This is the best ricotta stuffed shells recipe! We're talking pure Italian comfort food that will be on the table in about an hour. 👏👏👏
Pasta shells are messily stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese then covered in my all-time favorite homemade marinara sauce. Top the whole thing with even more cheese and bake until the whole house smells of bubbling marinara and melted cheese.
I don't think there is any combination of pasta, marinara sauce, and cheese that I don't love.
Lasagna, obvi. But also, Meatballs and Marinara served with handfuls of grated parmesan. And, tender ravioli stuffed with cheese and smothered in sauce. Or simply a plateful of spaghetti noodles, marinara, and grated parmesan.
All of these delicious dishes require great pasta and copious amounts of cheese. But, what really separates "pretty good" from "can't-stop-eating-this-because-it's-sooooo-delicious" is the marinara sauce.
So, this recipe begins with a big pot of my all-time favorite Homemade Marinara. This sauce is guaranteed to make your house smell like an Italian grandmother moved in and started cooking for you.
The recipe includes a bit of red wine, plus plenty of garlic, onions, crushed red pepper, Italian herbs, and fresh basil and parsley. It’s incredibly rich and thick, and so packed with flavor that you won't be able to stop yourself from eating it by the spoonful. (Don't even try.)
Ingredients Needed to Prepare this Recipe
This recipe for 3-cheese stuffed shells includes a combination of whole milk ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese plus a generous amount of Italian seasoning and some fresh chives for the shell filling. The result is a rich, cheesy filling packed with plenty of fresh flavors.
- Marinara sauce, preferably homemade marinara.
- 26 - 30 Jumbo Pasta Shells. I usually use Barilla Jumbo Shells.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Whole milk ricotta cheese. I strongly suggest using whole milk ricotta cheese in these stuffed shells, not part skim.
- An egg
- Salt
- Fresh chives
- Italian Seasoning
- Grated mozzarella cheese
- Grated parmesan cheese
Variations on this Classic Stuffed Shells Recipe
There are many potential variations for this classic cheese stuffed shells recipe. Play around with adding meats, veggies, or different kinds of cheese. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Use different kinds of cheese: I recommend keeping the ricotta no matter what. But, swap out the mozzarella and parmesan with fontina, gouda, havarti, Romano, or even cheddar or Monterey Jack.
- Use a different kind of sauce: While homemade marinara is my favorite way to top stuffed shells, they are also delicious with bolognese, Alfredo, or vodka sauce.
- Add meat or seafood to the cheese filling. Stir in some smoked salmon, cooked ground beef or Italian sausage, or roasted chicken or turkey that's been shredded or diced.
- Add some veggies: Toss some cooked veggies to the filling before stuffing the shells. Great additions include onions, bell peppers, spinach, mushrooms, or zucchini. It's important to cook the veggies before adding them. I also like to chop them into small pieces to maintain a creamy consistency and make the shells easy to stuff.
Step-by-Step Photos and Instructions
Making the filling is as simple as dumping everything into a bowl and mixing it up, but stuffing the shells can get a bit messy.
Do not try to get the filling into the pasta shells all neat and tidy like. The shells are going to get covered in marinara and even more mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Just shove the filling in there all willy-nilly then cover them up with spoonfuls of marinara and a ridiculous amount of cheese, and bake.
Homemade Marinara requires only about 15 minutes of hands-on time, but needs to simmer for at least 2 hours, so plan ahead.
Get the sauce going a couple of hours before you want to start stuffing the shells - OR, make it in advance.
You’ll only need half the recipe for these shells. So either make half the recipe, or store the leftover in your refrigerator or freezer for another day.
Fill a large saucepan about ⅔ full of water and add enough salt to make the water taste salty. Bring the water to a boil then add the pasta shells.
Cook the shells until they are slightly underdone. Drain in a colander placed in the sink. Run cold water over the shells to cool them down, then dump them into a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil to keep them from sticking together.
Add the ricotta, egg, ½ teaspoon salt, chives, and Italian seasoning to a bowl and add some of the mozzarella and grated parmesan. Give it a stir to make sure all the ingredients are combined.
Spread a bit of marinara sauce over the bottom of a baking dish.
Stuff each pasta shell with a generous amount of ricotta filling, setting the stuffed shells in the pan, open side up.
Cover the stuffed shells with marinara sauce.
Cover the whole thing with more grated parmesan and mozzarella.
Cover and bake for about 20 minutes then remove the cover and continue baking until the sauce around the edges of the pan is bubbling and the cheese is melted.
Sprinkle with some chopped fresh parsley and devour.
Tips for Perfectly Cooked Pasta Shells
- Add enough salt to the water. Because most pasta doesn't contain any salt, it's important to cook it in boiling saltwater so that it's properly seasoned. Adding a tablespoon or two of salt to the pot of water might seem like a lot, but the pasta itself will only absorb a small amount of that. In order to adequately season pasta, the water it cooks in should taste salty - like ocean water.
- Undercook the shells. Aim for undercooking the pasta by about 2 minutes. The shells will continue to cook in the oven after they've been stuffed. Cooking them completely in water before stuffing them will make the shells more difficult to stuff and result in a mushy consistency.
What to Do with Leftover Marinara Sauce
This homemade marinara sauce recipe makes 11 cups of sauce, which means you'll have quite a bit left over after using only 3 or 4 cups for these stuffed shells. My friends, this is a very good problem to have.
You can, of course, just make half the recipe. But, a much better option is to make the full batch and use the leftover sauce for other delicious meals.
You could make a batch to serve with spaghetti noodles one night and have plenty left over for stuffed shells another. Or, portion out leftover sauce into zip-top bags or other air-tight containers and toss it in the freezer. Leftover marinara sauce is AWESOME to have on hand and can be used to make...
- Indian Shrimp and Rice
- Eggplant and/or Chicken Parmesan
- Homemade Pizza
- Meatball Sandwiches
- Homemade Meatballs and Marinara
- The {BEST} Classic Lasagna with Italian Sausage
- Chachouka (North African tomato and pepper stew)
FAQs and Expert Tips
A: The easiest thing to serve with stuffed shells is a tossed salad or some simple sautéed vegetables. Here are some other ideas:
Israeli Salad is a delicious, fresh mix of vegetables and herbs chopped into very small pieces so that every bite contains a variety of flavors and textures.
Roasted Bell Peppers marinated in a simple vinaigrette flavored with garlic and fresh herbs are one of my favorite refrigerator staples. Toss them into a salad or serve them as is.
Or, serve these stuffed shells with nothing more than a loaf of really good bread or garlic bread.
Both stuffed shells and manicotti are baked pasta dishes stuffed with cheese and usually smothered with marinara.
The main difference between the two dishes is that manicotti is made with a pasta that's tube shaped and stuffed shells is made with pasta that's shaped like shells.
The cause of watery stuffed shells is usually using watery, or runny, ricotta. In general, whole milk ricotta tends to be less watery. But if your ricotta seems on the watery side, spread it out onto a clean kitchen towel and press it with a second towel to absorb some of the excess moisture.
Alternatively, scoop the ricotta into a cheesecloth lined fine mesh strainer and let it sit for an hour or so to allow the excess liquid to drain from the ricotta.
Yes! You can fully assemble this dish up to 12 hours before you bake it. Cover the pan with an oven safe lid or with aluminum foil that's been lightly sprayed with non-stick spray (to keep the cheese from sticking to it) and keep it in the refrigerator.
When ready to bake, simply pull the pan from the refrigerator and pop it directly in a preheated oven.
The shells will require about 10 additional minutes of baking time if they've been in the refrigerator for a few hours.
More Pizza and Pasta Recipes
- Pizza Rustica {Italian Easter Pie}
- Lasagna Béchamel with Mushroom Ragu
- The BEST Lasagna Bolognese
- Homemade Meatballs in Marinara
- Easy Homemade Pizza Dough
- Spaghetti Puttanesca
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or take a picture and tag it #alittleandalot on Instagram.
📖 Recipe
Extra Cheesy Ricotta Stuffed Shells
This is the best ricotta stuffed shells recipe! We're talking pure Italian comfort food that will be on the table in about an hour. 👏👏👏
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups marinara sauce (*See note)
- 26 - 30 Jumbo Pasta Shells
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ½ teaspoon table salt (¾ teaspoon kosher salt)
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, diced
- 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- 14 ounces of grated mozzarella, divided
- 5 ounces of grated parmesan cheese, divided
Instructions
- Cook the shells: Fill a large saucepan until about ⅔ full of water and add about a tablespoon of salt. (*See note) Bring the water to a boil then add the pasta shells. Cook the shells until they are slightly underdone. Drain in a colander placed in the sink. Run cold water over the shells to cool them down, then dump them into a bowl and toss them with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Set aside while you make the filling.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Make the filling: Add the ricotta, beaten egg, ½ teaspoon salt, chives, Italian seasoning, 6 ounces of mozzarella, and 1 ounce of grated parmesan to a bowl and stir to mix.
- Spread about ½ cup of marinara sauce over the bottom of a 9x13 inch rectangle baking dish. Stuff each pasta shell with a generous amount of ricotta filling, setting the stuffed shells in the pan, open side up.
- Cover the stuffed shells with the remaining marinara sauce then sprinkle the remaining 8 ounces of mozzarella and 4 ounces of parmesan over the top of the shells in an even layer.
- Cover the pan with an oven-safe lid or with aluminum foil that's been lightly sprayed with non-stick spray (to keep the cheese from sticking to it) and bake the shells for 20 minutes. Remove the cover from the pan and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until all the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- My all-time favorite recipe for Homemade Marinara Sauce requires only about 15 minutes of hands-on time, but needs about 2 hours to simmer (longer if you wish).
- It's important to add plenty of salt to the water when cooking pasta. Because most pasta doesn't contain any salt, it's important to cook it in boiling salt water so that it's properly seasoned. Adding a tablespoon or two of salt to the pot of water might seem like a lot, but the pasta itself will only absorb a small amount of that. In order to adequately season pasta, the water it cooks in should taste salty - kind of like ocean water.
- A message for vegetarians about parmesan cheese: Most parmesan cheese contains animal rennet and is not vegetarian. This is also true of other cheeses, such as Pecorino Romano, Grana Padano, and Gorgonzola, and some french cheeses. There are more and more plant-based vegan and vegetarian cheeses available every day. So, if eating vegetarian is important to you, look for those.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
4 - 5 shellsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 670Total Fat: 36gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 1731mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 5gSugar: 9gProtein: 37g
Addison says
These stuffed shells are so heartwarming and flavorful! My family loves this recipe!
Shelby says
This was one of those classic situations in which I did NOT want to stop eating! These pasta shells are far too yummy.
Erica says
I love stuffed shells so much, but your homemade marinara really took these over the top- SO so flavorful and cheesy! Didn't have any chives, but fresh parsley did the trick and looked so pretty!
Shruthi says
This was SO delicious and so easy to make. The three cheese filling was a huge hit in our house. Appreciated your comment on vegetarian cheeses, and wanted to add: folks can look for "microbial rennet" to find veggie options!
Darcey says
This was delicious!! Even the kiddos asked for seconds!