Italian Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce and Ricotta

Why You Need to Make This!

Whenever I'm planning my meals for the holidays, I always include baked pasta dishes. Anything that I can prepare before the day of is perfect because it's less work I have to do while people are standing in my kitchen.

We all want to have the best tasting dishes during the holidays, but it's more important to spend time with family. So any opportunity to save time in advance is not cheating! It's important. This is the only way to survive, especially if you have a big family. Baked pasta like Stuffed Shells, Authentic Italian Lasagna, or Authentic Italian Baked Ziti makes the holidays easier!

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Crushed Tomatoes. I usually don't buy crushed tomatoes. I take a can of whole plum tomatoes and put them in the blender. You could also replace the sauce altogether with a jar of sauce if that's easier for you.

Meat. I like to use ground beef or ground sausage. You could also use a combination of the two.

Shells. The shells are a conduit to get the ricotta into your mouth. You could also stuff manicotti if you prefer. Make sure you don't cook them all the way through. I think halfway is the perfect amount.

Ricotta. I like to use Trader Joe's or Bel Gioso but you can use whatever brand you like. Keep our Ricotta Filling recipe on hand for all your favorite recipes!

*Please see the recipe card below for more information on ingredients.

Step-by-Step Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add your jumbo shells and boil for 5 minutes.

Remove the shells from the boiling water and place on an oiled baking sheet to keep them from sticking.

Step 1: Bring a large saucepan to medium-high heat. Season ground beef with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper.

Step 2: Brown ground beef until you can no longer see any pink. Remove the ground beef with a slotted spoon and clean out the pan.

Step 3: Return the pan to medium heat. Add 2 tablespoon olive oil. Stir in 1 clove minced garlic. Saute for 1 minute until the garlic becomes fragrant.

Step 4: Stir in the crushed tomatoes. Add 1 teaspoon salt and basil leaves. Bring the sauce to a simmer and then add the ground beef back in. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375℉.

Step 5: In a large bowl, combine ricotta, egg, parmesan, ½ cup mozzarella, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, parsley, and the rest of the minced garlic. Mix well.

Step 6: Using a spoon fill each shell with the ricotta filling. It will feel slightly overfilled. That's normal. It's okay if some oozes out during the preparation process.

Step 7: Spoon a layer of sauce into the pyrex dish. Place your stuffed shells into the pan. I like to place mine with the opening on the bottom and press each shell tightly up against one another until they are all stuffed into the dish.

Step 8: Top with the rest of the sauce and then add a layer of mozzarella.

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese and sauce are bubbling. Serve hot!

Making in Advance, Reheating, and Storage

If you're making in advance, follow the process up until the point of baking and then cover and refrigerate or freeze. You can refrigerate for up to 4 days and freeze for up to 3 months. My mom always used to send me back to college with frozen pasta dishes.

After they are baked, you can store the shells in the pyrex you cooked them in covered with aluminum foil for up to three days, or just place them in a container.

Reheat in the microwave and add extra sauce if you still have any. During the baking process, the shells will soak up some of the sauce, so it's good if you have extra to add.

Serve them with these great dishes!

Looking for some side dishes to serve with your pasta? Try serving them with some greens like Italian Lacinato Kale Recipe (Tuscan) or Italian Cabbage Recipe.

I like to have some chicken dishes to add to stuffed shells with meat sauce like Crispy Italian Chicken Cutlets, Spicy Chicken Saltimbocca, or PERFECT Cast Iron Chicken Breast.

And if you're looking for something besides chicken, of course, you can go with the classics like Italian Fried Meatballs or Italian Ring Sausage (Chevalatta)

Don't forget about dessert! You'll need some holiday cookies like Chewy White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies or Dark Chocolate Peppermint Sugar Cookies.

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