Stuffed Shells Recipe
Introduction
At Vito’s Italian Cucina, Vito brings classic Italian food into your kitchen with simple ingredients, comforting flavors, and recipes made to be shared. This stuffed shell recipe features jumbo Conchiglioni pasta shells filled with seasoned ground beef, ricotta cheese, creamed spinach, mozzarella, and fresh basil, then baked in a flavorful Italian pasta sauce. These stuffed pasta shells are hearty, cheesy, and perfect for a family dinner.
Watch Vito Make Stuffed Pasta Shells
Watch the full cooking video and follow along as he prepares the filling, fills the jumbo Conchiglioni shells, adds the sauce and cheese, and bakes everything until hot and beautifully melted.
What Goes in Stuffed Shells?
For Vito’s version, the filling includes:
- Ground beef
- Ricotta cheese
- Creamed spinach
- Mozzarella cheese
- Fresh basil
- Pasta sauce
- Salt
- Pepper
- Granulated garlic
The finished shells are topped with additional pasta sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese
Ingredients for Stuffed Shells Recipe
- Jumbo Conchiglioni pasta shells -Setaro Pasta Shells or Rustichella d’Abruzzo shells
- Michaels of Brooklyn Pasta Sauce with Garlic
- 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
- Fresh chopped basil
- 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1 package creamed spinach
- 1 lb ground beef, cooked and finely chopped
- Salt and pepper, to season the beef
- Granulated garlic
- Additional mozzarella cheese for topping
- Parmesan cheese for topping
- Olive oil for the baking pan
How to Make Stuffed Shells
1. Cook the Pasta Shells
Cook the jumbo pasta shells according to the package directions. Vito cooks the shells for about 12 minutes so they remain slightly al dente before going into the oven. The pasta package indicates a cooking range of approximately 11–14 minutes.
2. Prepare the Stuffed Shell Filling
Cook and finely chop the ground beef. Season it with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic.
Add the ground beef to a bowl along with some Michaels of Brooklyn pasta sauce, creamed spinach, mozzarella, fresh chopped basil, and ricotta cheese.
Mix everything together until the ingredients are well combined and creamy. Vito adds ricotta to help keep the filling creamy and together.
3. Prepare the Baking Pan
Add a little olive oil to the bottom of a baking pan and spread a generous layer of pasta sauce across the bottom.
4. Fill the Shells
Fill each jumbo pasta shell with the prepared ground beef and cheese mixture.
Vito uses a simple baggie with the corner cut off to pipe the filling into the shells, making it easier to fill each shell neatly.
Place each filled shell into the baking pan on top of the sauce.
5. Add Sauce and Cheese
Once all the shells are filled, sprinkle mozzarella over the top.
Add more Michaels of Brooklyn pasta sauce, followed by a generous sprinkling of Parmigiano cheese.
6. Bake the Stuffed Shells
Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake the stuffed shells at 360°F for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, remove the foil and continue baking for another 10–15 minutes, until the cheese is beautifully melted and the dish is hot.
7. Rest and Serve
Remove the stuffed shells from the oven and let them rest briefly before serving.
Top with fresh basil and enjoy these delicious Italian stuffed pasta shells. Vito finishes the dish with fresh basil before serving.
What Are Stuffed Shells?
Stuffed shells are large pasta shells designed to hold flavorful fillings. For this recipe, Vito uses jumbo Conchiglioni shells and fills them with ground beef, ricotta cheese, creamed spinach, mozzarella, and fresh basil.
The filled shells are placed over Italian pasta sauce, topped with more sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan, then baked until hot and beautifully melted.
How Long to Bake Stuffed Shells?
For this recipe, Vito bakes the covered stuffed shells at 360°F for 20 minutes. He then removes the aluminum foil and continues baking for another 10–15 minutes, until everything is hot and the cheese is melted.
How to Make the Stuffed Shells Filling
The filling is made by combining cooked, finely chopped ground beef with pasta sauce, creamed spinach, mozzarella, fresh basil, and ricotta cheese. Mix everything together until well combined before piping the filling into the cooked jumbo shells.
More Italian Recipes from Vito’s Italian Cucina
- Struffoli (Italian Honey Balls)-Try Vito’s traditional Italian honey balls for a delicious dessert.
- Strawberry Surprise-A sweet and refreshing recipe to enjoy after your pasta dinner.
- Lemon Garlic Pasta -A simple, flavorful pasta dish with bright lemon and garlic flavors.
- Flatbread Pizza -Make an easy homemade pizza for another Italian-inspired meal.
- Osso Buco Pasta -Discover another hearty Italian pasta recipe from Vito’s kitchen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are stuffed shells?
Stuffed shells are large pasta shells filled with ingredients such as meat, cheese, vegetables, and sauce. In Vito’s recipe, jumbo Conchiglioni shells are filled with ground beef, ricotta, creamed spinach, mozzarella, and basil.
How do you make stuffed shells?
Cook the jumbo shells, prepare the ground beef and cheese filling, fill each shell, place them over pasta sauce, top with more sauce and cheese, and bake at 360°F until hot and melted.
How do you make stuffed shells with ground beef?
Cook and finely chop the ground beef, season it with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic, then combine it with pasta sauce, ricotta, creamed spinach, mozzarella, and fresh basil. Fill the cooked shells with the mixture and bake.
How long do you cook stuffed shells?
For Vito’s recipe, the stuffed shells are covered and baked at 360°F for 20 minutes, followed by another 10–15 minutes uncovered.
What temperature do you bake stuffed shells?
Vito bakes these stuffed shells at 360°F.
Do you cover stuffed shells when baking?
Yes. Vito covers the stuffed shells with aluminum foil for the first 20 minutes, then removes the foil and continues baking for another 10–15 minutes.
Can you make stuffed shells with ricotta cheese?
Yes. Ricotta cheese is one of the main ingredients in Vito’s filling. It is combined with ground beef, creamed spinach, mozzarella, basil, and sauce.
