Cheesy Italian Stuffed Shells
Just like Nonna made! These stuffed shells are stuffed with 3 types of cheese and baked to perfection.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: ~8-10 servings
- Category: comfort foods, freezer meals, italian shells, meal prep, pasta
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: comfort foods, freezer meals, italian shells, meal prep, pasta
Ingredients
- 20-22 Jumbo Stuffed Shells (~1/2 a box)
- 8 oz Ricotta Cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded
- 1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded (reserved for end)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese plus an additional two tablespoons reserved for the end
- 1 tablespoon parsley Flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups of prepared marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Boil the shells according to the package directions. Set aside to drain.
- While the shells are draining, mix the ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, parsley, and pepper. Combine well.
- Ladle 1 1/2 – 2 cups of marinara into the bottom of a baking dish. For this, I used a 10” round ceramic tart pan with a non-removable bottom (to prevent leakage). Spread the sauce evenly. You want a layer about 1/2-3/4” thick.
- Gently cup a shell in your hand, opening the shell up. Fill each shell with the cheese mixture. You can add as much as you like, depending on your cheese obsession. For this recipe, I added about 1 1/2 -2 rounded tablespoons. Nestle each stuffed shell side by side into the sauce. You don’t want it jammed in there, but you want to ensure each one can stand up without falling over. Take the remaining sauce and drizzle it over the top of the shells.
- Cover the pan with foil and set it on a cookie sheet before placing it in the oven. *Note – see freezing instructions below
- Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil. Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Return it to the oven, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese. Garnish with fresh oregano. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, then serve.
Notes
*Note: At this point, you could freeze the pan. Double wrap in plastic wrap then foil. To reheat, remove the wrappings and place into a cold oven. Turn the temp to 350 and bake for about 40-45 minutes.