Stuffed shells with meat are jumbo pasta shells filled with seasoned ground beef and creamy cheese, then baked in marinara sauce until bubbly and golden. It’s like lasagna in pasta form—rich, cheesy, and comforting.
🧾 Ingredients
🍝 Pasta
- 20–25 jumbo pasta shells
🥩 Meat filling
- 400–500g ground beef
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 2–3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning or oregano
- Salt & black pepper
- 1–2 tbsp oil
🧀 Cheese filling
- 1 cup ricotta or cream cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup parmesan
- 1 egg (optional, helps bind)
🍅 Sauce
- 2–3 cups marinara or tomato sauce
- 1 tsp sugar (optional, balances acidity)
👩🍳 Method
1. Cook pasta shells
- Boil shells in salted water until just al dente.
- Drain and let cool so they don’t tear.
2. Cook meat
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Sauté onion and garlic.
- Add ground beef and cook until browned.
- Season with Italian herbs, salt, and pepper.
- Let cool slightly.
3. Make filling
- Mix cooked beef with ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, and egg.
- Stir until well combined.
4. Stuff shells
- Fill each shell generously with the meat-cheese mixture.
5. Assemble
- Spread a layer of marinara sauce in a baking dish.
- Place stuffed shells on top.
- Spoon remaining sauce over shells.
- Sprinkle extra mozzarella on top.
6. Bake
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 25–30 minutes
- Until cheese is melted and bubbling
🍽️ Serving ideas
- With garlic bread 🍞
- With Caesar salad 🥗
- With extra parmesan on top 🧀
💡 Tips
- Don’t overcook shells or they’ll tear while stuffing
- Let filling cool before stuffing for easier handling
- Add spinach or mushrooms for extra flavor
⚡ Quick 3-step version
- Cook beef and mix with cheese
- Stuff pasta shells
- Bake in sauce until bubbly
If you want, I can also show you a spinach and ricotta version, a spicy arrabbiata stuffed shells twist, or a make-ahead freezer-friendly batch recipe.
