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–+ servings
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
Cook Time 30 minutes
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

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
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