Stuffed Shells with Meat

5 from 3 votes

Easy stuffed shells with meat and ricotta cheese baked in the oven is a family favorite one pot meal. Use ground beef or sausage mixed with homemade or a jar of spaghetti sauce in a casserole dish.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: baked, cheesy, ground beef, pasta, shells, stuffed

Servings:

Author: Justine

Equipment

1 9x13 pan
1 pot to boil noodles
1 pan

Ingredients

12 oz. jumbo shells
1 lb. ground beef
24 oz spaghetti sauce
1/2 onion diced
1 tsp garlic minced
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 c mozzarella shredded
1 c parmesan grated
3/4 c ricotta

Instructions

Begin to cook pasta according to package instructions. Only cook to al dente, so the noodles still hold their form. Drain and set aside for now. **I cooked my shells for 10 minutes.
In a large skillet, begin to brown the ground beef. Add the chopped onion, minced garlic and Italian seasoning. Continue to saute until the onion is tender and beef is fully cooked. Reserve 4 Tbsp of the sauce. Stir the remaining marinara sauce into the skillet, along with 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and ricotta. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
In a large baking dish (mine was 9x13), spread the 4 Tbsp of marinara sauce on the bottom. Carefully stuff each cooked shell with the ground beef sauce mixture and lay into pan until the baking dish is filled. Top the shells with any leftover sauce.
Then layer with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the top is melted and golden brown. Remove from the oven, allow to sit for 5 minutes and serve.

Nutrition