Beef Stuffed Shells
Beef stuffed shells filled with ground beef, ricotta, and parmesan, baked in marinara and topped with melted mozzarella. A classic Italian-American baked pasta dinner.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 585kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 20-24 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 lb ground beef 85/15
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan plus more for serving
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 cups marinara sauce divided
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
- fresh basil or parsley chopped, for serving
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Boil the jumbo shells in salted water until just shy of al dente, a minute or two under the box time. Drain and set aside.
- Brown the beef: In a skillet, brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic over medium-high heat, breaking up the beef, about 7-8 minutes, until the onion softens and no pink remains. Drain off the grease and let cool slightly.
- Mix the filling: In a bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Fold in the cooled beef mixture.
- Stuff the shells: Spread 1 cup of marinara in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Fill each shell with a heaping spoonful of the beef and ricotta filling and arrange in the dish.
- Top and bake: Pour the remaining marinara over the shells and sprinkle with mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes, then uncover and bake another 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden in spots.
- Serve: Top with fresh basil or parsley and extra parmesan before serving.
Notes
Let the browned beef cool a few minutes before folding it into the ricotta, or the cheese filling turns soft and hard to scoop into the shells.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 585kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 1060mg | Potassium: 770mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g