Here’s our upgrade on the Italian-American comfort food classic. We used three different cheeses to get the ultra-creamy filling just right. It really balances the tangy homemade tomato sauce.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- Two 28-ounce cans good-quality peeled whole plum tomatoes, crushed
- 1 sprig basil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 9 ounces jumbo dried pasta shells
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta
- 8 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for topping
- 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
Instructions
- For the marinara sauce: Heat the oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, if using, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic has softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat, add the basil and dried oregano, partially cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 45 minutes.
- Remove the basil sprig. If the sauce is still too chunky, mash the larger chunks of tomato with a potato masher. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
- For the shells and filling: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the dried pasta shells cook, stirring occasionally, until softened slightly but not cooked. (The pasta shells should flexible enough to be filled but remain very al dente; they will continue to cook during baking.) Drain, then run under cold water to stop cooking. Drain well again.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley and egg in a large bowl until well combined and uniform. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Transfer the filling to a large disposable pastry bag or large resealable plastic bag (or use a spoon for filling directly from the bowl).
- Spread 2 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Snip off the end of the pastry bag and squeeze the filling into the shells one at a time. Arrange the shells open-side up in a tight single layer in the baking dish as you fill them. Top with the remaining marinara sauce. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake the shells until the sauce is bubbling throughout and the filling is heated through, about 35 minutes.
- Remove the foil from the pan and continue to bake for 10 more minutes to reduce the sauce. Let cool slightly before serving. Top with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 556 |
| Total Fat | 27 g |
| Saturated Fat | 12 g |
| Carbohydrates | 54 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 11 g |
| Protein | 27 g |
| Cholesterol | 99 mg |
| Sodium | 1112 mg |
Reviews
I’ve made different variations in the past but this is by far the best! The only thing I did differently was add some nutmeg to the cheese mixture. Thanks so much!
I really like this recipe. I use store-bought sauce and it comes together quickly. Serve with garlic bread and a tossed green salad for a nice meal.
Great recipe! Made some changes because I didn’t have enough cheese. Added marscapone to the stuffing mixture, toped with sauce, provolone/mozzarella and fresh basil
Do you think it would work to add ground beef?
Loved this recipe! Great for an Italian night and easy to make!
Made these, but used jarred marinara and they were so good. Will definitely be making again.
Best stuffed shells recipe I’ve made so far. I have made lots of different variations of this dish & this one is the best. The sauce is soo good. I will be using this sauce recipe for my base for spaghetti in the future. The shells were perfect. The filling was cheesy but not too cheesy. I was afraid it wouldnt be enough ricotta but it was perfect. I dont like in other recipes where it calls for you to just mix an egg into some ricotta & maybe mix in some basil or parsley, & then bake them in sauce with a thick slab of cheese on top.. the cheese just slides around & doesn’t even taste good. Putting the cheese into the ricotta mixture is brilliant & the results are better than any other stuffed shells I’ve tried. I made this a few nights ago & it was such a big hit my husband requested it again for dinner tonight, so I’m off to the kitchen to whip this up for dinner right now!
Made these for my family today!
Excellent recipe, but I think next time, I may change how much parsley to use.
It was way too over powering for me.
But definitely will be writing this recipe down in my book 🙂
Excellent recipe, but I think next time, I may change how much parsley to use.
It was way too over powering for me.
But definitely will be writing this recipe down in my book 🙂
Everything they make is awesome