The first time I made this stuffed shells with meat recipe for my fam, they went crazy. Per usual, I hooked up the recipe Grandbaby Cakes style with a ton of flavor. I stuff the shells with a meaty sausage and herb ricotta cheese filling then top with marinara sauce and melty cheese. It gets all bubbly and is a straight up dream for an easy weeknight dinner along with a caesar salad and homemade garlic bread. Get at it boos.
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How to Make Stuffed Shells
Step 1: Start by preheating your oven to 350°. Add olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Crumble and cook Italian sausage in pan until browned through. Set aside.
Spray your baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Step 2: Spread 1/3 of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the dish. In a large bowl, stir together sausage, ricotta, parmesan, egg yolk, Italian herbs, garlic powder and salt and pepper until combined. Carefully stuff pasta shells with filling (about 1 1/2-2 tablespoons each) and add to the baking dish on top of the sauce.
Step 3: Once all are stuffed and arranged in the dish, pour the rest of the marinara sauce on top and finish by sprinkling cheese over the dish.
Step 4: Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes then remove cover and allow to bake and brown for additional 10 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.
Stuffed Shells Recipe
In my stuffed shells recipe, I add a flavorful sausage and herb ricotta cheese mixture to pasta shells before topping with flavorful marinara and melty cheese!
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Start by preheating your oven to 350°.
Add olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Crumble and cook italian sausage in pan until browned through. Set aside.
Spray your baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Spread 1/3 of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the dish.
In a large bowl, stir together crumbled and cooked sausage, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, the egg yolk, Italian herbs and seasoning, garlic powder and salt and pepper until well combined.
Carefully begin to stuff pasta shells with filling (about 1 1/2-2 tablespoons each) and add to the bottom of the baking dish on top of the sauce.
Once all are stuffed and arranged in the dish, pour the rest of the marinara sauce on top and finish by sprinkling mozzarella cheese over the dish.
Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes then remove cover and allow to bake and brown for additional 10 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.
To Store and Reheat
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze them on a baking sheet before transferring to a freezer bag for up to 2 months.
To reheat , preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place the desired portion in an oven-safe dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, then bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is melted.
Calories: 540kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 1242mg | Potassium: 610mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1030IU | Vitamin C: 8.1mg | Calcium: 381mg | Iron: 2.4mg
Recipe Tips
Shred Yourself: Skip the additives in a pre-shredded cheese package. That cheese just doesn’t melt as well. And we want bomb melt. Grab a block of cheese and grate it yourself.
Don’t Cook All the Way: Keep the shells a little undercooked. This will help them not get too fragile and break while you are stuffing them.
Pipe it In: If you want a clean and easy way to fill your shells, add the filling to a piping bag or snip the side of a ziptop bag off and squeeze the filling in.
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