Stuffed Shells With Ground Beef
Stuffed Shells With Ground Beef
Table of Contents
I have a fondness for pasta dishes, particularly those featuring a rich marinara sauce and plenty of melty cheese, like these Stuffed Shells with Ground Beef. These adorable pasta pockets are packed with ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan, smothered in a savory meat sauce. A sprinkle of extra cheese tops it off before baking until bubbly. It truly is the ultimate comfort food.
What are Stuffed Shells With Ground Beef ?
Stuffed shells are a delightful baked pasta dish featuring jumbo shells filled with cheesy goodness. While traditional recipes typically don’t include meat, I chose to add a hearty meat sauce to make this version even more filling. It’s delicious, fun to eat, and perfect for feeding a big family.
Here’s What You’ll Need
Simple ingredients, big flavor! Here’s what you need to make stuffed shells with ground beef:
- Jumbo Shells: You can find these in the pasta aisle—about 45 shells come in a 12 oz. box. For this recipe, I used roughly two-thirds of that box.
- Ground Chuck: I used 80% lean ground chuck for the meat sauce, but you can swap it for Italian sausage or ground turkey if you prefer.
- Aromatics: Adding onion and garlic to the ground beef enhances the sauce’s flavor.
- Tomato Paste: A touch of tomato paste thickens the sauce and deepens the tomato flavor.
- Marinara Sauce: I love the convenience of a good-quality jar of marinara, which combines crushed tomatoes with herbs and spices. Alternatively, you can make your own homemade marinara!
- Seasoning: I seasoned the meat sauce with a blend of Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Cheese Filling: The filling is packed with flavor, featuring a mix of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. It’s seasoned with salt, pepper, and fresh chopped parsley, and an egg is added to bind it all together and keep it moist.
Make It In Advance
If you’d like to prepare these stuffed shells in advance, you can assemble the dish up to step eight the day before. Just cover the pan tightly and refrigerate it overnight. When you’re ready to bake, you may need to add a few extra minutes to the cooking time since the dish will be cold from the fridge.
Storing and Freezing Stuffed Shells
You can store any leftover stuffed shells in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. For convenient meal prep, consider dividing them into individual containers for easy grab-and-go meals throughout the week!
For longer storage, chill the shells in the refrigerator first, then transfer them to freezer-safe containers. They can be frozen for up to three months. To reheat, thaw them overnight in the fridge, then warm them in the microwave or a 350°F oven until heated through.
You may like: Herby Potato Salad
Stuffed Shells with Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 24 jumbo pasta shells about 8 oz.
- 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1/2 lb. ground beef chuck
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 24 oz. marinara sauce
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella
- Cheese Filling
- 15 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- 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 cooking oil. Brown the ground beef chuck. Drain any excess fat.
- 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. Stir to combine. 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 ingredients 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. Serve hot and enjoy.
Notes
Calories: 566kcal
Carbohydrates: 37g
Protein: 34g
Fat: 31g
Sodium: 1410mg
Fiber: 3g
