Stuffed Shells are the epitome of comfort food, and the fact that they can be made ahead of time makes them that much better. They’re surprisingly easy too!
Ben and I sank our teeth into one of our favorite dinners tonight – Stuffed Shells! Stuffed Shells are the epitome of comfort food, and the fact that they can be made ahead of time makes them that much better. They’re surprisingly easy too!
Start by adding a box of jumbo shells to a large pot of salted, boiling water. You’ll need 25 shells.
Stir the shells often as they tend to stick to the bottom of the pot more than regular pasta. They also like to snuggle up all into each other, so separate with a fork if you find any frisky couples. Reserve 1/3 cup cooking water, then drain the shells and return to the pot.
Meanwhile, brown 1lb lean ground beef in a pot next door. Tip: I use a potato masher to get my ground beef uniformly crumbled. Works every time!
After draining the beef, return it to the pot and add in parmesan cheese, an egg, seasonings,
mozzarella cheese and the reserved pasta cooking water. Stir everything up until it’s well combined.
Next, turn your attention to the marinara sauce. Per usual, I used Gino’s.
Layer about 1/3 cup sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan.
Next, take a shell and spoon in enough ground beef mixture to fill about 3/4 of the way full.
Line it up in the baking dish.
Repeat with the remaining ground beef filling and shells. I got a total of 24 shells.
Top the shells with the remaining marinara sauce, and mozzarella cheese. At this point, you could cover the dish with foil, place it in the refrigerator and bake a day later, or cover and bake immediately for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Scoop onto plates then serve! I hope you love these delectable Stuffed Shells that are make ahead too! Enjoy!
Stuffed Shells
Ingredients:
1 box jumbo shells (you’ll need ~25 shells)
1 lb lean ground beef
garlic salt, pepper, onion powder, Italian seasoning to taste
1/3 cup reserved pasta cooking water
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
16 oz marinara sauce
Directions:
- Cook shells according to package direction. Reserve 1/3 cup pasta cooking water, drain the rest and set aside.
- Cook ground beef until no longer pink, drain and return to the pot. Stir in seasonings, reserved pasta cooking water, parmesan cheese, egg and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with a thin layer of marinara sauce. Spoon the beef mixture into the cooked shells until full, then lay into the dish. Spoon remaining marinara sauce over the stuffed shells, and top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. (If you are making ahead of time, cover dish with foil at this point and refrigerate.)
- Bake, loosely covered in foil, in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted. Remove foil and broil for a few minutes until the cheese is golden brown.
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that card is absolutely amazing. my hubby and i have so many inside jokes that would make anyone looking in think we are absolutely, certifiably crazy!
very interesting to hear your report on SFJ. i could definitely stand to reduce the sugar in my diet and your observations are very insightful.
have a great night!
I made it, the box of chocolates I shared with my kids last night was the perfect reward. Love stuffed shells, I always make the Cook Yourself Thin version which is filled with zucchini and spinach.
Oh man, stuffed shells are so good. I have not made them in YEARS. Need to. Thanks for reminding :)
I gave up sugar for about 20 days, only used a little honey here & there. I work out & eat well anyway so I agree w/ you, didn’t feel “better” but notice now when I eat sugar I don’t feel good. One thing I did notice after just a couple days though was my mental clarity was so much better! I would remember why I went into a room lol! The mental fog was definitely gone, and that surprised me big time.
buahahahahaha!
i’m trying to picture him actually picking it up and buying it at the store! that’s a great husband you got there…even if he isn’t a vampire ;p
Aww, I know, right? Poor guy! ;)
I got my husband that same card…thought it was hilarious…and appropriate :)
This looks so great. I just posted my “essential pantry” that i developed while living in Iowa. This recipe could be made from that pantry. Thanks for the idea. I will pass it on to my friends.
Made your Hamburger Mac & Cheese tonight with a side of sauteed spinach. OMG. So fabulous! I’ve made quite a few meals from your recipes and have never been disappointed. So nice to have healthy options that aren’t loaded with salt and butter! Thanks!
Haha, that card is perfect! Loved hearing your recap of the sugar reduction. I always find that when I place restrictions on myself and my diet, I only crave it more.
Although I didn’t participate, I can TOTALLY agree with you on how my body reacts to sugar…. even too much NATURAL sugar doesn’t agree with me and it holds on to pounds on me. This pasta look great!
Those stuffed shells look so darn good! Is the egg for extra protein or for holding the filling together? I don’t think I have ever seen that in a recipe.
Kristen, I stumbled upon an article talking about the theories of Food Combining/ Ayurveda. I’ve never heard of this, but my ears pricked when I saw #7- Melon and Proscuitto. Have you ever heard of this or noticed any of the effects the article mentions?
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-3615/10-Common-Food-Combinations-That-Wreak-Havoc-on-Your-Health.html
I made it. I even have a half eaten chocolate bar in my desk – from before the challenge – its still there. I also exercise and east well but this helped me the lose the last 5 lbs. I needed to shed. Feels so much better.
I’ve began the South Beach Diet three weeks ago so I guess I’ve gone that long without sugar and I feel good for doing it. Great idea to eliminate sugar! Oh no, next month has lots of my family’s birthday’s in it! I’m going to watch you blog for creative ideas!
Hi!
I am so excited about your blog and have been doing a bunch of your treadmill workouts and using your recipes!
I am wondering how you did it with giving up sugar??? I am having sooo much trouble its insane. I would really like to not have it in my everyday, but have difficulty satiating myself in other ways…advice?
Thanks!
I am having a really hard time, too! I eat chocolate every.single.day and I don’t know how to stay away from the sweet stuff!
It sucks, and it’s hard, and temptations are at every turn (sorry!) but the trick is to be prepared with healthy treats for your sweet tooth. Pineapple, Clementines, apples, dates and dried figs were my favorite. Also have plenty of frozen bananas on hand to make frozen banana ice cream, and stock up on freeze dried fruit from Target!!
Kristin,
I discovered years ago that there is no need to cook the pasta before baking. I prepare my filling then use an iced tea spoon (cuz they’re long and skinny) to fill the dry shells. I fill the pasta sauce jar 1/2 full of water and swish it around to get the extra sauce into the liquid. I pour this over the stuffed pasta before I place it in the oven. As the dish bakes the dried pasta soaks up the water and “cooks” while it’s in the oven if the pan is covered in foil. The mozarella is added after the foil is removed when it comes out of the oven. Makes the prep so much easier. Guess your’re going to have to make stuffed whatever sooner than one year from now to see if you like this suggestion. Mangia!
I’ve tried that with the “No-Boil” Lasagna noodles, and have had no luck. Do you cook it longer and at a lower temperature than usual? Would certainly make FILLING them easier! :D
Filling is actually very very easy, and not messy at all. I’d give it a go! :)
Carly,
Yes, I do bake it longer. Usually 350 degrees for 1 hour, removing the foil about 10 minutes before it comes out of the oven. Any pasta will do, it doesn’t have to be labeled “no boil”.
What a great card!!
Congrats on sugar-free Jebruary! No way would I give up sugar during the week.
I don’t feel bad at all after eating sugar, but I DO feel horrible after even a little bit of caffeine – jittery, shaky, anxious, hyper, overall weird. I have no problem avoiding diet soda b/c the consequences just aren’t worth the taste. It’s so interesting how chemicals impact everybody differently!
This looks like a great shells recipe. My mom used to buy shells from the Schwan’s man that she could just warm up when she didn’t feel like cooking. (Pretty frequently.) So eating shells always reminds me of home. Talk about comfort food.
The stuffed shells look great! I will have to make them soon. I would love if you did a giveaway of Gino’s sauce. That’s a great idea!
My husband got me the same card! It was a birthday card. Looks like your husband cut that part off. Mine just scratched out “birthday” and wrote in “Valentine’s Day”.
Good for you on the Sugar Free Jebruary! I’m currently cutting out desserts, sweets and candy for the Live Healthy Iowa 100-day challenge. No sweets for me til May 1. So far so good! I can’t believe how much less I crave it. Gum works wonders for when I do. And I agree how much more sweet everything tastes…who knew that carrots are sweet?
I loved reading about your SFJ. I totally identify with how you felt after eating sugar. I normally avoid sugar, but splurged when I went out for Valentine’s Day, and I have felt so sleepy and sluggish since. It is so hard to stay sugar free sometimes, but the alternative is far worse.
I am definitely trying this recipe. Making it early is a dream come true! It takes off some of the cooking pressure! I always get so nervous that what I’m trying is not going to work out.
Just found your blog! Looking forward to trying out some of these recipes!
I love that you use a potato masher for browning hamburger! I do the same thing and my husband makes fun of me all the time for it! But I think it works perfectly and its way cheaper than buying the $12 thing from Pampered Chef that does the same thing!
Yes, please do a Gino’s giveaway for us non-locals! Or, do you know if they have it in the Quad-Cities? We have grandparents there. Hmmmmmm….
Friday night dinner. Right there. Can’t wait! Thanks :)
Yes, please to the Gino’s giveaway!!!
Your SFJ update is really interesting–reason enough for me to want to try it. I definitely need to be more accountable when it comes to sugar consumption. Limiting it to the weekends just to “reset” myself might be a good place to start. I do notice that the less I eat sugar, the less I crave it.
Seriously laughed so hard at that card everyone came running to see what was so funny.
I gave up pop starting Jan 2nd and have not looked back! Way to go!!
Yep. Have been eating only 85% to 90% LINDT Dark Chocolate, it only takes a little (2 squares?) to satisfy, and *bonus* the taste of the cheaper chocolates: Hershey, KitKat, even Dove, now gives me a Yak-fest. Yay.
I am in full support of a Gino’s sauce giveaway. :) However, I am curious where you buy it – I am going to be in the Des Moines area next weekend and feel I need to try it out. Thank you!
You can buy it at HyVee or Dahls!
[…] make: I love hands on food. Anything that involves assembly, I’m all over it. So, when I saw these heavenly things on Iowa Girl Eats last Friday, I knew that I had to make them. Stat. I had never seen (noticed) […]
Just tried these tonight and they are so yummy! And easy! Served with a side of garlic toast, perfect! Thanks for a great din-din!
I am going to try your recipe, it looks very interesting. I use a small cookie scoop for my shells and a 4 cheese shredded product. I find the scoop to be slightly more uniform.
Can I get the recipe for the make ahead stuff shells with the ingredient’s?
Hi! I love your site and it’s my go to place for recipes! We tried the stuffed shell recipe a few weeks ago and LOVED it but now the link to the recipe isn’t working. Can you help?
Sorry about that, Natalie! That’s a super old recipe whose format hasn’t been switched over to the new one, it appears. At any rate, here’s the recipe for ya. :)
Ingredients:
1 box jumbo shells (you’ll need ~25 shells)
1 lb lean ground beef
garlic salt, pepper, onion powder, Italian seasoning to taste
1/3 cup reserved pasta cooking water
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
16 oz marinara sauce
Directions:
1. Cook shells according to package direction. Reserve 1/3 cup pasta cooking water, drain the rest and set aside.
2. Cook ground beef until no longer pink, drain and return to the pot. Stir in seasonings, reserved pasta cooking water, parmesan cheese, egg and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
3. Cover the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with a thin layer of marinara sauce. Spoon the beef mixture into the cooked shells until full, then lay into the dish. Spoon remaining marinara sauce over the stuffed shells, and top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. (If you are making ahead of time, cover dish with foil at this point and refrigerate.)
4. Bake, loosely covered in foil, in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted. Remove foil and broil for a few minutes until the cheese is golden brown.
Help!! I am unable to get to the actual recipe to PRINT! I found Make Ahead Stuffed Shells on your blog…but cannot find the recipe for it. When I click on link for recipe…it takes me to your home page to search for it. When I type it in…it takes me right back to the search page. Thank you!!
Just added it for you, Mary! Sorry about that – this is a super old recipe that was still using my old recipe formatting software, which I no longer use!
its very easy to make sauce, you want to simmer for 1 hour so it don’t taste like ketchup LOL but notfull home meal with can/jar sauce