Description
These deliciously cheesy Baked Stuffed Shells are filled to the brim with three types of cheese, then topped with a meat sauce and more mozzarella. Baked to golden brown perfection, these stuffed shells never get old! You’ll want to add these stuffed pasta shells to your regular meal rotation!
Ingredients
Scale
- 20 jumbo pasta shells (6 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 24 ounces pasta sauce
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and prepare a 9 X 13-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
- Boil: Cook pasta shells according to package directions.
- Heat: Pour the olive oil into a large skillet and warm over medium heat.
- Sauté: Sautée the garlic and onion until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
- Brown: Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook until brown.
- Simmer: Pour in the pasta sauce and simmer on low until ready to use.
- Mix: In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg. Add the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and parsley. Mix well.
- Layer: Place 1/3 of the meat sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Stuff: Fill each shell with the ricotta filling and place into the baking dish.
- Top: Pour remaining meat sauce over the shells and cover the pan with tin foil.
- Bake: Bake for 30 minutes.
- Finish: Remove tin foil and sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella over the shells. Return to oven to bake uncovered for another 5 – 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Notes
You can enjoy this dish with fewer calories, but with additional protein if you substitute a low-fat cottage cheese for the ricotta in a 1:1 ratio. Blend the cottage cheese first if you prefer a smoother texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dinners
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 556 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 1018 mg
- Fat: 34 g
- Saturated Fat: 16 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 33 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Cholesterol: 127 mg
Keywords: baked stuffed shells, cheesy pasta, meat sauce, Italian dinner, jumbo shells