The Best Stuffed Pasta Shells

The best stuffed pasta shells are full of ground beef, three different types of cheese, and a secret ingredient that adds tons of flavor. Serve the easy stuffed shells recipe with a side salad and garlic bread for a delicious, make-ahead dinner. The 5-star recipe has been featured in Taste of Home magazine, and you're about to see why!

How to Make Stuffed Shells | 1-Minute Video

Stuffed Shells with Meat

Does it get any cozier than a pan of stuffed pasta shells full of ricotta and ground beef, smothered in meat sauce, and finished with extra cheese? Similar to a classic lasagna recipe, these Italian stuffed shells have been loved in American homes for decades! From kids to grandparents, here's why everyone loves this recipe:

• The ricotta stuffed shells can be assembled in advance and frozen or refrigerated until you're ready to bake them. Talk about convenient!
• This recipe yields a large batch to serve 8, so it's perfect for entertaining. If you're feeding a smaller family, you can divide the stuffed shells between two smaller 8-inch baking dishes and freeze one for later. You get two meals with one effort. Love that!
• The secret ingredient -- pesto -- adds tons of flavor to the ricotta and ground beef filling. No boring stuffed shells here!

Are you convinced? First, let's address a few common questions before we get to the recipe.

What are Stuffed Shells?

This Italian-inspired dish includes Jumbo Shells pasta, which are stuffed with a variety of ingredients and baked with sauce and cheese in a casserole dish. Beef and ricotta is a classic stuffed shells filling, but you might also find spinach and cheese stuffed shells, chicken stuffed shells with spinach and Alfredo, or sausage and cheese stuffed shells.

What's the difference between Stuffed Shells and Manicotti?

While these two Italian stuffed pasta dishes are quite similar, there are a few specific differences. Manicotti, which literally translates to "little muffs," are large tubes of pasta designed for stuffing.

By contrast, stuffed shells are made with conchiglioni pasta, the larger version of conchiglie, which means “conch shells.” The jumbo shells have thin ridges set close together, and typically stuffed with a combination of meat, cheeses, and vegetables. Unlike the tubes of manicotti, jumbo pasta shells can hold an amount of stuffing equal to the size and shape of an egg.

Ingredients

This is a quick overview of the ingredients that you'll need for the best stuffed pasta shells recipe. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

• Jumbo pasta shells: I always cook the entire 12-ounce box, but you likely won't need all of them. It just depends on how full you stuff each shell, and how tightly you pack them in the dish. Some shells tend to break or rip in the cooking process, so it's nice to have extras.
• Ground beef: adds hearty texture and great flavor to both the ricotta filling and the sauce. You can substitute with Italian sausage or ground turkey, too.
• Onion: for extra savory flavor.
• Shredded Italian cheese blend: goes into the filling and on top of the casserole.
• Ricotta cheese: gives the filling that rich, creamy texture. If you prefer, you can substitute with cottage cheese, but see my notes below for more details on that change.
• Grated Parmesan cheese: freshly-grated is always my preference, but pre-grated cheese straight from the can is perfectly fine here as well!
• Egg: gives the filling structure so that it doesn't ooze out of the shells.
• Pesto: the "secret" ingredient that adds great garlic and basil flavor to the filling. You can make your own pesto or find a jar of prepared pesto at the grocery store on the aisle with the other jars of pasta sauces.
• Marinara sauce: use a homemade marinara sauce or purchase a jar of store-bought sauce for a nice shortcut.

How to Make Ricotta Stuffed Shells with Meat

While these stuffed pasta shells require a few steps for assembly, I can assure you that they are well worth the few extra minutes in the kitchen. Plus, they're very easy -- if you can brown ground beef and cook some pasta, you can prepare this dish!

1. Cook pasta shells in salted boiling water. Drain and rinse under cold water.
2. Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet; drain off the fat.
3. Stir together the ricotta filling.
4. Mix together the meat sauce.
5. Stuff shells with ricotta filling.
6. Arrange the stuffed shells in a 13 x 9-inch dish.
7. Spread meat sauce over top.
8. Sprinkle with cheese.
9. Cover the dish with foil and bake in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes.
10. Remove the cover and bake for 10 more minutes, until the cheese is melted the filling is hot.

What to Serve with Stuffed Pasta Shells

If you're wondering what goes with stuffed shells for dinner, here are a few easy ideas to get you started:

• Garlic breadsticks, garlic bread, homemade focaccia, or a crusty loaf of no-knead Dutch oven bread
• Green salad with red wine vinaigrette or Caesar salad
• Roasted broccoli or asparagus
• Sauteed asparagus
• 2-ingredient Italian sugar snap peas
• Sauteed spinach with garlic
• Sauteed zucchini
• Parmesan roasted cauliflower

How many Stuffed Pasta Shells Per Person?

I generally assume about 2-3 shells per person. Larger appetites might like 4, while smaller eaters may prefer 2. This recipe yields about 20-22 stuffed shells with a hearty meat sauce, and it typically feeds about 6-8 people.

Storage

Leftover baked stuffed pasta shells will last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

How to Reheat Stuffed Shells

Let the dish sit on the counter and come to room temperature for about 1 hour before reheating. Cover the dish with foil and reheat in a 350°F oven just until warmed through (about 20-30 minutes). You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave for about 1 minute.

How to Freeze Stuffed Shells

Stuffed shells with ground beef is the ultimate prep-ahead freezer meal! If you would like to make the casserole in advance, simply assemble the dish (but do not bake). Cover the dish with foil and either refrigerate for up to 24 hours; or, if freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap, then foil. Keep in freezer for up to 3 months.

How to Cook Frozen Stuffed Shells

When ready to bake, you can either thaw the stuffed shells in the refrigerator overnight (and bake according to the recipe instructions); or you can bake the stuffed shells directly from the freezer at 350°F for about 60-70 minutes (or until heated through). Don't forget to remove the foil during the final 10 minutes of baking to allow the cheese to brown on top!

Recipe Variations

• This recipe yields a large batch to serve 8, so it's perfect for entertaining. If you're feeding a smaller family, you can divide the stuffed shells between two smaller 8-inch baking dishes and freeze one for later.
• Use about 1 lb. of ground Italian sausage, ground turkey, or ground chicken instead of the ground beef.
• To make these amazing stuffed shells without ricotta, you can substitute with cottage cheese instead. If using cottage cheese, I recommend straining off some of the liquid first or using a whipped cottage cheese so that you don't end up with a watery filling.
• Add cooked spinach to the filling. Just make sure that you squeeze the spinach very dry before stirring it into the ricotta mixture -- otherwise it will water-down the dish.

Tips for the Best Stuffed Shells Recipe

• Boil the pasta in well-salted water. This is your only opportunity to season the pasta itself, so don't be shy with the salt!
• Cook the pasta shells just until barely al dente, since they will continue to cook in the oven. You don't want to end up with overdone, mushy pasta!
• Garnish the shells with fresh herbs like parsley or basil for a bright finishing touch.

More Italian-Inspired Dinner Recipes to Try

• Ravioli Lasagna
• Dump-and-Bake Meatball Casserole
• Homemade Meatballs
• Easy Spaghetti Carbonara
• Vegetable Lasagna
• Baked Meatballs
• Homemade Lasagna
• Baked Rigatoni

This recipe was originally published in December, 2013. It was updated in November, 2021.