Stuffed Shells With Ground Beef

    I have a soft spot for pasta recipes, especially ones made with a delicious marinara sauce and covered with lots of gooey cheese like these Stuffed Shells with Ground Beef! These cute little pasta bundles are filled with ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese then covered with a hearty meat sauce. It’s topped with a little more cheese and then baked until bubbly. It’s seriously the ultimate comfort food!

    Overhead view of stuffed shells on a white plate with a fork, napkin, and garlic bread on the side.

    What are Stuffed Shells?

    Stuffed shells is 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. It’s delicious, super fun to eat, and can easily feed a large family!

    Here’s What You’ll Need

    Simple ingredients, big flavor! Here’s everything you need to make this stuffed shells with ground beef recipe:

    • Jumbo shells: You can find jumbo pasta shells in the regular pasta aisle. A 12oz. box contains about 45 shells. I used about 2/3 of a 12oz. box of jumbo shells.
    • Ground chuck: I used 80% lean ground beef chuck to make the meat sauce for this recipe, but you can substitute with Italian sausage or ground turkey if you prefer.
    • Aromatics: Onion and garlic are added to the ground beef to give the sauce lots of flavor.
    • Tomato paste: A little bit of tomato paste added to the sauce helps thicken it up and intensifies the tomato flavor.
    • Marinara sauce: 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 also make our homemade marinara sauce instead!
    • Seasoning: A mix of Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder seasons the rest of the meat sauce.
    • Cheese Filling: The cheese filling for these stuffed shells is so flavorful and oh so good! It’s a combination of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. It’s then seasoned with salt, pepper, and some fresh chopped parsley. An egg is also added to help bind the cheese filling together and keeps the filling moist.

    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.

    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 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.

    Recipe Tips and Variations

    1. 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.
    2. 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 also leave the meat out all together!
    3. 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.
    4. And if you love the combination of pesto and spinach, then you have to try out our Pesto Stuffed Shells next!

    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 also add a simple side salad or Caesar salad on the side to complete the meal.

    Overhead view of stuffed shells in a casserole dish with a wooden spoon on the side.
    Overhead view of stuffed shells on a white plate with a fork cutting one of the shells in half.
    Print

    Stuffed Shells with Ground Beef

    Stuffed Shells with Ground Beef is a hearty baked pasta made with lots of cheesy goodness and a beef marinara sauce. It’s the ultimate comfort food!
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Italian
    Total Cost $17.10 recipe / $2.85 serving
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 45 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour
    Servings 6 (4 shells each)
    Calories 566kcal
    Author Marsha – Budget Bytes

    Ingredients

    • 24 jumbo pasta shells (about 8 oz.) $1.99
    • 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil $0.03
    • 1/2 lb. ground beef chuck $3.37
    • 1/2 yellow onion, diced $0.22
    • 3 cloves of garlic, minced $0.24
    • 24 oz. marinara sauce $3.29
    • 2 Tbsp tomato paste $0.25
    • 1 tsp Italian seasoning $0.10
    • 1/2 tsp salt $0.03
    • 1/2 tsp garlic powder $0.05
    • 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper $0.02
    • 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella $1.86

    Cheese Filling

    • 15 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese $3.39
    • 1 cup shredded mozzarella $1.25
    • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan $0.58
    • 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley $0.24
    • 1/4 tsp salt $0.02
    • 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper $0.02
    • 1 large egg $0.18

    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!

    See how we calculate recipe costs here.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 4shells | Calories: 566kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 31g | Sodium: 1410mg | Fiber: 3g
    Side view of stuffed shells with meat with one shell being lifted out of a casserole dish.

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

    Cooked jumbo shells

    Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add 24-26 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.

    Cooked ground beef in a deep skillet.

    Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil. Brown 1/2 lb. ground beef chuck. Drain any excess fat.

    Diced onion and minced garlic added to ground beef in a skillet.

    Once the beef has browned, add 1/2 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.

    Marinara sauce, tomato paste, and spices added to beef in a skillet.

    Next add 24 oz. of marinara sauce, 2 Tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp freshly cracked 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.

    Stuffed shells cheese mixture ingredients in a bowl.

    While the sauce is simmering, make the cheese filling. In a medium bowl add 15 oz. whole milk ricotta, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, 1/2 cup grated parmesan, 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1 large egg.

    Stuffed shells cheese mixture combined in a bowl.

    Stir all of the ingredients together well.

    Stuffing jumbo shells with cheese mixture.

    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.

    24 stuffed shells in a casserole dish.

    Place the shells in 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.

    Meat and sauce being added on top of stuffed shells.

    Once the shells are all stuffed, add the remaining beef sauce over top.

    Shredded cheese being added on top of stuffed shells in a casserole dish.

    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.

    overhead view of cooked stuffed shells with meat in a casserole dish.

    After 25 minutes remove the foil and bake uncovered for 5-10 more minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling up around the edges.

    Overhead view of stuffed shells on a white plate with a fork cutting one of the shells in half.

    Serve hot with some fresh garlic bread on the side and enjoy!

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