The Finest Stuffed Shells Recipe

Basic Stuffed Shells Recipe is creamy, gooey, carb-y consolation meals at it’s greatest! Our household liked recipe options al dente jumbo pasta shells, selfmade marinara sauce, and a scrumptious ricotta cheese combination! Plus, gooey mozzarella cheese on prime. Certain to develop into considered one of your favourite baked pasta dishes, it’s scrumptious with garlic bread and a Caesar salad.

Stuffed Shells Recipe: Consolation Meals in a Baking Dish

Subsequent time you’re craving consolation meals, make these gloriously tacky stuffed shells!!! Aka heaven in a casserole dish. My household BEGS me to make this baked pasta dish. And we’ve a number of enjoyable making these stuffed shells collectively as a household.

I often make the selfmade marinara sauce and ricotta cheese combination earlier than they be a part of me within the kitchen. Then I let my youngsters stuff the jumbo pasta shells, grate mozzarella cheese, and chop the recent herbs with their littles plastic toddler knives. You possibly can by no means begin instructing them how one can cook dinner too younger – particularly straightforward pasta dishes!

What are Stuffed Shells?

This stuffed shell recipe is basically an excellent tacky baked pasta dish, fairly much like lasagna or baked ziti. However as a substitute of layers of pasta and cheese, you’ll stuff jumbo pasta shells with cheese. Then prime with selfmade marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese mix.

Excellent consolation meals for these nights you’re craving Italian-style consolation meals! We make it on a regular basis within the chilly winter months and for household gatherings and vacation celebrations.

I’ve Spicy Stuffed Shells Fra Diavolo and Caprese Stuffed Shells recipes right here on the weblog. And a number of recipe will incorporate substances comparable to floor beef, Italian sausage, and even frozen spinach into the sauce!

Make the Home made Marinara Sauce

For this recipe, we’re holding issues basic with a easy marinara sauce. However don’t let the phrase ‘basic’ idiot you into pondering meaning plain or boring! As a result of it most definitely doesn’t. This extremely scrumptious selfmade marinara sauce makes use of onion, olive oil, garlic, crushed tomatoes, and recent basil.

Need to bulk it up with some protein? Be happy so as to add Italian sausage or floor beef to the sauce. You’ll wish to totally cook dinner it, breaking it up as you do, till the meat is now not pink. Then add it to the sauce recipe.

Let’s Speak Ricotta Cheese Combination

• Like most stuffed shells recipes, this one options ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese. 
• Two eggs add construction to the cheese combination. Don’t go away these out or the ricotta cheese combination will probably be runny!
• Contemporary basil and parsley – plus salt and pepper – add loads of recent taste. I don’t recommend utilizing dried herbs rather than the recent ones.

Can I Sub Cottage Cheese for Ricotta Cheese?

• Sure, you may technically sub cottage cheese for ricotta cheese on this recipe. Under are some recommendations on why you won’t wish to do it although. And a few recommendation for you in case you select to attempt it out.
• However cottage cheese is chunkier and extra acidic, so your cottage cheese combination may even be barely chunkier. In case you don’t thoughts that, it’s an excellent sub.
• Cottage cheese gained’t have the identical richness as ricotta cheese, so you would add an additional egg yolk to the combination if desired.
• Personally, I don’t suggest subbing cottage cheese for ricotta cheese as a result of ricotta cheese tastes higher. And has a greater texture for this recipe.

Don’t Overcook the Jumbo Pasta Shells!

• Don’t, I repeat, DO NOT over cook dinner your jumbo pasta shells. Actually, I would like you to undercook them which is able to guarantee they gained’t get gluey or too mushy within the baking dish.
• Boil them in a big pot of salt water for precisely 5 minutes, then drain them nicely and gently pat them dry. The shells will nonetheless be comparatively arduous, however mushy sufficient so that you can stuff them.
• That is good, as a result of they may proceed to cook dinner within the oven. And so they’ll emerge completely cooked as soon as they’ve completed baking! Belief me right here… nobody need a soggy stuffed shell!
• I don’t suggest making this recipe with another noodle than jumbo pasta shells.

Stuffed Shells Recipe: Find out how to Make

1. Oven Prep: Preheat the oven half-hour earlier than you propose on baking. The oven should be on the proper temperature earlier than you place the baking dish within the oven. In any other case the cheese gained’t soften correctly.
2. Stuff the Jumbo Pasta Shells: Pour some marinara sauce on the underside of your casserole dish. Then stuff every jumbo pasta shell with a few of the ricotta cheese filling.
3. End Meeting: Nestle the jumbo pasta shells within the sauce as shut collectively as doable. Then pour on the remaining tomato sauce and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake the Stuffed Shells: Pop the baking dish within the oven for about 35 minutes. Or till the mozzarella cheese is melted, effervescent, and golden brown! You may want so as to add a couple of minutes to the bake time in case you’re baking it in a thick ceramic casserole dish. Or in case you’re baking it after it’s been chilled within the fridge.
5. Ending Touches: Sprinkle the shells with recent chopped parsley and a bit parmesan cheese. That is completely optionally available however so scrumptious.
6. Serve Heat: Stuffed shells are greatest served sizzling – or heat – so serve them as quickly as they arrive out of the oven. It will make sure the mozzarella cheese remains to be gooey and the jumbo shells are mushy and scrumptious.

Make it Forward: Refrigerate within the Baking Dish Till Able to Bake!

• You possibly can totally assemble this stuffed shells recipe as much as 24 hours upfront. Merely cook dinner as directed, cool fully, then cowl with aluminum foil and place it within the fridge till you’re able to bake.
• Whenever you’re able to bake, take away the foil and bake as directed. You may beed so as to add a couple of minutes to the bake time.
• You may as well freeze this stuffed shells recipe. Cook dinner, cool, and canopy with aluminum foil. Then freeze for as much as 2 months. I recommend making this in an aluminum baking dish in case you plan on freezing it.
• To thaw, take away the baking dish from the freeze and thaw it within the fridge in a single day. Then take away the casserole dish 1 hour earlier than you propose on baking and let it sit at room temperature. Bake as directed, including as many minutes to the bake time as wanted. Normally 10 to fifteen.
• In case you plan on making this recipe upfront and holding it within the fridge or freezer, I recommend undercooking the jumbo pasta shells. I recommend boiling them for precisely 3 minutes. This simply ensures your noodles gained’t get too mushy as they sit within the sauce.

Extra Consolation Meals Pasta Recipes:

This submit could include affiliate hyperlinks