Beef and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Beef and Ricotta Stuffed Shells is an easy, delicious meal that feels really fancy! The shells are filled with savory ground beef, creamy ricotta, Mozzarella cheese and nestled in marinara sauce.

When I think about stuffed shells, I always think its a hard recipe and will take a lot of time to make, and that is simply not true! Basically, you boil the shells, combine ingredients in a bowl for the meatballs, stuff the shells, and bake! That’s as easy as it gets!

We love spaghetti and lasagna around here and seriously there are days that I crave it. If you are like me, you will love this recipe. Plus, I use to buy meatballs from the store for one of my daughter and I never loved the taste, but I love, love this mixture of flavors in these meatballs.

TIPS AND TRICKS

MARINARA: I love Prego! That is what I used for my sauce. Please use what your family loves. You could even use crushed tomatoes.

VEGGIES: I didn’t use any veggies in my version. Veggies would love to be party of this dish! Spinach, onions, zucchini would be a great addition.

PROTEIN: If hamburger isn’t your jam, but ground turkey or ground chicken would taste fabulous.

CHEESE: Instead of ricotta cheese, you can use cottage cheese or laughing cow cheese. You can also add a 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese to switch it up.

STORAGE: Leftovers? place them in an airtight container and store in the fridge up to 3 days.

Beef and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

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Ingredients

• 1 package jumbo pasta shells
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 3 cups mozzarella shredded
• 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 to 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3/4 cup parmesan shredded
• 16 oz. jar pasta sauce
• 1 tsp salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375° degrees Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with a little olive oil or cooking spray.
2.  Bring a large pot of water with salt to a boil. Add the jumbo pasta shells and cook according to the package directions, usually about 9-11 minutes, until al dente. Drain the cooked shells and lay them on a sheet of parchment paper or a clean kitchen towel to cool and prevent them from sticking together.
3. In a large bowl, Combine the ground beef, ricotta, half the mozzarella cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, beaten egg, and spices. Mix well until fully combined.
4. Stuff the Shells Carefully spoon the beef and cheese mixture into each cooked shell. You can fill them generously without overstuffing. Place each stuffed shell into the prepared baking dish.
5. Once all the shells are filled, pour the marinara sauce evenly over the stuffed shells. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of shredded cheese on top of the sauce.
6. Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil (to prevent the cheese from browning too quickly) and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional baking time of 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly, and the sauce is hot.

Did you try our Beef and Ricotta Stuffed Shells? What did you think? Did you love it? We would love to hear from you! Please leave us a comment below or tag us on Instagram! 

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