Ah, Stuffed Shells with Meat 🐄🧀🍝—classic Italian comfort food, cheesy, hearty, and perfect for a family dinner. Here’s a full recipe:
🐄 Stuffed Shells with Meat
Ingredients (serves 4–6)
- 12–16 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 lb ground beef or Italian sausage (or a mix)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, plus extra for topping
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- Fresh basil or parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta shells
- Boil shells according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and cool slightly.
- Cook meat
- In a skillet, sauté onion and garlic until softened.
- Add ground beef or sausage and cook until browned. Drain excess fat.
- Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Let cool slightly.
- Make filling
- In a bowl, mix cooked meat, ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, and egg.
- Stuff shells
- Spoon filling into cooked pasta shells.
- Assemble in baking dish
- Spread ½ jar of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Arrange stuffed shells over sauce.
- Pour remaining sauce over shells.
- Sprinkle extra mozzarella on top.
- Bake
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Cover with foil and bake 25–30 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake an additional 10 min until cheese is bubbly and golden.
- Serve
- Garnish with fresh basil or parsley.
- Serve with garlic bread or a simple salad.
🔥 Tips & Variations
- Cheese lovers: mix shredded provolone or fontina into filling.
- Veggie boost: add chopped spinach or mushrooms to the meat mixture.
- Quick shortcut: use no-boil pasta shells—just increase baking time slightly.
- Make ahead: assemble the night before, cover, refrigerate, and bake the next day.
I can also give a restaurant-style stuffed shells recipe with ultra-rich meat filling, creamy ricotta, and a deeply flavorful tomato sauce that tastes like it came straight from an Italian trattoria.
Do you want me to do that?
