Ricotta Stuffed Shells 🍝🧀
Ricotta stuffed shells are a classic Italian-style baked pasta dish. Jumbo pasta shells are filled with a creamy ricotta mixture, topped with tomato sauce and melted cheese, then baked until bubbly and golden.
Ingredients (Serves 4–6)
Pasta
-
20–24 jumbo pasta shells
Cheese Filling
-
2 cups ricotta cheese
-
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
-
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
-
1 egg
-
2 tbsp fresh parsley (or 1 tbsp dried)
-
½ tsp salt
-
½ tsp black pepper
-
Optional: 1 cup chopped spinach
Sauce
-
2 cups marinara or pasta sauce
-
½ cup shredded mozzarella (for topping)
Instructions
-
Cook the pasta
-
Boil jumbo shells according to package directions until al dente.
-
Drain and let them cool so they’re easier to handle.
-
-
Prepare the filling
-
In a bowl mix:
-
ricotta
-
mozzarella
-
Parmesan
-
egg
-
parsley
-
salt and pepper
-
-
Stir until creamy and well combined.
-
-
Fill the shells
-
Spoon the ricotta mixture into each shell.
-
-
Assemble the dish
-
Spread 1 cup marinara sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.
-
Arrange filled shells on top.
-
Pour remaining sauce over the shells.
-
Sprinkle with extra mozzarella.
-
-
Bake
-
Cover with foil and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 25 minutes.
-
Remove foil and bake 10 more minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
-
Serving Ideas 🍽️
-
Garlic bread
-
Caesar salad
-
Roasted vegetables
💡 Tip: You can prepare stuffed shells a day ahead and refrigerate before baking, or freeze them for an easy future meal.
If you want, I can also show you a very popular restaurant-style ricotta stuffed shells recipe (extra creamy with garlic, herbs, and spinach) that tastes like something from an Italian restaurant.
