Stuffed Shells with Meat are baked casserole-style with meat sauce, plenty of cheese, and tons of Italian flavor. This easy favorite recipe is perfect for any night of the week. These perfect cheese and meat stuffed shells are perfect for any night of the week.
What’s in this Stuffed Shells Recipe with Meat?
It’s hard to go wrong with Italian food. Pasta, cheese, and sauce are always a winning combination in my mind! These stuffed shells with meat and cheese are no exception – they’re easy, delicious, and always a crowd-pleaser.
- Ground Chuck: The perfect meat for our sauce. It’s got just the right balance of fat, and it adds so much flavor.
- Olive Oil: Helps the onion and garlic cook without burning.
- Onion + Garlic: Add an earthy and slightly sweet flavor to the meat sauce.
- Marinara Sauce: You can make your own or use store-bought to save time.
- Egg: Binds the filling together.
- Cheese: A mixture of small curd cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese creates a rich, creamy, and cheesy filling for our shells.
- Jumbo Shells: The perfect size for stuffing! Make sure to cook yours just to al dente according to the package. If overcooked, they may fall apart.
Pro Tip: To make vegetarian stuffed shells, simply omit the meat from the sauce.
Variations on Stuffed Shells with Ground Beef
There are so many ways to change up these Italian stuffed shells. You can swap some or all of the ground beef for Italian sausage. Try adding spinach, sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers, or caramelized onions to the filling for a bit more flavor. Or add some pesto to the cheese mixture!
Pasta shells are traditionally known as “Conchiglie,” but most brands label them as jumbo shells.
Before assembling and baking the stuffed pasta shells, boil the pasta shells to al dente. Cook them according to the package instructions – about 9 minutes. If you want to prepare the pasta shells ahead of time, keep them in the refrigerator for up to a couple of days. When ready to bake the shells, simply stuff them, bake, and serve.
These shells can turn watery due to excess moisture on the pasta or in the filling. This is why we drain the cooked shells on a baking sheet!
Make sure to use a large enough pot when boiling the shells so that they have room to move around, and don’t let them touch on the baking sheet as they cool and drain!
If your shells are hard, chances are you did not cook them for long enough. You want to make sure the shells are al dente but not undercooked. You may wish to add an extra shell to the pot to test for doneness.
You can freeze it at either point! If you freeze before baking, bake directly from frozen at 350°F for about an hour. If you freeze after baking, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes!
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover stuffed shells with meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes or in the microwave in 30-second increments until warmed through.
How to Freeze
These stuffed shells with meat can be frozen both before and after baking. Tightly wrap the pan in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil for up to 3 months. If you freeze before baking, bake directly from frozen at 350°F for about an hour (remove the plastic wrap first!). If you freeze after baking, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating as described above.
Serving Suggestions
Just like all casseroles, these stuffed shells with ground beef can be a meal all on their own. It’s a hearty, filling, and satisfying dish! That said, I still like to serve mine with a few sides, like Homemade Garlic Bread, Texas Toast Garlic Cheese Bread, Classic Caesar Salad, Kale Caesar Salad, or Roasted Vegetables.
5-Star Review
“I can’t get enough of this meal! We’ll be making this weekly. It’s that delicious! Thank you so much.” – Jen
Stuffed Shells with Meat Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chuck
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 26 ounces marinara sauce store-bought or homemade(1 jar)
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 2 cups small curd cottage cheese (4% milk fat)
- 2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese divided
- 20 dry jumbo pasta shells (about 7 ounces)
- Chopped fresh basil leaves optional, for garnish
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13-inch (3-quart) baking pan with nonstick spray; set aside.
- Bring a pot of water on the stovetop to a boil. Cook the pasta shells to al dente according to the package, about 8-9 minutes. After cooking the pasta shells, drain and place them upside down on a baking sheet to dry.20 dry jumbo pasta shells
- In a large skillet, brown the beef on medium heat until cooked through and no pink remains, about 5-7 minutes. Drain off the rendered fat.1 pound ground chuck
- Reduce heat to medium-low. In the same skillet with the beef, heat the olive oil and add the onion. Cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 yellow onion, 1 clove garlic
- Reduce the heat to low and add the marinara sauce. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.26 ounces marinara sauce
- In a medium bowl, mix the egg, cottage cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, and ½ cup of Parmesan cheese together.1 large egg, 2 cups small curd cottage cheese, 2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese, ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Pour about three-quarters of the meat sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Stuff the shells with 1 rounded tablespoon of cheese mixture and arrange them on top of the meat sauce, open-side up. Spoon the remaining meat sauce in-between the shells but not directly on top of the shells.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the shells. Bake 5-7 minutes longer, or until the cheese is melted.
- Garnish with fresh basil and serve!Chopped fresh basil leaves
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
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- Keep an eye on the pasta shells so they don’t overcook. After boiling, set them upside down on a baking sheet to dry.
- To make vegetarian stuffed shells, simply omit the meat from the sauce.
Nutrition Information
Grew up on something similar to this. The only modifications we made was adding sage, salt, pepper, garlic to the ground beef and since we couldn’t find any mairnara sauce we used an Italian sausage with garlic sauce from Prego. We made this in a 3x batch so roughly 62 shells in 11×17 and 9×13. This one everyone in the family couldn’t get enough of. There’s no leftovers. This is definitely becoming a meal rotation in our house.
I’m new to freezer meals… When do I freeze this? After I put it together, or after baking? If I bake it then freeze it, how long and what temperature do I reheat it? Thank you!
You can freeze it at either point! If you freeze before baking, bake directly from frozen at 350°F for about an hour. If you freeze after baking, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes!
Do I have to use an egg?
You can leave it out, but the filling won’t hold together as well!
How do you reheat from frozen?
Bake from frozen at 350°F for 45-60 minutes!
Delicious and quite easy. Lighter than many recipes of this type.
This turned out so good! Everyone at work loved it. I had to use a round pasta that I cut in half and filled with cheese mixture using a frosting piping bag. It was pretty as well as delicious. Will make again and again. Thanks for sharing. 😋
That looks delicious, Toni!
This looks phenomenal! I am going to make it this week for sure! Becky, I don’t want to step on your toes, but please let me share something as I GUARANTEE everyone will love it. This, as in any recipe that calls for Parmesan cheese, please please please use Parmesan Reggiano instead! I promise you you will love it and won’t ever use regular Parmesan again. This is not a “to each their own”comment, this is a FACT!! Best cheese on the planet!
Thanks for sharing, Eddie!
It turned out great. I believe the 1 pound of meat was not enough so I made it with 2. I also added Italian seasoning to it and chopped the fresh basil in the cheese mixture. All family members loved it. thank you
Thanks for sharing, Noemi!
My family loves this dish. I do add some Italian seasoning to the mixture of cheeses just to add a little more flavor to the stuffed shells.
Great idea!
How long does this keep in the fridge?
3-5 days!