Stuffed Shells Recipe

Images updated July 2025 – This stuffed shells recipe is a comforting classic that never goes out of style. With tender pasta filled to the brim with a meat and creamy cheese mixture and topped with savory marinara sauce, this dish is perfect for everything from family dinners to potlucks.

Whether you’re making them ahead for a busy weeknight or serving them fresh from the oven, stuffed shells are always a crowd-pleaser. They’re easy to customize too – with less or extra add-ins to make them your own.

How do you make stuffed shells?

This Stuffed shells recipe is really easy to make. All of the ingredients get mixed together, so the hardest part about this delicious Italian dinner meal is stuffing the shells. You will want to run them under cold water for a bit after they have been cooked and drained. That way they won’t be too hot to handle when you stuff them with the cheesy meaty goodness!

Ingredients:

• 12 oz box Jumbo Shells
• 2 – 24 oz cans/jars of your favorite pasta/spaghetti sauce
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 lb Italian Sausage
• 8 oz fresh Portabella Mushrooms
• 1 onion
• 1 – 16 oz container Cottage Cheese
• 1 – 16 oz container Ricotta Cheese
• 3 cups Mozarella Cheese
• 1/2 cup Fresh Spinach chopped {optional}
• 3 tbsp parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp italian seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp salt
• Fresh parsley, for garnish

Prepare:

Slice Mushrooms and Onion, toss in frying pan with Hamburger and Italian Sausage. Season to your liking with Salt, Pepper, garlic and Italian Seasonings. Cook on medium until ground beef is completely browned. In the meantime, boil the whole package of Jumbo Shells until tender. Let cool.

While that’s cooking, mix Cottage Cheese, Ricotta Cheese, 1/2 the Mozzarella Cheese, Spinach, 1/2 jar of Pasta Sauce, some Parmesan Cheese and more spices in a large bowl.

Once the meat mixture is done, drain the grease and add the meat mixture to the bowl and stir it all together again.

In a large Casserole Dish or Cake Pan, pour some sauce at the bottom and make sure it’s evenly coated. Start stuffing your shells with the mixture and place them {stuffed side up} in the dish. Do this until you have a full layer, then pour some sauce all over it. Keep forming layers until you’re out of shells and sauce. Sprinkle remaining Mozzarella Cheese on top and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Stuffed shells are the ultimate comfort food—easy to make, endlessly customizable, and always a crowd-pleaser. Whether you’re serving them for a family dinner or prepping meals for the week, this recipe is sure to become a favorite. Give it a try and let us know how it turns out! Don’t forget to save this recipe for later and share it with your fellow pasta lovers!

Stuffed Shells Recipe

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Ingredients

• 12 oz box Jumbo Shells
• 2 - 24 oz cans/jars of your favorite pasta/spaghetti sauce
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 lb Italian Sausage
• 8 oz fresh Portabella Mushrooms
• 1 onion
• 1 - 16 oz container Cottage Cheese
• 1 - 16 oz container Ricotta Cheese
• 3 cups Mozarella Cheese
• 1/2 cup Fresh Spinach chopped {optional}
• 3 tbsp parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp italian seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp salt
• Fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Slice Mushrooms and Onion, toss in frying pan with Hamburger and Italian Sausage. Season to your liking with Salt, Pepper, garlic and Italian Seasonings. Cook on medium until ground beef is completely browned. In the meantime, boil the whole package of Jumbo Shells until tender. Let cool.
2. While that's cooking, mix Cottage Cheese, Ricotta Cheese, 1/2 the Mozzarella Cheese, Spinach, 1/2 jar of Pasta Sauce, some Parmesan Cheese and seasonings in a large bowl.
3. Once the meat mixture is done, drain the grease and add the meat mixture to the bowl and stir it all together again.
4. In a large Casserole Dish or Cake Pan, pour some sauce at the bottom and make sure it's evenly coated. Start stuffing your shells with the mixture and place them {stuffed side up} in the dish. Do this until you have a full layer, then pour some sauce all over it. Keep forming layers until you're out of shells and sauce. Sprinkle remaining Mozzarella Cheese on top and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 782Total Fat: 47gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 171mgSodium: 1345mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 62g