These Stuffed Shells are a classic family-favorite meal! A creamy filling stuffed into jumbo pasta shells with a homemade meat sauce and topped with gooey melted cheese!

AN EASY BAKED STUFFED SHELLS RECIPE

I have been making this recipe for stuffed shells for over 25 years. It is my go-to meal that I know everyone will love. It’s easy to make. The only time-consuming part is stuffing the individual shells. But I promise it’s worth it!

a serving spoon scooping out a serving of stuffed shells from a baking dish.

TIPS FOR MAKING STUFFED SHELLS

You can use cottage cheese or ricotta cheese. I like the creaminess of cottage cheese but I know a lot of people are averse to it.
Instead of making the sauce with tomato paste, hot water, oregano and beef bouillon – you can substitute with a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce.
Serve with a delicious Italian Salad and some Warm Garlic Bread!

stuffed shells shown served on a small, round white plate with a glass of white wine and fresh parsley in the background.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)

jumbo pasta shells – a few are bound to tear when you stuff them – it’s ok.
ground beef – or ground Italian sausage works great with this.
onion – if you don’t like onion just leave it out, this also goes delicious with green peppers if you want to add those in.
garlic – you can use fresh or the jarred stuff but I love to use fresh where I can.
tomato paste – instead of tomato paste (along with the hot water and bouillon cubes), you can use a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
hot water and bouillon cubes – you can substitute these two for beef broth.
dried oregano – fresh oregano can be used – about a Tablespoon or so.
small curd cottage cheese – ricotta or mascarpone cheese can be substituted, what I love about cottage cheese is it isn’t as dry as ricotta and keeps this super creamy
shredded mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese – use the cheese that your family loves. I think mozzarella is a must. It’s a very mild cheese. Some people don’t like the saltiness of parmesan so you can leave it out or substitute with another Italian cheese.
large egg – the egg is a binder, it helps hold the filling together as it cooks.

jumbo pasta shells, ground beef, onion, garlic, tomato paste, hot water, bouillon cubes, dried oregano, Ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, large egg, dried parsley.

HOW TO MAKE STUFFED SHELLS

Prepare jumbo shells per package directions. Drain thoroughly. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Cook beef, onion and garlic in a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook until beef is brown and crumbled. Drain excess grease.

collage of two photos: cooked shell pasta in a colander; cooked and crumbled ground beef in a skillet.

Stir in water, tomato paste, beef bouillon cubes and oregano. Stir and allow to simmer while preparing the shells. In a medium bowl, stir together cottage cheese, one cup mozzarella, parmesan cheese and egg.

Now begin stuffing the cooked shells. About a Tablespoon of the cheese mixture will fit into each one.

collage of two photos: cottage cheese mixture stirred together in a bowl; a hand holding up one cheese stuffed shell.

You should be able to fit about 24 into your 9×13-inch baking dish. You may have to put some in there horizontally. Pour sauce mixture on top of shells.

collage of two photos: stuffed shells lined up in a baking dish; sauce mixture poured over stuffed shells in baking dish.

Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for about 40-45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle remaining cup of mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake for an additional 5-8 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.