Stuffed Shells With Ground Beef

It’s seriously the ultimate comfort food! All recipes are rigorously tested in our Nashville Test Kitchen to ensure they are easy, affordable, and delicious. “Followed method exactly, so delicious.

Served with roasted broccoli. Thanks for adding salt to the method instead of explaining “to taste”. I’ve seen so many blogs do that, even when the filling has raw egg.

My Easy Take on Stuffed Shells

Stuffed shells are a baked pasta dish made with jumbo pasta shells that are stuffed with lots of cheesy goodness. Traditional stuffed shells don’t usually include meat, but I decided to add a meat sauce to make this recipe hearty and a lot more filling.

I only use 1/2 lb. of meat to keep it budget-friendly, but it still makes more than enough sauce! This easy pasta method is delicious, super fun to eat, and can easily feed a large family.

Recipe Tips and Variations

- This recipe makes approx. 24 stuffed shells, but I suggest boiling 2 or 3 extra shells just in case a couple of them rip during the stuffing process. - Feel free to use a full pound of meat if you’re a meat lover and have the extra room in your budget.

I tested this recipe using both ½ lb. and 1 lb. of ground beef, and the ½ lb. ended up making more than enough meat sauce for me. If you decide to use a full pound, you will need to add a little more marinara sauce.

Alternatively, you can in addition leave the meat out altogether! - Four shells each is the serving size for this recipe, but if you really want to make this meal stretch, and if you’re serving it with other sides, you can easily get 8 servings with 3 shells each.

- I like the convenience of buying a good-quality jar of marinara sauce. It’s crushed tomatoes with extra herbs & spices combined all in one jar! But you can in addition make our homemade marinara sauce instead!

- The cheese filling for these stuffed shells is so flavorful and oh so good! It’s a combination of ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese.

If you don’t love ricotta, you could swap some of it for cottage cheese. I haven’t tried using just cottage cheese (in place of the ricotta), but if you do, let me know how it goes in the comments below.

- And if you love the combination of pesto and spinach, then you have to try out our Pesto Stuffed Shells next!

Stuffed Shells with Ground Beef

- 24 jumbo pasta shells (about 8 oz., $1.20*) - ½ Tbsp preparation oil ($0.03)

- ½ lb. ground beef chuck ($3.61**) - ½ yellow onion (diced, $0.35)

- 3 garlic cloves (minced, $0.24) - 24 oz. marinara sauce ($1.74)

- 2 Tbsp tomato paste ($0.18) - 1 tsp Italian seasoning ($0.10) - ½ tsp garlic powder ($0.05)

- ¼ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.02) - 1½ cups mozzarella cheese (shredded, $1.40)

Cheese Filling

- 15 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese ($2.67)

- 1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded, $0.97) - ½ cup Parmesan cheese (grated, $0.58)

- ¼ cup fresh parsley (chopped, $0.24) - ¼ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.02)

- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the jumbo shells.

Cook the shells just until they’re al dente, making sure not to over cook them. The longer the shells boil, the more likely they are to tear during the stuffing process.

Drain the shells in a colander and then rinse briefly with cool water and set aside. - Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the preparation oil.

Brown the ground beef chuck. - Once the beef has browned, add the diced onion and minced garlic to the skillet. Sauté over medium heat until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.

- Next add the marinara sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the beef sauce to simmer for 3-5 minutes.

- While the sauce is simmering, make the cheese filling. In a medium bowl add the ricotta, shredded mozzarella, grated parmesan, fresh chopped parsley, salt, black pepper, and egg.

Stir all of the components together well. - Take half of the beef sauce mixture and layer it at the bottom of a large 9×13-inch casserole dish.

- Now one by one, stuff each shell with 1-2 tablespoons of the cheese filling. I used 1 heaping tablespoon per shell. Place the shells in the casserole dish as you stuff them.

- Once the shells are all stuffed, add the remaining beef sauce over top. Then sprinkle 1 ½ cups of shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top.

- Loosely place some tented aluminum foil over the casserole dish and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes remove the foil and bake uncovered for 5-10 more minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling up around the edges. See how we calculate method costs here.

How to Make Stuffed Shells With Ground Beef Step-by-Step Photos

Boil the pasta: Start by preheating your oven to 350°F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add 24-26 jumbo shells. Cook the shells until al dente. Be careful not to overcook them!

The longer the shells boil, the more likely they are to tear when you stuff them. Drain the cooked pasta shells in a colander and then rinse briefly with cool water (to stop the cooking process) and set aside. Make the meat sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add ½ Tbsp preparation oil.

Once heated, brown ½ lb. ground beef chuck and drain any excess fat. Once the beef has browned, add ½ diced yellow onion and 3 minced garlic cloves to the skillet.

Sauté over medium heat until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Next, add 24 oz. of marinara sauce, 2 Tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp garlic powder, and ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper to the skillet.

Stir to combine with the meat. Turn the heat to medium-low and let the sauce simmer for 3-5 minutes.

Make the cheese stuffing: While the sauce is simmering, make the cheese filling. Add 15 oz. whole milk ricotta, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, ½ cup grated parmesan, ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, and 1 large egg to a medium bowl.

Stir all of the elements together well. Stuff the shells: Take half of the beef sauce mixture and layer it at the bottom of a large 9×13-inch casserole dish. One by one, stuff each shell with 1-2 tablespoons of the cheese filling.

I used 1 heaping tablespoon per shell. Assemble: Place the shells into the casserole dish as you stuff them.

I ended up with 24 stuffed shells. Depending on how much you fill your shells, you may end up with more or less. Once the shells are all stuffed, pour the remaining beef sauce evenly over top.

Bake: Finish with 1½ cups of shredded mozzarella cheese sprinkled evenly over the top. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, remove the foil and bake uncovered for 5-10 more minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling up around the edges. Serve hot with some fresh garlic bread on the side and enjoy!

Make It In Advance

If you want to make these stuffed shells ahead of time, you can assemble the dish the day before through step eight.

Then cover the pan tightly, refrigerate, and bake it the next day. You may need to add a few extra minutes onto the baking time to account for the dish being chilled when it goes into the oven.

Serving Suggestions

I highly recommend serving these stuffed shells with our popular homemade garlic bread.

It’s super easy to make and tastes 10x better than store-bought garlic bread. You can as well add a simple side salad or Caesar salad on the side to complete the meal. The fresh salad cuts through the cheesy, rich pasta in the best way!

This recipe is also a fun change of pace from the usual holiday dishes, so could be a good one to bring to your Christmas table. The cozy marinara and all that melty cheese fit right in with a festive spread, and it travels well if you’re heading to a potluck!

A side of roasted balsamic veggies or a tangy shaved Brussels sprouts salad makes it feel even more seasonal.

Storage & Reheating

You can store any leftover stuffed shells in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. For easy meal prep, be sure to portion them out into separate containers for quick grab-n-go meals during the week!

For longer storage, make sure to first chill the shells in the refrigerator, then transfer to freezer-safe storage containers and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw the shells overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in the microwave or a 350°F oven until heated through.