Stuffed Shells with Meat
Getting that perfectly cheesy stuffed shell with the right amount of meat sauce is easy with this recipe. You'll have plump, cheese-stuffed jumbo shells in a meaty delicious sauce.
Servings: 12 people
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- 20 shells jumbo shells boil extra in case they rip
- salt
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 4 cups fresh spinach chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray and set it aside.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the Italian sausage until it's browned and cooked through. Turn the heat off and pour in the marinara sauce. Mix to combine and set it aside.
- Cook the jumbo shells according to the package in salted water just until they reach al dente. They will continue cooking in the oven so they need to be slightly undercooked at this point.
- Drain them and set them aside to cool.
- While your shells are cooking, add the ricotta, 2 cups of mozzarella, parmesan, egg, garlic powder, basil, oregano, parsley, and black pepper in a bowl. Mix until its fully combined.
- Spread 2/3 of the sauce mixture across the bottom of the baking dish.
- Fill each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture. I like to add the filling to a zip top baggy and clip the corner. Then just squeeze the filling to the shells.
- Place the filled shells in the baking dish open side up.
- Continue until all of the shells are filled.
- Top with the remaining sauce and mozzarella. Bake for 30 minutes.
Video
Notes
- Add the cheese filling to a zip top bag and clip the bottom corner. Squeeze the filling into the shells instead of scooping it with a spoon to avoid breaking them.
- I like to boil some extra shells just in case some of them rip while I'm filling them or while they are boiling.
Nutrition
Serving: 1shell | Calories: 312kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 837mg | Potassium: 408mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1540IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 364mg | Iron: 2mg