Stuffed Shells with Meat (Easy + Customizable!)
Stuffed Shells with Meat are easy to make, fun to eat, and loaded with cheese, marinara, and whatever meat you like, such as ground beef, ground turkey, Italian sausage, or even diced cooked chicken!
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If you enjoy Italian-inspired comfort food, you'll also love Easy Baked Gnocchi, 30-Minute Skillet Lasagna, and Five Cheese Ziti al Forno!
Sometimes nothing hits the spot like a big plate of cheesy, red sauce-slathered, pasta-laden comfort food. And if that sounds good, Stuffed Shells with Meat are exactly what you're looking for!
This recipe has the cheese (plenty of it). It has the red sauce (seasoned to perfection). And it has the pasta (in the form of jumbo shells).
But best of all, you can incorporate your favorite type of meat (or whatever you happen to have on hand) into the filling! Ground beef, Italian sausage, ground turkey, leftover diced chicken...these stuffed shells are delectable no matter how you decide to customize them!
Ingredients
Common ingredients combine for a comfort food dinner that's truly delicious!
- Pasta shells. This recipe was developed using Barilla jumbo pasta shells, which I highly recommend, as they're the perfect size for stuffing.
- Ground meat. As mentioned above, you can use whatever type of meat you like, or whatever leftover meat you may need to us up! Ground beef, ground turkey, or Italian sausage should be browned and drained before adding them to the filling. If you're using cooked diced chicken or another meat that's already cooked, you can simply stir it right into the filling.
- Cottage cheese. I like making this recipe with small-curd cottage cheese for an extra boost of protein, but you could certainly substitute traditional ricotta, if you like.
- Egg. To help bind the filling.
- Shredded cheese. Either mozzarella or Italian blend will work.
- Grated Parmesan. Freshly grated, or you can buy it pre-grated (or even shredded).
- Marinara sauce. Or pasta sauce. You can use homemade or a good-quality store-bought jarred sauce.
- Tomato paste + balsamic vinegar. For depth of flavor.
- Dried herbs + spices. Namely, parsley, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Pinch of sugar OR squeeze of honey. Optional, but a small amount of either will mellow out any acidity in your tomato sauce.
How to Make Stuffed Shells
(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
This Stuffed Shells recipe with meat may seem like it's complicated, but when broken down step-by-step, it really couldn't be any simpler.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the pasta shells and slightly undercook them according to the package directions...they should be not quite al dente. (This will help the shells not fall apart when you stuff them, and they'll continue to cook and soften later in the oven.) Rinse the pasta shells with cold water; drain and set aside.
- While the pasta shells are cooking, brown the ground beef/ground turkey/Italian sausage over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Drain and season to taste, with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool. (Of course, if using cooked diced chicken or another pre-cooked meat, you can skip this step.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease or generously spray an approximately 9- by 13-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, stir together the cottage cheese, egg, half of the shredded mozzarella, half of the grated Parmesan, and the dried parsley until well-combined.
- Stir in the cooled, cooked meat and then set aside.
- In another bowl, combine the marinara, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and sugar or honey.
- Spread 1 cup pasta sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Use a spoon to carefully fill the cooked pasta shells with the cottage cheese/meat mixture. Arrange each stuffed shell, seam side up, on top of the pasta sauce in the baking dish. And If you have any filling leftover after all of the shells have been stuffed, you can either stuff it into less-full shells or dollop it over the tops of the shells in the dish!
- Pour the remaining pasta sauce over the tops of the shells, making sure that they’re all covered.
- Sprinkle with the remaining shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan. Cover tightly with foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes or until the cheese is completely melted.
And that's it! Get ready to dig into a big, cheesy plate of Stuffed Shells with Meat!
Tips + Tricks
● COOKING THE MEAT: If making this recipe with meat that’s sold in a 1-pound package, I go ahead and cook the full pound, then drain and season with salt and pepper. I use half of the cooked meat in this recipe and transfer the other half to a freezer-thickness zip-top bag. I label and freeze it (for up to 3 months) to use in future recipes.
● SUBSTITUTING SPINACH: If you prefer, you can substitute a 10-ounce box of frozen chopped spinach for the meat. Thaw and drain the spinach, squeezing out all of the water (I put it in a sieve lined with paper towels and press down with a spoon to extract as much water as possible) before stirring it into the cottage cheese mixture in place of cooked meat.
● EQUALLY FILLING THE SHELLS: To help fill my shells equally, I smooth my filling into an even layer in the bowl and then use a butter knife to cut it into fourths (like a pie). Then I use a spoon to fill my shells, knowing that each “fourth” of the filling should be divided between about 4 ½ shells, for a grand total of 18 shells. But if you’re not quite as Type A as I am, feel free to wing it! 😉
Freezing Instructions
If you double this recipe and make it in two dishes (in order to use up an entire 12-ounce box of jumbo shells), you can freeze one dish for a future meal!
Assemble as directed, but do not bake. Cover tightly with two layers of heavy-duty foil or three layers of regular foil. Label and freeze for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to enjoy your Stuffed Shells with Meat, transfer the dish to the refrigerator 24 hours before you plan to bake it. Remove all but one layer of foil, and allow the dish to come to room temperature while the oven preheats to 350°F.
Bake, covered, for 40 minutes, and then uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted and the shells are heated through.
While I prefer thawing it first, this recipe can be baked directly from frozen. However, I would recommend assembling it in a disposable aluminum pan if that’s your plan, since a ceramic dish may experience thermal shock and shatter if it goes directly from the freezer to the oven. Also, the baking time from frozen will need to be increased to around 1 ½ hours. Then uncover and continue baking until the cheese is melted and the shells are hot in the center.
The next time you're looking for a recipe to use up some leftover meat, Stuffed Shells with Meat is the answer!
And the next time you're working on stocking the freezer with meals -- or wanting to share a meal with another family -- this recipe is a cinch to double.
Or the next time you want to wow your family or dinner guests with comforting, cheesy, scrumptious Italian-esque comfort food, this stuffed shells recipe with meat won't steer you wrong.
I hope you have a chance to try this delectable dinner recipe soon! 🙂
More Easy Italian Pasta Dinners
Stuffed Shells with Meat (Easy + Customizable!)
Ingredients
- 18 jumbo pasta shells, about half of a 12-ounce box
- ½ pound ground beef, ground turkey, or Italian sausage (OR 1 ½ cups cooked diced chicken)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 (15-ounce) tub small-curd cottage cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella OR Italian blend cheese, DIVIDED
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan, DIVIDED
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 3 cups marinara/pasta sauce, homemade or 1 (24- to 28-ounce) jar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of sugar OR small squeeze of honey, optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the pasta shells and slightly undercook according to package directions (until not quite al dente, as the pasta will continue to cook and soften later in the oven). Rinse with cold water and drain; set aside.
- While the shells are cooking, brown the ground beef/ground turkey/Italian sausage over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Drain and season to taste, with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool. (If using cooked diced chicken, you can skip this cooking step.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease or generously spray with cooking spray a 3-quart/9- by 13-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, stir together the cottage cheese, egg, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, ¼ cup grated Parmesan, and dried parsley until well-combined. Stir in the cooled, cooked meat; set aside.
- In another bowl, combine the marinara, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and sugar or honey (if using).
- Spread 1 cup pasta sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Use a spoon to carefully fill the cooked pasta shells with the cottage cheese/meat mixture. Arrange each stuffed shell, seam side up, on top of the pasta sauce in the baking dish. (If you have any filling leftover after all of the shells have been stuffed, you can stuff it into less-full shells or dollop it over the tops of the shells in the dish.)
- Pour the remaining pasta sauce over the tops of the shells, making sure that they’re all covered. Sprinkle with the remaining shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes or until the cheese is completely melted.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- This recipe was tested using Barilla Jumbo Shells. I boiled them for 10 minutes before draining.
- If making this recipe with meat that’s sold in a 1-pound package, I go ahead and cook the full pound, then drain and season with salt and pepper. I use half of the cooked meat in this recipe and transfer the other half to a freezer-thickness zip-top bag. I label and freeze (for up to 3 months) to use in future recipes.
- You can use whole milk, low-fat, or fat-free cottage cheese. Or you can substitute ricotta for the cottage cheese, if you like.
- You can substitute a 10-ounce box of frozen chopped spinach for the meat, if you wish. Thaw and drain, squeezing out all of the water (I put it in a sieve lined with paper towels and press down with a spoon to extract as much water as possible) before stirring it into the cottage cheese mixture.
- To help fill my shells equally, I smooth my filling into an even layer in the bowl and then use a butter knife to cut it into fourths (like a pie). Then I use a spoon to fill my shells, knowing that each “fourth” of the filling should be divided between about 4 ½ shells, for a grand total of 18 shells.
- The optional sugar/honey is to balance the acidity of the tomato sauce. It won’t make the sauce taste sweet.
- If you’re short on time, you can use a jar of marinara/pasta sauce without adding the tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and sugar. Those ingredients just serve to make jarred marinara taste more like homemade.
- Line up your shells in 3 rows of 6. I prefer placing my shells seam side up so that the filling doesn’t all leak out.
- I make this recipe in a 3-quart rectangular baking dish I have that actually measures 9- by 12- by 3-inches, which provides a snugger fit for the shells.
- FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS: If you double this recipe and make it in two dishes (in order to use up an entire 12-ounce box of jumbo shells), you can freeze one dish for a future meal. Assemble as directed, but do not bake. Cover tightly with two layers of heavy-duty foil or three layers of regular foil, label, and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy your Stuffed Shells, transfer the dish to the refrigerator 24 hours before you plan to bake it. Remove all but one layer of foil, and allow the dish to come to room temperature while the oven preheats to 350°F. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes, and then uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted and the shells are heated through.
- This recipe can be baked directly from frozen, but I would recommend assembling it in a disposable aluminum pan if that’s your plan. A ceramic dish may experience thermal shock and shatter if it goes directly from the freezer to the oven. Also, the baking time from frozen will need to be increased to around 1 ½ hours, and then uncover and continue baking until the cheese is melted and the shells are hot in the center.
