Cheesy Stuffed Shells
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In this classic Italian stuffed shells recipe, there’s no need to parboil the pasta—just stuff, bake, and enjoy!
When I think of classic Italian stuffed shells, I think of cozy Sunday night dinners around the table with family, with both adults and kids eagerly diving into their favorite comfort food. This recipe, adapted from Big Flavors from Italian America by America’s Test Kitchen, fits that bill perfectly. The recipe is fairly simple to make because there’s no need to parboil the shells before stuffing them. Instead, the shells are smothered in a thin tomato sauce prior to baking, ensuring the pasta cooks through. The filling is loaded with flavor, thanks to a blend of creamy ricotta, gooey fontina, and salty Pecorino Romano cheeses, as well as garlic, basil, and oregano. Finally, to make the dish even more irresistible, a generous sprinkle of fontina cheese over the shells creates a rich, cheesy topping. Even without any meat, this dish is as satisfying as the heartiest lasagna.
To stuff the shells, disposable pastry bags come in handy (and you can use them for decorating cakes and cookies or filling deviled eggs, too). However, if you don’t have them, a ziplock bag with a snipped corner does the job well.
“Well, this is one of the best Italian-style meals that I’ve ever made. It cooked perfectly and it tasted fantastic! Raves all around for this one.”
What You’ll Need To Make Stuffed Shells
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Used to sauté the onion and garlic, it creates a rich, flavorful base for the sauce.
- Yellow Onion and Garlic: These aromatics build depth and savory notes, making the sauce aromatic and robust.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: Add a subtle kick of heat, balancing the richness of the cheese and tomatoes.
- Crushed Tomatoes: Form the heart of the sauce, providing a thick, velvety texture and fresh tomato flavor.
- Water: Ensures the sauce simmers to the perfect consistency while maintaining balance.Sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness to offset the tomatoes’ natural acidity.
- Ricotta, Fontina or Mozzarella, and Pecorino Romano: Combine to create a creamy, melty, and slightly tangy filling for the shells. Make sure to buy whole milk ricotta for a smooth, creamy texture.
- Eggs: Bind the filling, ensuring it holds its shape and doesn’t ooze out during baking.
- Cornstarch: Stabilizes the filling while keeping it light and smooth for easy piping.
- Fresh Basil and Dried Oregano: The herbs infuse both the filling and sauce with bright and earthy notes.
- Jumbo Pasta Shells: Their sturdy shape holds the rich filling and absorbs the flavorful sauce during baking.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the Sauce
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, salt, and pepper.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds (don’t brown the garlic).
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, water, and sugar and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until flavors have melded, about 5 minutes. (The cooled sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
Step 2: Make the Filling
Combine the ricotta cheese, shredded fontina (or whole-milk mozzarella) cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, eggs, basil, cornstarch, garlic, oregano, and salt in a bowl.
Mix until thoroughly combined.
Transfer the filling to pastry bag or large zipper-lock bag. (If using a zipper-lock bag, be sure the corners are square; the rounded-corner bags are difficult to use.)
Step 3: Stuff and Bake the Shells
Adjust the oven rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the shells open-side up on the counter. Cut ½-inch off of the tip or corner of the bag.
Pipe the filling into shells until each is full.
Spread 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Transfer the shells, open side up, to the prepared dish.
Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the shells to completely cover.
Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until the shells are tender and the sauce is boiling rapidly, about 45 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and discard the foil.
Sprinkle the fontina (or mozzarella) over top. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the cheese is lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
Let the dish cool, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes (this rest is essential to fully cook the pasta).
Sprinkle with the basil and serve.
Make-Ahead, Freezing & Storage Instructions
The stuffed shells can be assembled and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead of time, or frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then proceed with the baking instructions in the recipe. You can also freeze leftover stuffed shells; if time allows, thaw before reheating, then cover with foil, and heat in a 325°F (165°C) oven until hot.
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Cheesy Stuffed Shells
In this classic Italian stuffed shells recipe, there’s no need to parboil the pasta—just stuff, bake, and enjoy!
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
For the Filling
- 1¼ cups (10 oz) whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1 cup (4 oz) shredded fontina or whole-milk mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup (3.5 oz) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Shells
- 25 to 30 jumbo pasta shells, from a 1-lb box (use only open, unbroken shells)
- 2 cups (8 oz) shredded fontina or whole-milk mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- For the sauce: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds (don’t brown the garlic). Stir in the crushed tomatoes, water, and sugar and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until flavors have melded, about 5 minutes. (The cooled sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
- For the filling: Stir all the ingredients in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Transfer the filling to pastry bag or large zipper-lock bag, and cut ½-inch off of the tip or corner of the bag. (If using a zipper-lock bag, be sure the corners are square; the rounded-corner bags are difficult to use.)
- For the shells: Adjust the oven rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the shells open side up on the counter. Pipe the filling into shells until each is full.
- Spread 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of 9x13-inch baking dish. Transfer the shells, open side up, to the prepared dish. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the shells to completely cover.
- Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until the shells are tender and the sauce is boiling rapidly, about 45 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and discard the foil; sprinkle the fontina or mozzarella over top. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the cheese is lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Let the dish cool, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes (this rest is essential to fully cook the pasta). Sprinkle with the basil and serve.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The stuffed shells can be assembled and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead of time, or frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then proceed with the baking instructions in the recipe. Leftover stuffed shells can also be frozen; if time allows, thaw before reheating, then cover with foil, and heat in a 325°F oven until hot.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 563
- Fat: 26 g
- Saturated fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Sugar: 8 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Sodium: 783 mg
- Cholesterol: 121 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I’m going to make this on Sunday. Would it be better to grate rather than shred the fontina cheese for the filling to make it easier to get through the small opening of the pastry bag? Thanks!
Hi John, I didn’t have a problem the shredded cheese as it comes together with the other ingredients and pipes in easily. That said, feel free to grate it if you feel more comfortable with that. Hope you enjoy!
I couldn’t find large shells anywhere-looked at 3 different stores – out of stock at each store for large shells only – all other pasta shapes were in stock…go figure. Decided to try manicotti shells instead and the dish came out spectacularly. I prepared it 24 hours in advance and refrigerated before baking the next night. First bite and the consensus was “wow, this is delicious” – better than any Italian restaurant version. Thanks for yet another delicious staple recipe I’ll use often. It’s a perfect make-ahead dish for guests. You are definitely my go-to recipe chef!
Must admit I was skeptical about filling the shells before cooking them, but they turned out perfect! My wife and daughter loved this recipe, and so did I. Thanks so much!
For the filling, it “stir all ingredients until combined” but then it says to sprinkle at the end with fontina and then basil. I hadn’t read ahead and put the basil in with the mix. Should I have reserved some and set aside or was I to put the basil and fontina in twice?
Hi Shoba, For the filling, it’s correct to add the 1 cup of fontina and the 3 tablespoons basil to the mixture. For the shells portion of the recipe, you’ll add the 2 cups of fontina during the baking and the 1 tablespoon of basil at the end right before serving. Please LMK if you need any more clarification. 🙂
Hi Jenn. My family and I love your recipes and cookbooks. In fact, we all have your cookbooks now. Could this recipe be made ahead of time and frozen? Thanks!!
So glad you like the recipes and cookbooks! 💗
You can freeze this — see the bottom of the recipe for freezer-friendly instructions.
Hi Jenn,
Made this tonight and it earned me rave reviews with the fam! Thank you! I did have an interesting question, I live in Australia and of course use the metric system and have never had an issue with measurements on your site. But….in making this, for the amount of shells in grams that you noted, I ended up needing to double filling, to about 600 g ricotta to fill the shells! Why would that be? It was delicious and thank goodness I did have extra ricotta on hand! 🙂 Loved this recipe.
Hi Steph! So glad your family enjoyed it! The recipe calls for 25 to 30 shells, from a 1-lb/454-g box, but you won’t use the whole box. Hope that clarifies!
Oh lol, so I actually did double the recipe, that is so funny. I misread and thought it said there were 25-30 in the 454 grams. Haha! Well, good thing I doubled it, it all vanished! 🙂 Thank you!
Made these tonight- halved the recipe except the salt- went all in on the salt because there was some Pinot Noir involved and I forgot to reduce the amount used. Our home smells so wonderful and the shells were delicious, though I recommend not doubling the salt called for. Will definitely make again.
I’m just praising the owner/creater of this fabulous website for publishing some of the most delicious and easy to do dishes I’ve ever experienced. Thank you!
I agree! The website is so user friendly and the recipes are fabulous. My cousin shared the website with me and her comment was “I no longer stress out about making a new recipe when having guests for dinner…..because every single thing I’ve made from Jenn’s collection has been wonderful!” I feel the same way! So thankful she shared her secret with me! Thank you Jenn for all the time and effort you put into this website!
Excellent. Whole family liked this recipe and that makes it a keeper!
Absolutely delicious!