Beef stuffed shells is a hearty casserole dinner made with cheese stuffed shells and a meaty tomato sauce. It's topped with extra cheese and baked in the oven until bubbly.
Recipe summary
Flavor: Pasta shells are coated in hearty beef marinara and stuffed with a three-cheese filling.
Great for: Meal prep, family dinner, meal trains.
Freezes well. Freeze an entire casserole or individual portions for future meals.
Serve with: Cheesy Garlic Bread or Italian Chopped Salad
Similar to: Cheese Stuffed Shells and Lasagna Roll Ups
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Marinara sauce - Use your favorite store-bought or homemade marinara sauce.
- Ground beef - Beef can be substituted with ground pork, ground chicken, or ground turkey if desired.
- Oil - Olive oil can be substituted with your favorite cooking oil.
- Aromatics - Onion and garlic add flavor to the marinara sauce. Garlic can be substituted with ¾ teaspoon of garlic powder if needed.
- Ricotta - The base of the cheese filling.
- Pasta shells - You'll need jumbo shells for this recipe. If you can't find jumbo shells, this recipe will work with manicotti instead (this recipe fills about 10-12 manicotti shells).
- Cheeses - A combination of mozzarella and parmesan cheeses adds melty, salty flavor to the cheese filling. Grate your cheese from a block rather than using packaged, pre-shredded cheeses, which are often coated in anti-clumping powders that add a grainy texture.
- Egg - Binds the cheese filling together.
- Seasoning - Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper add mild, savory flavor to the cheese filling.
How to make beef stuffed shells
- While your shells are boiling, make the sauce. Lightly brown onion and garlic in a sauté pan, then crumble ground beef into the pan and cook until browned.
- Add marinara sauce and stir to combine.
- In a bowl, add cheese filling ingredients and stir to combine.
- Use a spoon or add filling to a piping bag and pipe filling into the shells. Place shells in rows in your prepared baking dish and top with marinara sauce before baking until bubbly.
Tips and tricks
Parboil your pasta - Cook your pasta to 1 minute shy of al dente. This allows the pasta to continue soaking up liquid as it bakes, preventing a watery casserole.
Add your favorite meat - Ground beef can be substituted with your favorite ground meat, like turkey, chicken, or pork.
Pipe the cheese filling - Transfer the cheese filling to a large plastic bag, cut off the tip, and pipe it into your shells. This method is much less messy than spooning the filling into each shell by hand.
Storage
Leftover stuffed shells will keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and reheat well in the microwave.
Stuffed shells can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat as normal. Dairy products tend to get watery when thawed and the texture may change slightly, so keep this in mind when freezing.
Frequently asked questions
Stuffed shells can be served on their own (multiple shells per person) for a complete meal. I also like to serve them with cheesy garlic bread and a garden salad to stretch the servings further.
Cook your shells to 1 minute shy of al dente on the package directions. Pat them dry to remove excess water before filling. Your shells will continue to soak up liquid as they bake, preventing your casserole from getting watery.
It depends on the person, but about four to five shells is a standard serving.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Beef Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 26-28 jumbo shells
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 16 ounces ground beef
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 24-28 ounces marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly grease a 9x13 casserole dish and set aside.
- In a pot of salted boiling water, cook jumbo shells to 1 minute shy of al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until shells are easy to handle.
- While shells are cooking, prepare filling. In a sauté pan over medium heat, add olive oil. Add onions and cook until browned around the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.
- Crumble ground beef into pan. Use a spatula to break up the beef into small crumbles while cooking. Cook beef until browned and cooked through.
- Remove pan from heat and add marinara sauce. Stir to combine and set aside.
- To a bowl, add ricotta, 1 ½ cups of the mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined.
- Pour about half of the meat sauce mixture into your prepared 9x13 dish and spread into an even layer. Set aside.
- Gently fill each shell with ricotta mixture and place in rows in the baking dish. Cheese can be spooned in, or transferred to a plastic zip top bag for mess-free piping.
- Pour remaining meat sauce on top. Sprinkle with reserved mozzarella cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted across the top and casserole is bubbling around the edges.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Leftovers: Leftover stuffed shells will keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Freezing: Freeze casserole whole or portion cooked leftovers into individual serving containers. To thaw, transfer to the freezer to thaw overnight. Leftovers reheat well in the microwave. Whole casserole can be reheated in the oven at 350F for about 15-20 minutes.
I had so much fun creating this recipe! I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do. If you have a question, check out the post above, which is packed with information about the recipe. Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts — leave a comment and a star rating to share your feedback!