Published April 13, 2022.This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
These amazing stuffed shells recipe is baked in a classic tomato and white sauce with delicious meat and ricotta cheese filling. I like to use a combination of Italian sausage and ground beef to make this a hearty meal to serve to friends and family.
If you love this pasta recipe as much as I do, then I highly recommend making my spaghetti carbonara or pasta primavera.
Stuffed Shells
Stuffed shells are a classic Italian recipe consisting of cheese or meat-stuffed pre-cooked pasta shells that are baked with a red or white sauce until the cheese stuffing is hot and melty. This classic recipe is commonly served up for holidays in the United States, however, in Italy and Sicily, this is a traditional Sunday lunch or dinner.
My family makes and serves this up every single Easter for as long as I’ve been alive. It’s a dish I look forward to eating but does require processes similar to that of my lasagna Bolognese recipe.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Red Sauce – Use a good Pomodoro sauce for this.
- White Sauce – I prefer to cut the tomato sauce with bechamel sauce to make it richer in flavor.
- Pasta – You will need some jumbo shell pasta for this.
- Cheese – I like to use a combination of whole milk ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. You can also use pecorino Romano.
- Vegetables – Onions, garlic, and baby spinach will be needed for my recipe.
- Eggs – Large eggs will help bind together the filling.
- Herbs – Fresh basil and flat-leaf Italian parsley will help add flavor and color to this.
How to Make Stuffed Shells
These stuffed shells recipe is a little bit of a labor of love but my promise to you is that the result is delicious. Use these step-by-step instructions to make it:
- Make the Sauces: Prepare the Pomodoro sauce and bechamel sauce and set them aside.
- Brown the Vegetables: Sauté the onion and garlic until lightly browned
- Brown the Meat: Add the Italian sausage and ground beef and cook until browned and cooked throughout.
- Cook the Spinach: Add the chopped spinach into the pan and cook until wilted. Add everything to a plate and spread out slightly and chill in the refrigerator.
- Boil the Noodles: Boil the shell pasta until al dente and then chill immediately in cold ice water. Drain and then spread out on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and set to the side.
- Make the Filling: Add the ricotta cheese to the bowl of chilled meat and vegetables along with eggs, parmesan cheese, mozzarella chunks, basil, salt, and pepper, and mix until combined.
- Stuff the Shells: stuff the shells with a spoon or using a piping bag and set them aside.
- Assemble: Pour some of the Pomodoro sauce and bechamel into a 13×9 baking dish and add the stuffed shells seam side up. Garnish with more sauces, parmesan, and chunks of mozzarella and bake at 425° for 25 to 30 minutes.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: This recipe is meant to be eaten as soon as it’s done cooking. You can however keep it warm and covered in the oven at 200° for up to 30 minutes before cooking. In addition, if you want to prepare everything, you can assemble everything if it’s cold and chilled and then refrigerate covered 1 day before baking and serving. Add 10 minutes to your baking time since everything will be cold going into the oven.
How to Store: Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This will freeze covered for up to 3 months. You can freeze them in the sauces or separate them.
How to Reheat: Add the number of stuffed shells with sauce to a saucepan and cover with foil and heat at 350° in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are stuffed pasta shells called?
- Conchiglie rigate.
What is the difference between Manicotti and Stuffed Shells?
- Manicotti are long tube-like pasta that is stuffed up with meat and cheese. Stuffed shells use conchiglie pasta which is shell-shaped and can also be stuffed with meat and cheese.
Do you put eggs in stuffed shells?
- Yes, you will use some eggs in the stuffing to help hold it together.
chef notes + tips
- You can absolutely keep this recipe vegetarian by using all cheese and no meat. If doing so, add 1 more cup of cubed fresh mozzarella cheese to this recipe.
- It is ok to have leftover shell pasta as some of them will tear in the cooking and cooling process. Feel free to discard or keep the leftovers after stuffing.
- I had 8 shells that did not fit into the casserole dish so I baked them in a small separate dish.
More Pasta Recipes
- Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Aglio E Olio
- Pasta Alla Gricia
- Cacio E Pepe
- Linguine with Clam Sauce
Be sure to follow me onFacebook,YouTube,Instagram,andPinterest,and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!
Video
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The Best Stuffed Shells Recipe
5 from 61 votes
These amazing stuffed shells recipe is baked in a classic tomato and white sauce with delicious meat and ricotta cheese filling.
Servings: 14
Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Ingredients
- 12 ounce box of jumbo conchiglie rigate
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 peeled small diced yellow onion
- 2 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 8 ounces loose Italian sausage
- 8 ounces ground beef 85/15
- 5 ounces roughly chopped baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 pound small diced fresh mozzarella
- 16 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 ½ cups grated parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 pomodoro sauce recipe
- 1 bechamel sauce recipe
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°.
Boil the conchiglie pasta until al dente in a large pot of boiling salted water, which takes about 8-9 minutes while gently stirring. Remove the noodles from the water, chill in an ice bath and then spread out on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and set to the side.
Add the olive oil to a large rondeau pot over medium heat and cook the onions until lightly browned, which takes about 10 minutes. Next add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add in the Italian sausage and ground beef and cook until lightly browned and cooked through. Make sure to cut it down into small pieces.
Mix in the baby spinach just until wilted and then transfer the mixture to a large plate and slightly spread everything out and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Once cool transfer to a large bowl along with the basil, ½ the amount of small diced mozzarella, ricotta, 1 cup of parmesan cheese, large egg, and salt and pepper, and mix until completely combined.
Using a small spoon or a piping bag stuffed with the meat and cheese filling, stuff each shell until they are completely full. I was able to get 28 stuffed shells.
Evenly pour the pomodoro sauce into the bottom of a 13×9 casserole dish until it is coated.
Next, randomly bour ¾ of the bechamel sauce on top of the tomato sauce. See Video.
Line up as many stuffed shells as possible over the sauces. You may need to cook some in a separate dish if they all do not fit.
Sprinkle on remaining small diced mozzarella and ½ cup of grated parmesan all over the top and bake at 425° for 25-30 minutes or until browned on top.
Garnish with optional chopped parsley or basil.
Notes
Make-Ahead: This recipe is meant to be eaten as soon as it’s done cooking. You can however keep it warm covered in the oven at 200° for up to 30 minutes before cooking. In addition, if you want to prepare everything, you can assemble everything if it’s cold and chilled and then refrigerate covered 1 day before baking and serving. Add 10 minutes to your baking time since everything will be cold going into the oven.
How to Store: Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This will freeze covered for up to 3 months. You can freeze in the sauces or separate.
How to Reheat: Add the number of stuffed shells with sauce to a saucepan and cover with foil and heat at 350° in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until hot.
You can absolutely keep this recipe vegetarian by using all cheese and no meat. If doing so, add 1 more cup of cubed fresh mozzarella cheese to this recipe.
It is ok to have leftover shell pasta as some of them will tear in the cooking and cooling process. Feel free to discard or keep the leftovers after stuffing.
I had 8 shells that did not fit into the casserole dish so I baked them in a small separate dish.
Nutrition
Calories: 415kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 23gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 562mgPotassium: 292mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1438IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 351mgIron: 2mg
Course: dinner, Main
Cuisine: Italian, Sicilian
Author: Chef Billy Parisi
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119 comments
- Angela
This was sooo good! Definatly going to make it again.
Next time I will make the Pomodoro sauce the day before to give it another day to take on those flavors and lessen the amount of work to make it.
This was also the best béchamel sauce I have ever made!!! So easy and absolutely perfect.
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- Ripatine
About to make this–did you drain the fat off the meat after browning, or just keep it all in there?
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- Donna
Absolutely delicious. 👍 by all 10 people it served! And you have extra pomodoro sauce for next time too! (I had extra Bechamel as well that tomorrow will become a cheese sauce…)
I so love all of your recipes… and I’ve tried MANY- Reply
- Donna Pitts
Mine didnt turn out pretty… mt fault to be sure… so no pic to post but omgoodness was this worth the small effort. I loved the two sauces together. And the stuffing inside was so good we couldnt get enough. I made two pans full and took to Christmas eve dinner and as an addition to the table Christmas day and had a TON leftover at both plus some still to stuff. It makes a LOT. Will DEFINITELY do this again, perhaps halving the recipe
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- Jank Peter
Absolutely delicious
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- sue😁
Fabulous tasty thank you Chef
Billy 😁😋👋🤩- Reply
- sue 😁
Yum 😋 thank you ChefBilly
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- Karen Carron
This was so good! Gosh, I think it’s better than any I’ve had in a restaurant! Thank you for sharing your recipes and videos! I have learned so much from you. My grandchildren get so excited when we make a new recipe! God bless!
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- Stephanie Wendling
Made this for my dad’s birthday, it was a hit. It’s time consuming but worth it. Another fabulous recipe!
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- Chef Billy Parisi
many thanks!
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- Warren Clark
Made these yet once again. Perfect for a fall Sunday. Sinatra playing, wine flowing, house smelling amazing. Haven’t met one of your recipes that I haven’t liked.
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- Phil
This has turned out to be one of favorite meals to make.
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- Peggy Aungst
I made this for dinner the other night. Wow! What a hit. I ended up with enough shells for a 9 x 13 pan and a 9 x 9 pan. I delivered the smaller pan for friends who cannot cook and and work long hours. I was told “Bloody Brilliant!” They loved it and so did we.
I will definitely be making this again.- Reply
- Kathryn
Sure did make them. They were amazing❤️
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- Jennifer Schmidt
I loved making this..my family raved over the taste! Wasn’t A hard recipe to follow and watching the chefs videos made it easier.
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excellent!
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- Deborah Gebhart
Excellent!
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so good!!
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- Gail Athas
These stuffed shells are the best! The Béchamel sauce makes them so tasty and less acidic. Perfect pasta dish for company!
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so good!!
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- David
I made these in the morning for
A big family dinner. In the oven 40 minutes before dinner. Perfect. These were absolutely the best shells every. I already had to promise to make them for the next family’s gathering.- Reply
thanks for giving it a shot!!
- VInnie
Hey billy , I froze a foil tray full of the shells.
How long do I cook from frozen
And the tempVInnie
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were they pre cooked and frozen or prepared and then frozen?
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- Robin S
So easy! Did not use the sausage and added the extra mozz as noted. Had some left over to freeze for later – whole family loved it!
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amazing!
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- Nancy
Awesome recipe. So good. This dish turned out perfect. Thank you Chef
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fantastic!
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- Renee Busby
The recipe is easy to follow and I appreciate the extra tips offered. Amazing website.
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appreciate you trying it
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- NANCY H DEERMAN
I made this recipe for guests on Friday. My friends were very pleased and so was I. Afterwards I took some over to a neighbor. I received a text from them later that evening. All the text said was AMAZING!! I call that a success.
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excellent!
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- Peggy Kasallis
Made this for my weekend with my art tribe. BIG hit!! Thank you!
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fantastic!
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- Ron
Was a huge hit at my house
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love it!
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- Kelli Brown
Great recipe. Easy to follow. I made both of the suggested sauces and they will be placed in my sauce rotation. My family loved it. Bonus: I froze the extra red sauce and was able to freezer meal the extra stuffed shells I didn’t use for tonights meal.
Very tasty. Thank you.- Reply
my pleasure!
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- Janette
All I can say is WOW……
These were so amazingly delicious.
Followed the recipe exactly…..reminded me of the filling my Italian Godmother taught me to make for ravioli..
So simple and easy……but bursting with flavor….
I can’t wait to take these to family get together…
Chef, I admire all that you do. I need no other cookbooks now that you show and share your recipes. You have a huge heart.- Reply
excellent!
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- Bonnie Prior
My husband absolutely loved your stuffed shells ! I watch your instructional videos every day and enjoy picking out a new recipe to try. So far, each and every one has been a success. Many thanks Billy !
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excellent!
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- Christine Shook
I made these & this dish was soooo good. Very filling & extremely tasty. My family loved it & I plan on putting it in rotation to have more often!!
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so good!!
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- Gail Athas
The Best Ever! Made it twice and will make it over and over again. Definitely company worthy!
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excellent!
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- Pat Donald
It’s a triple win recipe! I often make up the shells and freeze them! They’re the perfect choice for a stress free weeknight dinner! I use both the pomodoro and bechamel sauces in other dishes, too!
Lovely! All of it! A go to in my kitchen. Thank you!- Reply
Awesome
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- Brenda Moy
What a great recipe I will. e making this again and again!!!!
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appreciate you trying it
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- Jenn
Absolutely delicious! Instantly a family favorite.
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Love it!
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- Denise
My husband asks for these at least once a month.
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- RACHELLE ALLEN
AmAzInG! Loved this recipe so much – and my Italian husband approved of it! fabulous!
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Many Thanks
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- Pilar
These pasta shells are beyond delicious. There is only two of us so I made half the recipe but there were plenty of leftovers. We had them two days in a row and could not stop eating them. Worth all the work, some of which I made the day before. So so good! Thank you!
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Excellent!
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- R. Knight
Turned out beautifully.
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awesome
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- Nita MacDonald
This was so delicious! Made it. My family and I love it. Used the leftover shells and sauce mixed together for my son that is lactose intolerant. So good. Thank you for the recipe!
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Awesome
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- Elizabeth Barr
Made it. It was delicious. Will make it again Chef Billy you are awesome.
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Thanks for trying it!
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- Kaye McNamara
Absolutely THE BEST!!!
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so good!!
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- Jan M
Very delicious! It was a big hit for family and guests ! I did add crushed red pepper to the meat filling and the pomodoro sauce.
Definitely on the house menu!!- Reply
Love it!
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- Pat H
Hey Billy
This is now my favorite stuffed Shells recipe. The Pomodoro Sauce is outstanding. I don’t buy jarred sauce anymore. I also love the Italian sausage, ground beef and spinach mixture. Gives so much flavor to the dish. I make the whole recipe but freeze half for future uses. There are only 2of us. Thank you for creating this, it’s a bit of work but worth it for sure. Happy eating.- Reply
Love it!
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- Gail
These were delicious! My vegetarian daughter (pregnant) ate and loved them! My picky grandchildren ate and loved them! Hubby loved them! Son in law loved them! Love your recipes. This is a keeper and will make them for company! Thanks Chef!
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- Christel
I had a dinner party everyone loved it, there are only two of us so I usually freeze some of it I made many of the sauce
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excellent!
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- Vicki OConnor
My favorite stuffed shell recipe!
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It’s a good one!
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- KAY YOUNG
Super dish! I make my own tomato sauce in August, and all came out soooo nice.
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Excellent!
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- Gail Athas
The flavors are fabulous! Company worthy for sure!
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Fantastic!
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- Carmela Powers
The best ever! 😊
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Thank you!
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- Wendy J. Walsh
Made them for Christmas Eve. They were wonderful.
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Awesome!
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- Kathy
These stuffed shells are possibly the best Italian pasta dish I ever made!!! Amazing flavor!! But plan on making a tad of a mess in the kitchen!! All worth it. I made both the suggested sauces as well as homemade ricotta cheese. Delicious!! I made some extra for friends and actually wanted to keep it all!
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Fantastic!
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- Iva Simic
Amazing, thank you for this recipe. I saw the shells in a store, wondered how to cook them, came home and found this recipe. Of course I went back 😀
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Amazing!!
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- Denise Henderson
I try so many of your recipes., I give you 5* for all that I have made , you are a wonderful teacher , chef, thank you so much, I have learned much from you!!!
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thanks for giving it a shot!!
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- Steve Clavette
Made last night for the first time – was fantastic. We like our food spicy so probably would go with a spicier Italian sausage next time. Also, if you love garlic, two cloves are not enough. Otherwise, simple to make and delicious.
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Excellent!
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- Gina Ashby
This recipe is the best ever…..
It’s time consuming but we’ll worth the effort.
Made them twice already.
I will be making it again soon.
Thank you for sharing.- Reply
Thank you!
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- Teri
These were amazing and not difficult to make; and they freeze extremely well. This recipe is now one of my top 5 go to’s.
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so good!!
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- Earlene Kent
I have made these shells four times now- they are a family favorite. Recently I made them for vegetarian guests and they turned out so good! Followed the meat recipe but mix-creamed tofu and ricotta to fill the shells and it was a hit! I like them with meat but it was great to know they could be made vegetarian!
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That’s awesome!
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- Lois Harrell
Most versatile instructive chef on the Internet!
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I appreciate the kind words, thank you.
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- Cherry Schiestel
Made this for our Easter brunch. Delicious! Will definitely make again.
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Thank you!
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- Rosemary Hellene
I took this recipe to a church potluck. It was yummy & amazing & it was enough to feed 16-18 people & nothing left over.
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Love it!
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- Carmela Powers
The Best Ever!!
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Thank you!
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- Kathleen Barr
The best recipe. Absolutely, delicious. Was a hit with my friends.
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Perfect!
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- Joanne
Absolutely delicious!!
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thanks for giving it a shot!!
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- Pamela Lareau
I have made stuffed shells my entire marriage (37 years). This recipe elevated them to excellence!! Dicing the mozzarella rather than shredding & putting the meat in with the cheese was brilliant!
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These are tasty!
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- Vicki OConnor
Best stuffed shells ever!
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- Becky Howell
This was the first recipe that I discovered from Billy… upon making these shells and the sauce, I wish I had made a triple batch. My family devoured them. I have made this recipe now at least once a month and have also altered it into a lasagna. To make it keep everything the same, but when it comes to cheese, use a Béchamel sauce with a mozzarella and Parmesan coat, then layer…divine! I HIGHLY recommend this recipe!
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- Daniel Taylor
Another amazing recipe I have made. Both of the sauce recipes yielded way more sauce than you need for a recipe, so next time I make this, and I will make again soon, I will use the sauces in moderation and save some for another meal. Your sauces always taste fantastic. Thank you for this.
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- Linda
Wow, very delicious. It was worth the effort to make this, I know it will be easier the next time I make this! Thank you chef, bella!!
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- Warren
Oh My. Made these for Christmas yesterday and they were amazing. Don;t tell anyone, but I am having for breakfast this morning. 🙂
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- Marion Berrini
Made the stuffed shells today and they turned out fantastic. Everyone loved them. This one is a keeper. Love all your recipes.
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- Scott
Finally found time to make this a few days ago and I’m very glad I did. My wife and I both thought it was great. I should have re-watched the video before I started. I overlooked the chopping of the spinach, didn’t break the meat up quite enough, and my bechamel needed to be thinned. I did use a store brand red sauce that I like and it worked great in this dish. Thanks for the recipe!
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- Beverly
Was very very good! First time ever to make this dish. Felt a little overwhelmed at first with all ingredients. But, next time will be a breeze. Your basic prep tips are great! I know you feel like you repeat a lot, but personally, newly retired here. Use to hate to cook, raised 4 kids, my hub and me worked full time, so cooking was a necessity. I am really enjoying it now! My fav thing to do!
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