Here’s a hearty Stuffed Shells with Ground Beef recipe 🥘—creamy, cheesy, and full of flavor:
🥣 Ingredients (4–6 servings):
Pasta & Filling:
- 12–16 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (plus extra for topping)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- Salt, pepper, and Italian herbs (basil, oregano) to taste
Sauce:
- 2 cups marinara or tomato sauce
- Optional: ½ tsp red pepper flakes for spice
👩🍳 Instructions:
1. Cook Pasta
- Boil pasta shells in salted water until al dente
- Drain and set aside
2. Cook Ground Beef
- In a skillet, brown ground beef with onion and garlic
- Drain excess fat
- Season with salt, pepper, and Italian herbs
3. Make Filling
- In a bowl, combine cooked beef, ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, and egg
- Mix until well combined
4. Stuff Shells
- Spoon filling into cooked pasta shells
- Place stuffed shells in a greased baking dish
5. Add Sauce & Cheese
- Pour marinara sauce over shells
- Sprinkle extra mozzarella on top
6. Bake
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F)
- Cover with foil and bake 25–30 minutes
- Remove foil for last 5–10 minutes to brown the cheese
7. Serve
- Serve hot with a side salad or garlic bread
💡 Tips:
- Use a mix of beef and Italian sausage for extra flavor
- Make ahead: Assemble, cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking
- Freeze leftovers (uncooked) in a freezer-safe dish and bake when ready
If you want, I can also give you a quick one-pan stuffed shells version that doesn’t require pre-cooking the pasta, saving time.
Do you want me to do that?
