This is the best ricotta stuffed shells recipe! Were talking pure Italian comfort food that will be on the table in about an hour.
Pasta shells are messily stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese then covered in my all-time favorite homemade marinara sauce. Top the whole thing with even more cheese and bake until the whole house smells of bubbling marinara and melted cheese.
I dont think there is any combination of pasta, marinara sauce, and cheese that I dont love.
Lasagna, obvi. But also, Meatballs and Marinara served with handfuls of grated parmesan. And, tender ravioli stuffed with cheese and smothered in sauce. Or simply a plateful of spaghetti noodles, marinara, and grated parmesan.
All of these delicious dishes require great pasta and copious amounts of cheese. But, what really separates “pretty good” from “cant-stop-eating-this-because-its-sooooo-delicious” is the marinara sauce.
So, this recipe begins with a big pot of my all-time favorite Homemade Marinara. This sauce is guaranteed to make your house smell like an Italian grandmother moved in and started cooking for you.
The recipe includes a bit of red wine, plus plenty of garlic, onions, crushed red pepper, Italian herbs, and fresh basil and parsley. It’s incredibly rich and thick, and so packed with flavor that you wont be able to stop yourself from eating it by the spoonful. (Dont even try.)[feast_advanced_jump_to]
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Stuffed shells can get watery for a few different reasons. One reason could be that the shells were not cooked long enough and they released water while cooking. Another reason could be that the filling was too wet, which made the shells soggy.
Step-by-Step Photos and Instructions
Making the filling is as simple as dumping everything into a bowl and mixing it up, but stuffing the shells can get a bit messy.
Do not try to get the filling into the pasta shells all neat and tidy like. The shells are going to get covered in marinara and even more mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Just shove the filling in there all willy-nilly then cover them up with spoonfuls of marinara and a ridiculous amount of cheese, and bake.
Homemade Marinara requires only about 15 minutes of hands-on time, but needs to simmer for at least 2 hours, so plan ahead.
Get the sauce going a couple of hours before you want to start stuffing the shells – OR, make it in advance.
You’ll only need half the recipe for these shells. So either make half the recipe, or store the leftover in your refrigerator or freezer for another day.
Fill a large saucepan about ⅔ full of water and add enough salt to make the water taste salty. Bring the water to a boil then add the pasta shells.
Cook the shells until they are slightly underdone. Drain in a colander placed in the sink. Run cold water over the shells to cool them down, then dump them into a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil to keep them from sticking together.
Add the ricotta, egg, ½ teaspoon salt, chives, and Italian seasoning to a bowl and add some of the mozzarella and grated parmesan. Give it a stir to make sure all the ingredients are combined.
Spread a bit of marinara sauce over the bottom of a baking dish.
Stuff each pasta shell with a generous amount of ricotta filling, setting the stuffed shells in the pan, open side up.
Cover the stuffed shells with marinara sauce.
Cover the whole thing with more grated parmesan and mozzarella.
Cover and bake for about 20 minutes then remove the cover and continue baking until the sauce around the edges of the pan is bubbling and the cheese is melted.
Sprinkle with some chopped fresh parsley and devour.
Ingredients Needed to Prepare this Recipe
This recipe for 3-cheese stuffed shells includes a combination of whole milk ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese plus a generous amount of Italian seasoning and some fresh chives for the shell filling. The result is a rich, cheesy filling packed with plenty of fresh flavors.
- Marinara sauce, preferably homemade marinara.
- 26 – 30 Jumbo Pasta Shells. I usually use Barilla Jumbo Shells.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Whole milk ricotta cheese. I strongly suggest using whole milk ricotta cheese in these stuffed shells, not part skim.
- An egg
- Salt
- Fresh chives
- Italian Seasoning
- Grated mozzarella cheese
- Grated parmesan cheese
How to Make Stuffed Shells
FAQ
Why did my stuffed shells watery?
How do you fix runny whipped ricotta?
How do you thicken ricotta cheese?
How do you cook jumbo shells without them breaking?