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I love a good stuffed shells recipe, and my stuffed shells with meat and sausage is the truth! These shells are creamy, cheesy, and meaty! I love making this for a weeknight dinner or any special occasion because they have that WOW factor.
The key to incredible stuffed shells is a great filling. My filling recipe is easy but flavorful. You’ll be left with a mouth-watering dish with ricotta, parmesan, spinach, and mozzarella! This is a chef’s kiss!
Craving more pasta? Try my irresistible Baked Ziti, Shrimp Scampi or Lemon Salmon Orzo.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Recipe
- Cheesy and delicious: The shells are packed with three types of cheese – mozzarella, Parmesan and ricotta cheese to create classic Italian stuffed shells.
- Hearty and filling: I add meat to make these shells a well-rounded dinner that is packed with protein and flavor.
- Perfect for the entire family: Kids and adults will love this recipe. You can also prep it ahead of time to make dinner easy. Or store leftovers to enjoy later.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Ground meat – I like to use a mix of beef and sausage for this recipe! It adds texture and flavor and plenty of protein.
Jumbo Pasta Shells – I use one box of jumbo pasta shells! Any brand will do, but make sure they are jumbo. Do not use large or medium shells.
Marinara Sauce – You can use store-bought or homemade marinara sauce.
Bell Peppers – I love adding chopped bell peppers.
Spices – You will need garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
Cheese – This recipe uses a combination of mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and ricotta cheese for plenty of cheesy flavor.
Spinach – Adds more texture and flavor.
Eggs – Helps to bind the filling together during baking.
Recipe Tips
- Use the correct size pasta shells – Pasta shells come in different sizes. To make this recipe work you need to use jumbo pasta shells. They are easy to find at your local grocery store including Publix, Kroger, Target and Amazon.
- Use a bigger pot when cooking the shells – This helps prevent the shells from sticking to each other and breaking. Try to use a bigger pot than you think you need to cook the pasta shells.
How to Store and Freeze Pasta Shells
Store leftover stuffed shells in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
Make Ahead
To make the shells in advance, you can assemble the entire dish and then store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before baking. Alternatively, you can freeze and then bake from frozen. To bake from frozen, add 10 to 15 minutes to the cook time.
Stuffed Shells with Meat
Ingredients
For the meat sauce
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 3/4 pound ground Italian sausage (or up to 1 pound)
- 3/4 pound ground beef (or up to 1 pound)
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the filling
- 32 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup cooked spinach drained and chopped
- ¼ cup mozarella cheese
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Pasta
- 1 box jumbo shells
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- Fresh parsley for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cook jumbo shells according to pasta instructions and set aside.
- In a large skillet, add the oil and peppers and saute until soft. Then add sausage and beef and cook until cooked through.
- Mix in the marinara sauce until smooth. Stir in garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, eggs, mozzarella, parmesan, garlic powder and salt. Mix well. Stuff the ricotta mixture into the shells until they are packed.
- In a large 13-inch skillet, add two large spoonfuls of sauce to the bottom of the pan. Then, arrange the stuffed shells in a ring. Add the remaining sauce on top. Bake for 20 minutes, then fully cover with 2 cups mozzarella cheese and increase the oven temperature to 375°F. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted. For best results, broil at the end.
These stuffed shells were fire! I make them all the time, but this was hands down the best Iโve ever made.
Thank you!!