Mom saved this recipe for special holiday times, either for Easter, Christmas, or even for a family house wedding party, and considered these her specialty back in the 1950s.
These jumbo pasta shells are perfect for entertaining and for any occasion; they are simple to make with a few basic ingredients.
Through the years, we have added spinach to the ricotta or even made it stuffed with meatballs and sausage from noncheese lovers, so the stuffing can be very versatile and adapted.
If you're a cheese lover, then you are going to love these stuffed shells because they are loaded with ricotta, Pecorino Romano, and melted mozzarella for that homerun cheese lover all in one pan.
We love all kinds of baked pasta, and you may also like to try Mom's Baked Lasagna recipe; it's a family favorite.
Scroll down to the bottom for this fantastic version of Mom's recipe for baked stuffed shells.
Why You Will Love Italian American Stuffed Shells Recipe
- Easy one-pan meal: Baked stuffed shells are basically a pasta casserole.
- Great any time of the week: Even though mom made them for just a special occasion, they really are perfect to make ahead of time and freeze for any weeknight meal.
- Versatile and Customizable: Check out below and read through the tricks and easy assortment of fillings you can choose from to make all different kinds of stuffed shells.
- Make ahead: Just fill them, place them on parchment paper with no tomato sauce, freeze, and then put them in freezer containers for another time, super simple and ready for you anytime. I try to make at least 36 at a time for unexpected guests, or when I need to make a birthday dinner, they're right there, ready to be baked.
- Heartier store-bought dinners: Frozen shells can be baked still frozen, just add the tomato sauce and cheese, and a layer of crushed meatballs for a heartier dish.
Pasta Shell Ideas for Stuffed Alternatives
- Jumbo Pasta Shells
- Canneloni Shells
- Rigatoni
- Paccheri
- Roll Lasagna sheets
- Manicotti
Tips and Suggestions for Making Stuffed Shells:
- Make the filling while the pasta is cooking
- Never rinse pasta; the sauce won't stick to the pasta
- Always add salt to the water when boiling the pasta
- Only use fresh herbs, not dried ones
- You can use low-fat ricotta, but you will require an extra egg, as it's much more watery
- For a little heat, add some red pepper flakes when serving
- Add more grated cheese on top and serve with garlic bread to dip in the delicious sauce
- Place stuffed shells on parchment paper, single, then freeze. When solid, add to freezer bags for a future meal.
Other Fillings To Try
- mushrooms cooked, added to the ricotta 8 ounces
- spinach cooked and water squeezed out, added to the ricotta, 10 ounces
- mashed meatballs and sausage instead of ricotta cheese topping with mozzarella
- for an American Mexican version, make a seasoned beef or rotisserie chicken for a taco stuffed shell, and top with cheddar cheese using salsa instead of tomato sauce
- for a Southwestern version, black beans, corn, and taco meat with cheddar cheese, using salsa instead of tomato sauce
- sliced pepper hot or sweet, mushrooms and Italian sausage, chopped fresh tomatoes, also using the ricotta filling first, then topped with meat
- add shredded zucchini or shredded eggplant, mixed with mashed meatballs and mozzarella for a filling
- for seafood filled add shrimp to the ricotta filling and use an Alfredo Sauce or Scampi sauce, instead of tomato sauce
- for pizza stuffed shells used chopped pepperoni, Italian sausage adding tomato sauce to the filling and mozzarella then topped with pizza sauce and more cheese
- add shredded or finely minced chicken, chicken gravy, and cooked rice
Pin for later
Other Recipes To Try
Grandma's Spaghetti and Meatballs
Pasta Fazool
Authentic Fettucine Alfredo not the American version
Homemade Orecchiette Pasta
Mom's Italian Baked Stuffed Shells
Yield: 36
Prep time: 25 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 45 Min
These are jumbo pasta shells with ricotta cheese filling in each one. Then baked topped with homemade Italian tomato sauce and lots of
melted mozzarella cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 boxes of Jumbo Shell Pasta (around 36) cooked al dente to package instructions
- Filling:
- 3 extra-large eggs
- 2 - 15-ounce containers of Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella, and (2 cups for the top for baking)
- 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano grated cheese
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian basil
- 4 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
- salt and pepper to taste ( I usually add around 1 teaspoon each)
- 4 - Cups Homemade Traditional Sunday Meat Sauce (or use your favorite store-bought)
Instructions
- Bring an 8-quart pot of water to a boil, adding 2 teaspoons of salt.
- Add the shells, cook al dente according to package instructions.
- Drain, do not rinse.
- In the meantime, mix all the ingredients for just the filling and set aside.
- Cool shells long enough to handle them or wear gently, life each one with a large spoon, then open to fill.
- Fill each shell with ricotta filling.
- In a large deep baking casserole dish, add some tomato sauce to cover the bottom of the dish,
- Place the filled shells on the sauce, and add more sauce to the top of each shell.
- Cover the tops of the shells generously with whole milk mozzarella (the 2 cups or more remaining in the ingredients section).
- Bake in a 350-degree preheated oven until the cheese is just melted, around 20 minutes.
- Serve with garlic bread and antipasto if desired.
Calories
175.68Fat (grams)
2.33Sat. Fat (grams)
1.23Carbs (grams)
22.22Fiber (grams)
0.25Net carbs
11.97Sugar (grams)
0.64Protein (grams)
2.57Sodium (milligrams)
71.09Cholesterol (grams)
25.82Pin for later
More Recipes To Try
Seafood and Crab Lemon Scampi Pasta15 Favorite Easy Pasta Recipes
Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2009. It was edited and re-published in 2021.
