These Italian Stuffed Shells are made with a cheesy ricotta filling, smothered in sauce and cheese, and baked until gooey and browned for the ultimate pasta dinner.
6ouncesjumbo pasta shells(half a standard-size box)
1largeegg
15ouncesricotta cheese
1teaspoongarlic minced
1cupshredded mozzarella cheese
¼cupparmesan cheesefreshly grated
1tablespoonfresh parsleyminced
⅛teaspooncrushed red pepper flakesoptional
½teaspoondried oregano
½teaspoonkosher salt
½teaspooncoarse ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375℉, grease a 2-quart baking dish very lightly with olive oil, spread ½ cup of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the dish, and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil to cook the shells. Once the water is boiling, heavily salt the water, and add in the shells. Cook for 9 minutes, or 2 minutes less than the package directions state. Drain the pasta, but do NOT rinse, and allow the shells to cool slightly.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the stuffing for the shells, by mixing ricotta egg, parmesan, garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Set that aside to stuff the shells.
Once the shells are cool enough to handle, stuff each shell with the ricotta mixture, about ¼ cup filling per shell. Remember to not overstuff the shells, so that the shells can somewhat close around the ricotta filling. Place each stuffed shell into the prepared baking dish.
Top the shells with the remaining spaghetti sauce and then cover with the mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and browned.
Let sit for 5-10 minutes prior to serving.
Video
Notes
Adding Spinach: Defrost ½ to ⅔ cup of frozen chopped spinach. Wring out all excess moisture from spinach using a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth, mix the spinach into the ricotta filling, and stuff the shells as the recipe directs.Adding Meat: Brown ½ pound of ground beef or Italian sausage until cooked through in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain off excess grease and crumble up meat into bite-size pieces. You can add your meat to the ricotta mixture for a meaty filling or the tomato sauce for a meat sauce, both are delicious.No Fresh Parsley? Feel free to use 1 teaspoon dried parsley in place of the fresh parsley in the ricotta filling.Can't handle the heat? If you do not like spice, omit the red pepper flakes.Leftovers: Allow the baked shells to cool slightly, and then cover the casserole dish tightly with plastic wrap or foil or place the leftovers into an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 4 days. To freeze stuffed shells, use a freezer-safe casserole pan or disposable tin pan. Prepare the recipe up to baking. Cover the dish tightly with 2 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. To cook the frozen stuffed shells, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the dish from the freezer and remove ONE layer of foil, leaving the dish covered with a single layer of foil. Bake for 1 hour and then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the shells are warmed through.