Primary Cooking Method: Baking
Dietary Info: Vegetarian
Key Flavor: Basil, marinara
Skill Level: Easy
Summary
- Quick and Easy: This cheese stuffed shells recipe comes together quickly and requires very little cooking experience, making it an ideal dinner for any family and an excellent dish for potlucks.
- Filling: The three-cheese mixture stuffed inside giant shells swimming in marinara sauce makes for a hearty, filling meal.
- Customizable: This recipe has a basic concept you can tailor to suit your tastes. Add ground beef or Italian chicken sausage for a meaty sauce, or try adding cottage cheese in place of part of the ricotta if you prefer a lighter texture.
- Flavorful: The combination of rich ricotta and Le Cremeux cheese, the al dente shells, and slightly sweet marinara sauce create a classic, delicious Italian flavor.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Jumbo Pasta Shells: These extra-large shells are perfect for holding the delicious mix of cheeses used in this recipe.
- Ricotta Cheese: This classic staple of so many Italian dishes is rich and creamy, creating a wonderful base for the cheese filling.
- Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheeses: A classic combination of cheeses to add to the ricotta filling.
- Eggs: Adding egg to your cheese mixture helps bind the cheeses together, ensuring the mixture stays inside the shells where it belongs.
- Italian Seasoning, Salt, and Pepper: Italian seasoning adds classic flavor to the cheese, and salt and pepper enhance that flavor even further.
- Marinara Sauce: This classic sauce is the perfect backdrop for the cheese filling and al dente shells.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Try manicotti shells: Manicotti can be used instead to create yet another classic Italian favorite.
- Use a ricotta and cottage cheese mix: Many people enjoy a mix of ricotta and cottage cheese rather than pure ricotta cheese.
- Use your favorite red sauce: Any kind of traditional red spaghetti sauce can be used for this recipe. Pick the one you like best!
- Make it spicy: Add a kick of heat and excitement with a dash of red pepper flakes.
How to Make Cheese Stuffed Shells
Made this delicious dish tonight for the family. Was a hit with all which doesn’t happen often! Easy prep and we even had left overs that we are looking forward to having for lunch. Definitely a five star – Jada
Tips for Making the Best Ricotta Stuffed Shells
- Do not overcook the pasta. In fact, while many instructions for cheese stuffed shells will suggest cooking the pasta al dente, I recommend 2 minutes shy of al dente. That’s because these shells will be baking in the oven with the sauce and cheese for more than half an hour.
- Rinse the shells with cold water after boiling. This prevents them from sticking to each other while you’re preparing the cheese mixture and stuffing the pasta shells. Just be sure to let it drain very well so you’re not adding excess moisture to the dish.
- Add a layer of sauce to the pan before adding the shells. This helps to keep the shells moist so they are not sticking together while you are stuffing them. It’s also easier to serve them this way. I find that there’s no need to spray the baking dish or spray the pasta shells with oil. The marinara sauce does the trick!
- Use a large ziplock bag to pipe the cheese stuffing into the shells. This is a fun little trick to make the assembly of the cheese stuffed pasta faster. After mixing the filling, place it in a large enough bag, cut off a corner and pipe into the shells. This trick saves time, creates less mess, and results in an overall better presentation.
What to Serve
Giant cheese stuffed shells are a classic Italian dish, and they pair well with all your favorite Italian sides to create a delicious, hearty lunch or dinner.
Recipe Help & FAQs
Let your shells cool completely, then transfer them to an air-tight container or cover them in their original dish and refrigerate them for up to four days.
To reheat the shells, defrost them if frozen. Then, place them in a baking dish, cover, and bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes until heated through.
Yes, you can. Stuffed shells are incredibly freezer-friendly. You can stuff your shells and freeze them for baking at a later date or freeze your cooked shells. In either case, freeze the shells in a baking dish, then store them in an air-tight, freezer-safe container in a single layer for up to three months.
You probably didn’t add enough sauce to your baking dish before placing the shells inside it. Use about half the sauce as a base for your shells. This helps create a barrier between the shells and the bottom of the baking dish, avoiding sticking.
Yes. You can make these stuffed shells 1-2 days ahead of time. Boil the pasta, stuff the shells and place in the fridge. When you’re ready to bake, pour the sauce over the pasta and then bake. If you pour the sauce a couple days in advance, it will affect the texture of the pasta.
Stuffed shells are done with the sauce is bubbly, the cheese is melted, and the shells are soft but set.
More Pasta Recipes:
- Easy Baked Spaghetti
- Homemade Lasagna
- Lemon Ricotta Pasta
- Spaghetti with Meatballs
- Vegan Creamy Tomato Pasta
- Garlic Butter Shrimp Spaghetti
- Easy Lasagna Roll Ups
- Shrimp Orzo Salad
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta
- Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
If you try this Cheese Stuffed Shells recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
This recipe was originally published on June 23, 2019 and has recently been updated with a more classic ingredient list, new photography, and step-by-step images to help make the recipe.
Cheese Stuffed Shells
Video
Ingredients
- 8 ounces jumbo pasta shells about 32
- 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese divided
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup chopped basil plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (28-ounce) jar marinara sauce
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or a little less than al dente; drain and rinse with cold water.
- In a large bowl, combine ricotta, ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup of parmesan cheese, egg, basil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees.
- Spread half of the marinara sauce into a 9×13 baking dish. Spoon the cheese mixture into the pasta shells and place in the baking dish on top of the sauce. Spoon the remaining sauce over the shells and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Yum
Can you make this with a meat sauce?
Yes, it should work!
My family loves this recipe. My husband and I also make it to take to other people who are shut-ins and they absolutely love it. It also freezes very well.
I’m so glad everyone is enjoying it! Yay!!
Can you add spinach to the cheese mixture or will it throw off the taste?
I’m sure you could!
wonderful. easy to prepare, instructions easy to follow. thank you
So glad to hear it. Thank you!!
I always hate Prep Times bc while I am not a professional chef, I’m also not an amateur, and it takes almost 20 minutes to boil the water and cook the shells. I don’t know how people do it in that time frame. With that said, my family enjoyed the meal. I did add ground beef (1 lb), but it would be just as good without. Also, does the ingredient list say to separate the parm when really it should be the mozz….or vice versa?
Oh I gotcha with the prep time, but usually it refers to hands-on prep time, that’s how most people count it. And thank you for pointing that out about the dividing the mozzarella cheese, not the parmesan. The mozzarella is more melty, so that’s what we want on top. I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I cannot find shells at any grocery store. Any other suggestions for pasta? Manicotti pasta?
Yes, manicotti would be a great substitute!
I made these tonight and folded an 8 oz container of real crab meat into the cheese mixture. I guess I turned the recipe into sea shells. My husband and I agreed that they turned out as good as a high end Italian restaurant would have produced. My grocer only had one choice of pasta shells and I don’t know if they are smaller than pictured in the recipe, but 8 oz of raw pasta equaled waaay more shells.. about 26 for me. The filling was still enough for all of them. I just had to use a few more baking dishes.
So glad you tried it and I love that you added crab meat. My photo actually shows half the recipe, so 8 ounces is about 26-30 jumbo shells. I added that note to the recipe so thanks for bringing that up!
Made this delicious dish tonight for the family. Was a hit with all which doesn’t happen often!
Easy prep and we even had left overs that we are looking forward to having for lunch. Definitely a five star ?
Aww thank you so much for the feedback. So happy to hear the whole family loved it!! thank you 🙂
What a delicious meal. Made this today while “sheltering in place” and it was a big hit. Used a four cheese fresco sauce from “Taste of the Hill” and didn’t have to worry about leftovers. Thanks for the recipe. Will definitely make this again.
So glad to hear that. Thanks so much!
I live alone and I usually cook a batch enough for 2-3 meals at once. Can the left-overs be stored in the fridge and for how long?
Yes they can, and you can store them for up to 3-4 days.
I tried the recipe using cannoli pasta and it turned out just amazing! I was amazed at how quick and easy the preparations were.
So glad to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Planning on making These for our family Christmas gathering.
So fun for the holidays! I hope you enjoy them 🙂
We did this! It really was amazing and super easy to make as well! We loved it! Thank you !!
So glad to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Mm! Great recipe, Made it tonight. easy to follow the instructions. We loved it ?
Yay! So glad to hear that you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Made it last Night ! Everyone loved it:)) Also we could add Sweetened Fennel seeds in it for the flavour. We are some hand rolled filled pasta at a Italian restaurant tastes just like this one but with Fennel seeds and Chicken. Thank you so@much for the recipe plus I didn’t know it’s so easy to make.
So happy to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Can’t wait to try it!!
YUM
Thank you!!
Looks delicious! Will definitely try it!
Yay! I hope you like it!