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    Home » Recipes » Easy Pasta Recipes

    Meat Sauce Stuffed Shells

    Published: Apr 28, 2023 · Modified: Mar 19, 2025 by Genevieve · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    Jump to Recipe

    Meat Sauce Stuffed Shells is an easy stuffed ricotta shells recipe that is super easy to make and delicious to eat. This stuffed shells recipe is made with large pasta shells, ground beef, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, parsley, and spices. This is one jumbo shell pasta recipes with ground beef you'll come back to.

    stuffed shells with meat sauce in a platter on a pink back drop next to forks this …
    The easiest ground beef stuffed shells recipe

    This Stuffed Shells with Meat and Cheese Italian style is wonderful for all seasons all year long! Stuffed Ricotta Shells with Meat Sauce make great leftovers too and freezes well. Want even more pasta recipes? Try my Creamy Lemon Pasta With Chicken or my easy Taco Pasta Casserole and Mizithra Cheese Browned Butter Pasta is another crowd pleaser. How To Make Pan Fried Ravioli is a classic Italian pasta dish. Looking for low-carb? My Zucchini Casserole With Ground Beef is a winner. You'll need a dessert to go with all this pasta! Check out my Oreo Ice Cream Recipe or try my Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes recipe.

    Jump to:
    • 🐚 Ingredients For Stuffed Shells With Meat And Ricotta
    • 🐚 Instructions For Meat Stuffed Pasta Shells
    • 🐚 Stuffed Shells with Meat and Cheese Italian style
    • 🐚 More Delicious Dinner Recipes
    • 🐚 Frequently Asked Questions For Stuffed Shells Recipe Meat
    • 🐚 Pin This Recipe For Later
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 🐚 Frequently Asked Questions For Stuffed Shells Recipe Meat
    • 💬 Comments

    🐚 Ingredients For Stuffed Shells With Meat And Ricotta

    Ingredients for stuffed shells with meat sauce, parsley, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, jumbo shells, spices, cream cheese, marinara sauce
    Ingredients for the best stuffed pasta shells

    🐚 What you'll need for stuffed pasta shells with ground beef

    • Meat Sauce ( Ground beef and Marinara sauce )
    • Ground Beef
    • Jumbo Pasta Shells
    • Ricotta Cheese
    • Mozzarella Cheese
    • Parmesan Cheese
    • Egg
    • Fresh Parsley
    • Garlic Salt
    • Onion Powder
    • Garlic Powder
    • Himalayan Sea Salt
    • Black Pepper

    See recipe card for quantities for the best dinner!

    🐚 Instructions For Meat Stuffed Pasta Shells

    cheesy stuffed shells with meat in a tray and a serving fork
    Cheesy stuffed shells

    Let's make meat and ricotta stuffed shells

    Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

    Step 2: Cook Pasta Shells according to the package directions and place them on a cookie sheet. Saute the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until browned. Add marinara sauce and saute on medium heat for 10 minutes. Set aside.

    cooked jumbo pasta shells on a cookie sheet
    Simmering marinara sauce with beef in a saucepan
    The best homemade marinara sauce!

    Step 3: Prep the ricotta sauce by combining the ricotta cheese and egg in a small bowl. Whisk until well combined.

    combined ricotta cheese and spices and egg in a glass bowl
    ricotta cheese makes the creamiest shells

    Step 4: Add the softened cream cheese and spices to the prepared ricotta cheese and mix well.

    add the cream cheese and spices to the ricotta cheese mixture and mix well.
    Adding cream cheese makes this dish even creamier!

    Step 5: Next add the shredded mozzarella and mix well. Next, add the chopped parsley and mix again. Now your sauce is ready for your pasta shells!

    add the shredded mozzarella cheese to the ricotta mixture
    cheese and meat stuffed shells
    chopped parsley, shredded mozzarella to prepared ricotta for meat stuffed shells recipe
    stuffed shells with ricotta and meat

    Step 6: Add a layer of meat sauce to a casserole dish

    add a layer of meat sauce to the bottom of a casserole dish
    Stuffed Ricotta Shells with Meat Sauce

    Step 7: Fill each jumbo pasta shell with the prepared cheese sauce and the meat sauce filling. Place each prepared cheese filled shell into the casserole dish. I like to do a scoop of meat sauce and then add the cheese sauce on top. This makes stuffed shells meat sauce hearty meat sauce.

    cheese filled jumbo pasta shells layered in a sauce filled casserole dish
    easy stuffed shells with meat sauce

    Step 8: Add a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan cheese over the top of the pasta shells.

    shredded mozzarella on prepared stuffed ricotta shells
    stuffed shells with meat and white sauce

    Step 9: Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is nice and bubbly.

    cheesy meat sauce stuffed ricotta shells with forks in a casserole dish
    stuffed shells with ground beef

    🐚 Stuffed Shells with Meat and Cheese Italian style

    You could make these meat stuffed shells without ricotta, but I would not recommend it, but if you must make swaps, you could use cottage cheese or sour cream instead.

    How to Freeze Stuffed Shells

    These Italian stuffed shells with meat and cheese are so good and make wonderful leftovers.

    Stuffed shells with meat and ricotta freeze well. Simply place leftovers in a sealed, glass airtight container and stash in the freezer. Reheat on a baking sheet or in a baking dish at 350-degrees. Top with a cup grated parmesan.

    meat stuffed ricotta shells
    Look at that delicious cheesy pasta dish!

    Add this recipe to recipes with stuffed shells bookmark on Pinterest. You could make this stuffed shells with meat and white sauce by adding a layer of Alfredo sauce for a twist on beef stuffed shells.

    You could also add fresh basil as a topping, or Italian sausage to the cheese mixture Italian cheese blend. Meat and cheese stuffed shells are so good, you won't regret making this recipe!

    Stuffed shells with cheese and meat will be added to your weekly dinner rotation.

    baking dish with meat and cheese stuffed ricotta shells
    The Best Stuffed Pasta Shells

    Stuffed shells with ground beef is delicious and so are these other fabulous dinner recipes.

    🐚 More Delicious Dinner Recipes

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      Easy Chicken and Potatoes in Dutch Oven with Vegetables 
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    🐚 Frequently Asked Questions For Stuffed Shells Recipe Meat

    What goes good with stuffed shells?

    • You pair this meat pasta recipe with a side salad or fresh veggies like asparagus, broccoli, or peas.

    What is the difference between baked manicotti and stuffed shells?

    • Manicotti pasta is also sometimes sold in stores as shells instead of tubes, which can make stuffing them somewhat easier. However, traditional manicotti is not actually a pasta. Authentic manicotti is made with crepes, not pasta, that are filled and baked. One is a pasta and one is a crepe.

    🐚 Pin This Recipe For Later

    Pin this recipe for later!

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    📖 Recipe

    cheesy meat sauce stuffed ricotta shells with forks in a casserole dish

    Meat Sauce Stuffed Shells

    Genevieve Jerome
    Meat Sauce Stuffed Shells is an easy stuffed ricotta shells recipe that is super easy to make and delicious to eat. This stuffed shells recipe is made with large pasta shells, ground beef, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, parsley, and spices. This is one jumbo shell pasta recipes with ground beef you'll come back to.
    5 from 86 votes
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    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Dinner, Easy Dinners
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 633 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 package Jumbo Pasta Shells
    • 1 pound Ground Beef
    • 1 Jar Marinara Sauce
    • 15 Ounces Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
    • ¼ cup Cream Cheese
    • 1 egg
    • 1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese
    • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
    • 1 bunch fresh parsley
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
    • Cook Pasta Shells according to the package directions and place them on a cookie sheet.
    • Saute the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until browned. Add marinara sauce and saute on medium heat for 10 minutes. Set aside.
    • Prep the ricotta sauce by combining the ricotta cheese and egg in a small bowl. Whisk until well combined.
    • Add the softened cream cheese and garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder, himalayan sea salt, and black pepper to the prepared ricotta cheese and mix well.
    • Next add the shredded mozzarella and mix well. Next, add the chopped parsley and mix again. Now your sauce is ready for your pasta shells!
    • Add a layer of meat sauce to a casserole dish
    • Fill each jumbo pasta shell with the prepared cheese sauce and the meat sauce filling. Place each prepared cheese filled shell into the casserole dish. I like to do a scoop of meat sauce and then add the cheese sauce on top. This makes stuffed shells meat sauce hearty meat sauce.
    • Add a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan cheese over the top of the pasta shells.
    • Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is nice and bubbly.

    Notes

    🐚 Frequently Asked Questions For Stuffed Shells Recipe Meat

    What goes good with stuffed shells?
      • You pair this meat pasta recipe with a side salad or fresh veggies like asparagus, broccoli, or peas.
    What is the difference between baked manicotti and stuffed shells?
      • Manicotti pasta is also sometimes sold in stores as shells instead of tubes, which can make stuffing them somewhat easier. However, traditional manicotti is not actually a pasta. Authentic manicotti is made with crepes, not pasta, that are filled and baked. One is a pasta and one is a crepe.
    You could make these meat stuffed shells without ricotta, but I would not recommend it, but if you must make swaps, you could use cottage cheese or sour cream instead.

    How to Freeze Stuffed Shells

    These Italian stuffed shells with meat and cheese are so good and make wonderful leftovers.
    Stuffed shells with meat and ricotta freeze well. Simply place leftovers in a sealed, glass airtight container and stash in the freezer. Reheat on a baking sheet or in a baking dish at 350 degrees. Top with a cup grated parmesan.
    Add this recipe to recipes with stuffed shells bookmark on Pinterest. You could make this stuffed shells with meat and white sauce by adding a layer of Alfredo sauce for a twist on beef stuffed shells.
    You could also add fresh basil as a topping, or Italian sausage to the cheese mixture Italian cheese blend. Meat and cheese stuffed shells are so good, you won't regret making this recipe!
     
    All images and text © Genevieve Jerome / Fitty Foodlicious 2023 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1sliceCalories: 633kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 40gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 161mgSodium: 1967mgPotassium: 776mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 2047IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 539mgIron: 5mg
    Tried this recipe? Follow us on InstagramMention @fittyfoodlicious or tag #fittyfoodliciousrecipes!
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