Description
A hearty Italian dish featuring jumbo pasta shells stuffed with a cheesy beef filling, baked in marinara sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 20–24 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce (about 3 cups)
- 1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, plus more for topping
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt (plus more for pasta water)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (plus more for garnish)
Instructions
- Cook the shells: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook jumbo shells until al dente. Drain and lay shells out so they don’t stick.
- Make the meat sauce: In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef and onion until browned. Drain excess grease. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce and simmer 3–5 minutes.
- Make the filling: In a bowl, mix ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and parsley. Stir in 1 cup of the meat sauce mixture (optional but delicious).
- Assemble: Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread remaining marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Stuff each shell with filling and arrange in the dish. Spoon extra meat sauce over the shells.
- Bake: Sprinkle with additional mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more until bubbly and lightly golden.
- Serve: Rest 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve warm.
Notes
- Let shells cool slightly before stuffing to avoid breaking them.
- For extra flavor, mix in 1 cup of the meat sauce into the cheese filling.
- Use full-fat ricotta for the creamiest texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 580
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 900mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 32g
- Cholesterol: 130mg
Keywords: cheesy beef stuffed shells, stuffed shells recipe, ricotta stuffed shells, stuffed shells with marinara, baked pasta dinner, easy Italian dinner