Classic Stuffed Shells
Classic Ricotta Stuffed Shells made with flavorful three cheese ricotta filling and homemade marinara sauce. This stuffed shells recipe is extra cheesy and made with fresh herbs and garlic flavors.
My recipe features simple, classic, and straight forward stuffed shells. The best results come from the extra cheesy ricotta filling and homemade marinara sauce. The whole dish will take about 45 minutes to prepare but I also include an option to stuff them ahead of time.
This stuffed shells recipe is the epitome of comfort food and has been beloved by readers and family for many years and I believe that’s because it’s simple enough but also holds so much comfort and beautiful flavor!
While, I highly recommend to make your own pasta sauce, I totally understand not having the time to do it. Luckily, tomato sauce keeps very well in the refrigerator for a few days and in the freezer for even longer. So you can make the sauce ahead of time and I have more tips on that below!
I also share a few tips on my personal favorite store-bought sauces to make it super simple.
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i love your recipes! I made the stuffed shells and they were devine… I am making the manicotti now, and will bake it tomorrow…. thanks for including make ahead tips. I like recipes that call for basic stock pantry items and turn out really good…. homemade food at its best!” ~Rosie
How To Make Stuffed Shells: Step-by Step and Tips
- Cook jumbo shells pasta in a pot of salted water until they are al dente. You want the shells to be just slightly under-cooked because they will finish cooking in the oven. Once cooked, strain and set aside to cool down enough to be handled.
- PRO TIP: this recipe makes about 18 stuffed pasta shells but cook 3-4 extra shells just in case some rip and break apart. (And you can always throw in the broken ones into the sauce and just eat it as pasta.)
- While pasta is cooking, use a fork to mix everything well, until all ingredients are evenly incorporated throughout.
- Spread about 3 cups of marinara sauce over the bottom of the 9×13 baking dish and spread it evenly.
- Fill each shell with about 2 tablespoons of ricotta filling and place it in the sauce, in the pan.
- PRO TIP: Make sure to place stuffed shells in the pan seam up.
- Sprinkle some Mozzarella cheese, oregano, and parsley over each shell and bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes.
Ingredient Substitutions & Recipe Variations
- Pasta – make sure to get jumbo shells that are meant for stuffing. Get a package that’s about 10-12 oz so that you have a few extras to cook in case some break during cooking.
- Herbs – Dried oregano and fresh basil and fresh parsley will create a great aroma and flavor. If you have to, you can also use dried herbs just half the amount.
- Cheese: use whole milk shredded mozzarella cheese. It will melt nicely and add to rich and creamy filling consistency. You can also add more flavor by adding cheeses like Asiago, Romano, or Fontina.
- Pasta Sauce – of course, it’s always best to use homemade marinara sauce, but you can also use your favorite store-bought one. Personally, I like La San Marzano Marinara Sauce or Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce. For a more budget friendly option, Whole Foods has a pretty good sauce in their brand, 365 Organic Marinara.
- Meats: A way to add some meat is to mix in about 1/2 lb. of cooked seasoned ground beef, crumbled Italian sausage, chopped rotisserie chicken, or another leftover chicken right into the filling. To make it extra meaty, try to combine Bolognese sauce with some homemade marinara sauce.
- Vegetables: You can sauté some onions and spinach, drain well, and mix it into the filling. You can also sauté any combination of veggies like onions, carrots, bell peppers, and mushrooms, drain them after sautéing and mix it into the filling.
Make Ahead Instructions
- Stuff cooked jumbo shells with the ricotta filling. Spread the sauce in a baking dish and nestle the stuffed shells into it. Cover the baking dish air-tight with a fitted lid of a plastic wrap. Make sure it’s covered air-tight and refrigerate for a day or so.
- I wouldn’t recommend making stuffed shells any more than 1 day ahead.
- When ready, take the dish out of the refrigerator and take off the covering. Let it sit on the counter while the oven preheats and sprinkle mozzarella cheese and herbs on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating Instructions
- Storing: You can store baked shells right in the same baking dish just make sure to cool it to room temperature before refrigerating! Cover the leftover dish air-tight and refrigerate. Properly stored, they should last 3-4 days.
- To reheat: you can reheat individual portions in the microwave, just make sure not to overheat it. It’s best to reheat in 30-40 second increments just until heated through. You can also reheat in the oven at 350°. Transfer the shells into a baking dish, cover with aluminum foil and reheat just until heather through.
PRO TIP: if you are planning on freezing stuffed shells, prepare them right in the aluminum foil baking dish. This will make it easy to cover and freeze, and then bake.
- To freeze stuffed shells without sauce: Stuff cooked shells with the ricotta filling. Freeze in an aluminum baking dish for about 2 hours. Once frozen, transfer them into a large freezer zip-lock bag or a freezer container with a lid. When ready to bake, nestle frozen shells in marinara sauce in a baking dish and sprinkle Mozzarella cheese and herbs on top. Cover with a sheet of aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Take off the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
- To freeze stuffed shells with sauce: Use aluminum foil baking dish to prepare the shells. Prepare stuffed shells according to the recipe up to the step of baking. Wrap it air-tight with layers of plastic food wrap and foil and freeze. Stuffed shells can be frozen for 3-5 months.
- To bake frozen stuffed shells: you can either bake them frozen or let them thaw in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. If you are going to bake shells frozen, take off the plastic wrap and cover the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil. Bake for 60 minutes. Take off the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or so.
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Stuffed Shells Recipe
Classic Ricotta Stuffed Shells made with flavorful three cheese ricotta filling and homemade marinara sauce. This stuffed shells recipe is extra cheesy and made with fresh herbs and garlic flavors.
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Servings: 6 (makes 18 stuffed shells)
Calories: 454kcal
Ingredients
- 3 cup marinara sauce
Pasta:
- 8 oz jumbo shells 18 shells but throw in a few extras
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Ricotta filling:
- 15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
- 8 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese divided
- 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp minced parsley fresh or dry
- 1 tbsp minced basil fresh or dry
- 1 tsp dry oregano
- 3 garlic cloves pressed
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Topping:
- 1/2-1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 tsp dry oregano
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish.
Pasta:
- TIP: season water that pasta is cooked in to infuse it with more flavor.TIP: this recipe makes about 18 stuffed shells but cook 2-3 extra shells just in case some rip and break apart.
- Cook jumbo shells pasta according to the package instructions until they are al dente. You want the shells to be just slightly under-cooked because they will finish cooking in the oven.
- Once cooked, strain, and set aside to cool down enough to be handled.
Ricotta filling:
- While pasta is cooking, mix the filling.
- Combine ricotta cheese, egg, herbs, pressed garlic, Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella cheese, and seasoning in a mixing bowl. Use a fork to mix everything well, until all ingredients are evenly incorporated throughout. (Set aside about 1/3 cup of shredded Mozzarella for topping.)
Baking:
- Spread about 3 cups of marinara sauce over the bottom of the 9×13 baking dish and spread it evenly.
- Fill each shell with about 1.5-2 tablespoons of ricotta filling and place it in the pan.
- TIP: I don’t like to place shells seam down because the filling often leaks out of the shells, so place shells in the pan seam up.
- Sprinkle some Mozzarella cheese and oregano over each shell and bake for about 20-25 minutes.
Video
Notes
- Make Ahead: Cook jumbo shells and stuff each shell with the ricotta filling. Spread the sauce in a baking dish and nestle the stuffed shells into it. Cover the baking dish air-tight with a fitted lid of a plastic wrap. Make sure it’s covered air-tight and refrigerate for a day or so. (I wouldn’t recommend making stuffed shells any more than 1 day ahead.) When ready, take the dish out of the refrigerator and take off the covering. Let it sit on the counter while the oven preheats and sprinkle mozzarella cheese and herbs on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Storing: You can store baked shells right in the same baking dish just make sure to cool it to room temperature before refrigerating! (Or, you can transfer them into an air-tight food storage container.) Cover the leftover dish air-tight and refrigerate. Properly stored, they should last 3-4 days.
- Reheating: you can reheat individual portions in the microwave, just make sure not to overheat it. It’s best to reheat in 30-40 second increments just until heated through. You can also reheat in the oven at 350°F. Transfer the shells into a baking dish, cover with aluminum foil and reheat just until heather through.
- Freezing: See the post for freezing instruction and options.
Nutrition
Calories: 454kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 1085mg | Potassium: 622mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1285IU | Vitamin C: 9.9mg | Calcium: 470mg | Iron: 2.5mg
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Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles on February 19, 2019.
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Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Can I assemble this and keep it refrigerated the day before serving it and, if so, how much extra cooking time does it need?
Absolutely! Stuffed shells can be prepped ahead of time and refrigerated. Cook jumbo shells and stuff each shell with the ricotta filling. Place them in an air-tight container or in a baking dish that can be covered with plastic wrap. Make sure it’s covered tight and refrigerate.
When ready, nestle shells in marinara sauce, in a baking dish, and sprinkle Mozzarella cheese and herbs on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
This was a great recipe for a traditional dish. So much flavor!
Thanks!
This dish was awesome!! I have a tough time coming up with new meatless meals during Lent and this was perfect! I will say I cheated and used Rao’s so this dish came together in no time. Thank you for sharing! This is a keeper ☺️
I am glad you liked it! Thanks for stopping by to let me know! 🙂
Amazing and my family loved it!!!
Thanks, Julia! So glad everyone liked it!
Oh my gosh! Made this tonight for dinner. My husband and he said it was very nice. I used his homemade gravy & diced up some of his homemade meatballs. Delish! The ricotta came from the Amish cheese house in our community. So much better than store bought. Thanks for sharing!
Yum! I am so glad you liked the recipe, Kathy!
I can’t find jumbo shells so I think I’ll get some lasagna noodles and put some stuffing on one end roll it up. Necessity is the mother of invention!
I think that would be really good! 🙂
Is there anything that can be used instead of ricotta? My dad’s not a fan of ricotta and I want to make this as a surprise for him
If your dad doesn’t like ricotta I would go with different ones because no other cheese tastes the same taste the same with the texture. But you can look at my other stuff shells recipe I will list them under this comment or you can message me on Facebook and we can come up with some ideas for fillings.
Cheesy Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells
https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/cheesy-pesto-chicken-stuffed-shells/
Seafood Alfredo Stuffed Shells
https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/seafood-alfredo-stuffed-shells/
You can use cottage cheese or tofu! I have used tofu many times to stretch my ricotta filling! The tofu takes on the flavor of whatever it is mixed with!! Cottage cheese, use the smaller curds!!
My husband doesn’t care for ricotta either. I substitute with small curd cottage cheese. Works essentially the same (though I sometimes use half cottage and half ricotta cheese). I prefer ricotta, too, but if it’s for dad as a surprise then cottage cheese it is!
I am glad you like the recipe and are able to make everyone in the family happy. 😉
Do you cover the pan with foil when baking?
We like this recipe a lot! It’s super easy and kid approved. We’ve made it 3 or 4 times and it’s just a good easy staple!
I’m making this for the first time and very excited! Do you cover with foil when baking?
Hi Debbie, I don’t cover it while baking. I hope you enjoy it!
Sorry if this question has already been asked but how would you recommend I incorporate ground beef into this? Mix it with the marainara maybe? My family likes a meaty pasta! 🙂 I can’t wait to try this!
How you incorporate it is up to you just make sure you cook the beef first, if you want you can cook it in a little marina and layer it in the shells or mix it into the marina.
Hi, I just made your filling, it tatse absolutely delicious! It’s in the oven now and can’t wait to eat a few!!! I do plan on freezing them individually without sauce so I can have a couple for dinner whenever I want.
My big question is where do you get the huge Shells at? I just got 2 boxes of jumbo Shells and thought that was what I would receive, but these are actually small compared to the size I’m wanting??? If you or anyone else can tell me where to find them I would appreciate it. Also, do you have a good marinara sauce for this recipe? I’ve been wanting these for years, I used to get them from a warehouse store but they quit selling them I just now thought about trying to make them myself and I found your great recipe!!!!
Thank you for you help,
Bobbi
Hi Bobbie,
You can usually get them at any grocery store. They are with the other boxed pasta and usually towards the top of the shelf with the lasagna sheets. Make sure you get the ones that say “jumbo shells” on the box.