Cheesy Stuffed Shells
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In this classic Italian stuffed shells recipe, there’s no need to parboil the pasta—just stuff, bake, and enjoy!
When I think of classic Italian stuffed shells, I think of cozy Sunday night dinners around the table with family. This recipe, adapted from Big Flavors from Italian America by America’s Test Kitchen, fits that bill perfectly. The recipe is fairly simple to make because there’s no need to parboil the shells before stuffing them. Instead, the shells are smothered in a thin tomato sauce prior to baking, ensuring the pasta cooks through. The filling is loaded with flavor, thanks to a blend of creamy ricotta, gooey fontina, and salty Pecorino Romano cheeses, as well as garlic, basil, and oregano. Finally, to make the dish even more irresistible, a generous sprinkle of fontina cheese over the shells creates a rich, cheesy topping. Even without any meat, this dish is as satisfying as the heartiest lasagna.
To stuff the shells, disposable pastry bags come in handy (and you can use them for decorating cakes and cookies or filling deviled eggs, too). However, if you don’t have them, a ziplock bag with a snipped corner does the job well.
What You’ll Need To Make Stuffed Shells
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the Sauce
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, salt, and pepper. 
Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds (don’t brown the garlic).
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, water, and sugar and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until flavors have melded, about 5 minutes. (The cooled sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
Step 2: Make the Filling
Combine the ricotta cheese, shredded fontina (or whole-milk mozzarella) cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, eggs, basil, cornstarch, garlic, oregano, and salt in a bowl.
Mix until thoroughly combined.
Transfer the filling to pastry bag or large zipper-lock bag. (If using a zipper-lock bag, be sure the corners are square; the rounded-corner bags are difficult to use.)
Step 3: Stuff and Bake the Shells
Adjust the oven rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the shells open side up on the counter. Cut ½-inch off of the tip or corner of the bag.
Pipe the filling into shells until each is full.
Spread 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of 9×13-inch baking dish. Transfer the shells, open side up, to the prepared dish.
Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the shells to completely cover.
Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until the shells are tender and the sauce is boiling rapidly, about 45 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and discard the foil.
Sprinkle the fontina (or mozzarella) over top. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the cheese is lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
Let the dish cool, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes (this rest is essential to fully cook the pasta).
Sprinkle with the basil and serve.
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Cheesy Stuffed Shells
In this classic Italian stuffed shells recipe, there’s no need to parboil the pasta—just stuff, bake, and enjoy!
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
For the Filling
- 1¼ cups (10 oz) whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1 cup (4 oz) shredded fontina or whole-milk mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup (3.5 oz) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Shells
- 25 to 30 jumbo pasta shells, from a 1-lb box (use only open, unbroken shells)
- 2 cups (8 oz) shredded fontina or whole-milk mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- For the sauce: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds (don’t brown the garlic). Stir in the crushed tomatoes, water, and sugar and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until flavors have melded, about 5 minutes. (The cooled sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
- For the filling: Stir all the ingredients in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Transfer the filling to pastry bag or large zipper-lock bag, and cut ½-inch off of the tip or corner of the bag. (If using a zipper-lock bag, be sure the corners are square; the rounded-corner bags are difficult to use.)
- For the shells: Adjust the oven rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the shells open side up on the counter. Pipe the filling into shells until each is full.
- Spread 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of 9x13-inch baking dish. Transfer the shells, open side up, to the prepared dish. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the shells to completely cover.
- Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until the shells are tender and the sauce is boiling rapidly, about 45 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and discard the foil; sprinkle the fontina or mozzarella over top. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the cheese is lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Let the dish cool, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes (this rest is essential to fully cook the pasta). Sprinkle with the basil and serve.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The stuffed shells can be assembled and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead of time, or frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then proceed with the baking instructions in the recipe. Leftover stuffed shells can also be frozen; if time allows, thaw before reheating, then cover with with foil, and heat in a 325°F oven until hot.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 563
- Fat: 26 g
- Saturated fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Sugar: 8 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Sodium: 783 mg
- Cholesterol: 121 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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If assembling the night before do you put stuffed shells in pan and cover with sauce? Or wait to cover with sauce until right before baking? Can’t wait to make!
Hi Adina, You fully assemble it — sauce and all. Hope you enjoy!
Tasty! But the end result was rather mushy and the shells sort of fell apart. Still, we gobbled it up! I think I’d be inclined to just make lasagna next time, as the ingredients are basically the same.
I can’t find the shells either so if using Manicotti instead- do we parboil the noodles before stuffing them ( like you do in your spinach stuffed Manicotti recipe)?. And if you do have to parboil the Manicotti, do you bake them for a shorter time?
No, you shouldn’t need to parboil the noodles as like the shells, the pasta will cook in the sauce. Hope you enjoy!
Once again Jenn, your recipes were received with rave reviews! I served these stuffed shells with your Parm Crusted Chicken and everyone loved both! I was able to prepare both dishes ahead of time which makes it super easy when entertaining large groups! A side of roasted veggies and a large Caesar salad completed the meal. Oh and then I topped it off with your Tiramisu….DELICIOUS!! Thank you for the care you take in developing these mouth watering recipes!
Thank you so much for all the wonderful recipes! If I freeze this, should I pour the tomato sauce over the stuffed shells and then freeze (with the sauce on the shells) OR should I freeze the stuffed shells (without sauce) and then pour the sauce over just before baking? Thank you!
Hi Pam, so glad you like the recipes! yes, you can freeze the shells with the sauce. 🙂
Hi, Jenn!
Recipe sounds great! Can this dish be made for an outdoor potluck? Concerned about how long it’s safe for the cheese filling to sit outside?
Hi Elise, I really don’t recommend this for an outdoor potluck. I think it’s best served hot. Also, I’m concerned the cheese on top would kind of harden/congeal. If you’d like a pasta dish for a potluck, I’d suggest either this pesto pasta salad or pasta primavera which is good cold. Hope that helps!
Hi Jen, I’m almost ready to fill the manicotti shells, but then I realized the box is only 8oz (14 shells). The shells mostly fill up a 9×13 baking dish, but do I need to buy another box to make it a pound total?
Hi Sarah, the filling won’t fit in 14 shells, so (I know it’s a pain but…) I’d get another box.
Hi Jen, I have been making stuffed shells for years. Everyone loves them and asks for them all the time, but I always hated the parboiling step!! I don’t usually look at recipes that I make all the time, but I’m glad I did. Your recipe is excellent, but the elimination of the parboiling step is brilliant and an amazing time saver!!! Thank you. We use many of your recipes, and they are each fantastic. …of course we are always looking at your books too.
hi Jenn–
Happy Holidays – if you wanted to substitute a high quality jar sauce, how many ounces and would you still need the water to cook the shells?
thanks so much
Cindy
Hi Cynthia, happy holidays to you! I’d recommend a 32-ounce jar of pasta sauce mixed with 2 cups of water. (The tomato sauce is supposed to be on the thin side.) Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
I am so excited to try your version of stuffed shells. I know from your past recipes, this will be a hit. I do have a question. I would like to make this two days before I serve it. Would I assemble the dish, and bake before serving, assemble then bake it for half of the amount of time and continue the baking before I serve it or assemble bake and reheat (reheat at what temp & time?) Help!!
Hi Carole, I would assemble, refrigerate, and bake right before serving. Hope that helps!
thank you!
Made this recipe last night. It was great the night of, but even better as leftovers today. I do have one question….after filling the shells, I had quite a bit of the cheese filling leftover. Is there something I could do with the leftover filling? Can it be frozen?
Glad you enjoyed it! I’m surprised you had a lot of filling left over. Did you fill the shells completely? I don’t think the filling would freeze well, but you could just fill more shells and use a smaller dish to bake those.
Very tasty! I too had a little trouble finding the jumbo shells but came up with a box eventually.
Makes a nice side dish to breaded chicken breast or Italian sausage! Fun to fill those shells too!
Thanks Jen!
I got everything for this recipe except the Jumbo Shells. Apparently, there is a shortage of them after asking customer service at my 3rd grocery store. Any ideas for a workaround? Love your 2 cookbooks and am making Chicken & Quinoa burrito bowls for company tonight.
Hi Jane, The recipe works perfectly with manicotti shells too. So glad you enjoy the recipes!
I substituted manicotti for the shells. Worked great.
Just made this for dinner, it was a hit! Made the recipe as is. Next time will try to add Italian sausage for the meat eaters in the family. Thank you!
Well, this is one of the best Italian-style meals that I’ve ever made. It cooked perfectly and it tasted fantastic! Raves all around for this one.
I used 1 lb. of finely crumbled sweet Italian sausage, a a primo 32 oz. jar of marinara sauce (along with 2 cups of water) and grated fontina cheese (thanks, Jenn).
I had read an earlier comment that jumbo shells were becoming hard to find, so that day I went out to buy some and sure enough, they had vanished from the shelves all over town. I had to buy some online. Plenty of other pasta available, though. Go figure.
Anyway, thanks ATK and Jenn for adapting this recipe for us. I really appreciate it.
Thank you Jen, another great recipe. I just had a little problem finding the large shells, but the third store had them. I also had a little mess trying to stuff the shell. Finally I got the assembly going with great success. Thank you for your excellent instructions. I needed them.
Hi Jenn, Why do you include cornstarch in the recipe?
Hi Carol, It helps prevent the cheese mixture from oozing out of the shells during baking.
I’m going to make this on Sunday. Would it be better to grate rather than shred the fontina cheese for the filling to make it easier to get through the small opening of the pastry bag? Thanks!
Hi John, I didn’t have a problem the shredded cheese as it comes together with the other ingredients and pipes in easily. That said, feel free to grate it if you feel more comfortable with that. Hope you enjoy!
I couldn’t find large shells anywhere-looked at 3 different stores – out of stock at each store for large shells only – all other pasta shapes were in stock…go figure. Decided to try manicotti shells instead and the dish came out spectacularly. I prepared it 24 hours in advance and refrigerated before baking the next night. First bite and the consensus was “wow, this is delicious” – better than any Italian restaurant version. Thanks for yet another delicious staple recipe I’ll use often. It’s a perfect make-ahead dish for guests. You are definitely my go-to recipe chef!
Must admit I was skeptical about filling the shells before cooking them, but they turned out perfect! My wife and daughter loved this recipe, and so did I. Thanks so much!
For the filling, it “stir all ingredients until combined” but then it says to sprinkle at the end with fontina and then basil. I hadn’t read ahead and put the basil in with the mix. Should I have reserved some and set aside or was I to put the basil and fontina in twice?
Hi Shoba, For the filling, it’s correct to add the 1 cup of fontina and the 3 tablespoons basil to the mixture. For the shells portion of the recipe, you’ll add the 2 cups of fontina during the baking and the 1 tablespoon of basil at the end right before serving. Please LMK if you need any more clarification. 🙂
Hi Jenn. My family and I love your recipes and cookbooks. In fact, we all have your cookbooks now. Could this recipe be made ahead of time and frozen? Thanks!!
So glad you like the recipes and cookbooks! 💗
You can freeze this — see the bottom of the recipe for freezer-friendly instructions.
Hi Jenn,
Made this tonight and it earned me rave reviews with the fam! Thank you! I did have an interesting question, I live in Australia and of course use the metric system and have never had an issue with measurements on your site. But….in making this, for the amount of shells in grams that you noted, I ended up needing to double filling, to about 600 g ricotta to fill the shells! Why would that be? It was delicious and thank goodness I did have extra ricotta on hand! 🙂 Loved this recipe.
Hi Steph! So glad your family enjoyed it! The recipe calls for 25 to 30 shells, from a 1-lb/454-g box, but you won’t use the whole box. Hope that clarifies!
Oh lol, so I actually did double the recipe, that is so funny. I misread and thought it said there were 25-30 in the 454 grams. Haha! Well, good thing I doubled it, it all vanished! 🙂 Thank you!
Made these tonight- halved the recipe except the salt- went all in on the salt because there was some Pinot Noir involved and I forgot to reduce the amount used. Our home smells so wonderful and the shells were delicious, though I recommend not doubling the salt called for. Will definitely make again.
I’m just praising the owner/creater of this fabulous website for publishing some of the most delicious and easy to do dishes I’ve ever experienced. Thank you!
I agree! The website is so user friendly and the recipes are fabulous. My cousin shared the website with me and her comment was “I no longer stress out about making a new recipe when having guests for dinner…..because every single thing I’ve made from Jenn’s collection has been wonderful!” I feel the same way! So thankful she shared her secret with me! Thank you Jenn for all the time and effort you put into this website!
Excellent. Whole family liked this recipe and that makes it a keeper!
Absolutely delicious!
This dish turned out perfect. Followed the recipe as written and then also added some finely chopped spinach to the cheese filling and fire roasted diced tomatoes to the sauce. This will definitely be part of my rotation.
Are the shells uncooked?
Yes, they cook in the oven. 🙂
If you wanted to use jarred sauce as a shortcut, about how many ounces (or jars) would you need to ensure full coverage of the uncooked shells?
Hi Marissa, I would use a 32 oz jar (and still add the water). I’d love to know how the shortcut version turns out!
I am so happy to have found your website. I’ve made several recipes and they have all been delicious. One of my favorites and often requested is cheesecake bar recipe.
Would this stuff shell mixture be a good one to use for lasagna roll ups?
Yes, definitely – and so glad you enjoy the recipes!
I have been looking for shells or manicotti pasta in the grocery for 90 days. Nowhere to be found. Los Angeles groceries don’t have them! Any suggestions out there?? I’d love to make this!!!
Hi Heather, Oh no! I noticed it was a little hard to find them over the holidays near me, but I’m now seeing some available. I found an artisan brand that you can order online here. Hope that helps!
Hi Heather,
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and I have tried to find Pasta Shells in my area too, to no avail. I did find one lonely box at a Gourmet Grocery store that is imported from Italy. Brand name ‘Rusticella diabruzzo.
Yummy recipe. However, my husband prefers meat in his meals. Do you have a recommendation for adding meat to this recipe to accommodate him?
Hi Mommo, You could add a pound of cooked crumbled Italian sausage (similar to this recipe) to the sauce. I’d love to know how it turns out if you try it.
I have fond memories from an Italian Restaurant in my home town that had steamed clams on Thursday as an appetizer and I always had stuffed shells and meatballs as the meal. I would recommend making meatballs in a sauce to add to these shells.
Hi Jen, could I use cannelloni instead of shells? Would I need to adapt the baking time?
Yes I think that would work well. The bake time would be the same. Please LMK how it turns out!
Wow, looks so easy! Do you squeeze out the ricotta before mixing? Or does the baking process leach out the extra moisture?
Hi Kathy, It’s not necessary to drain the ricotta. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
Happy New Year!!! Wishing you and your family health and happiness for 2023!!!
Our family loves your recipes- we have learned so so much ❤️.
Would it be possible to use fresh tomatoes in this recipe and if yes how do I incorporate it to ensure it works just as well as the canned tomatoes?
Thank you for all your help,
Annie P.
Hi Annie, So glad you enjoy the recipes! Unfortunately I don’t think the fresh tomatoes would work here without a ton of changes. Sorry!
Looks delicious !1 Can’t wait to make this !