Stuffed Shells Recipe: How to Make Stuffed Shells

Stuffed shells are a traditional Italian pasta dish consisting of seashell-shaped large noodles stuffed with a cheesy filling and coated in a robust red sauce. This hearty vegetarian recipe combines three Italian types of cheese—ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan—with garlic and fresh herbs, all of which get stuffed inside pasta shells and baked in marinara sauce. This simple main dish can be on the table in just an hour. You can also prepare it in advance and store it in the freezer to heat it up at your convenience.

Stuffed shells and manicotti are both Italian types of pasta that are stuffed with a cheese mixture and baked in sauce. However, shells and manicotti vary in shape and size. Manicotti, which translates to “little sleeves” or “little muffs” in Italian, is made out of thin, textured tubes of pasta that are stuffed with a meat or ricotta cheese mixture. Stuffed shells are typically made with Conchiglie or the larger Conchiglioni pasta, which are both seashell-shaped noodles.

Stuffed shells are a relatively simple pasta dish to make, but there are a few guiding rules you can follow to make sure that your pasta turns out as best as it can.

1. 1. Don’t overcook the pasta. When making stuffed shells, you want to boil the pasta to just barely al dente. Cook the pasta 1–2 minutes less than the time on the package directions to achieve this effect. The pasta will continue to cook when you stuff it and bake it in the pasta sauce.
   
2. 2. Use high-quality ingredients. This simple Italian recipe allows the flavor of each ingredient to shine. Use high-quality, freshly grated cheeses, premium pasta, and homemade marinara sauce for the best result.
3. 3. Stuff the shells in advance. These ricotta stuffed shells can be prepared 2–3 days in advance for easy meal prep. Stuff the shells with the ricotta mixture and refrigerate in an airtight container. Add the shells to the sauce just before baking them to avoid the noodles becoming soggy.
4. 4. Prep and freeze. This hearty pasta dish can be prepped ahead of time and frozen for a quick weeknight dinner option. Assemble the stuffed shells with the sauce in a freezer-proof aluminum baking dish, cover it with an airtight lid, and freeze in the container. When you’re ready to reheat your pasta, bake the dish straight from the freezer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the cheese is bubbling and the dish is cooked through.
5. 5. Experiment with ingredients. Once you’ve mastered the basics of stuffed shell preparation, play around with different sauces and additional ingredients. Swap the classic red sauce for pesto, alfredo sauce, or a meat sauce with Italian sausage or ground beef. Add cottage cheese to your cheese filling for some extra creaminess. Sprinkle some red pepper flakes into your sauce for some heat.