Meat and Ricotta Stuffed Shells
These delicious meat and ricotta stuffed shells can be made with any ground meat of your choice and are a family friendly, flavor filled dinner that is perfect for the freezer or delicious when baked and served immediately!
If you have made any of the dinner recipes from my blog, you know that I like to keep my recipes simple. Easy prep. Simple ingredients. Minimal clean up. Anything that is “toss and leave” in the crockpot. Between work and life, sometimes you just need dinners that feel like they just appear on your table.
Well… this recipe is not any of those things but these meat and ricotta stuffed shells are also one of my all time favorite dinner recipes on my blog… and my toddler agrees! Toddler friendly dinner ideas that also please the entire family? Trust me, these stuffed shells are a must make!
While this recipe does require a few additional steps and dishes, these stuffed shells with meat and ricotta are actually very easy to make and are perfect for a prep ahead freezer-friendly dinner recipe or delicious when baked and served immediately!
Filled with any ground meat of your choice (I used ground beef) and creamy ricotta that is blended with sautéed mushrooms, onions, and loads of seasonings, these stuffed shells are a labor of love that your entire family will be asking for week after week. I know you are going to love them!
Let’s get to the recipe:
Why you’ll love these shells stuffed with meat and ricotta:
These stuffed shells are a cozy and delicious recipe that you and your entire family will love because they are:
Filled with family friendly flavors: Spaghetti is always a family favorite for dinner so I took a lot of those same flavors, added in some creamy ricotta, and then stuffed it into cooked shells that are then baked to perfection.
Perfect for a crowd: This recipe will make around 24 to 25 stuffed shells which should serve between 4 and 6 people. If you want to enjoy them on your own, this recipe is also great for meal prep that can be enjoyed throughout the week.
Stuffed with a creamy and nutritious filling: Ground meat that is browned with veggies and onions until fully cooked then mixed with creamy ricotta makes a delicious filling for your stuffed shells.
Perfect with a variety of ground meats: I named these “ground meat and ricotta stuffed shells” because you can use any ground meat of your choice! I used ground beef for these photos but you could easily use ground turkey, chicken, bison, venison, or whatever else you have on hand!
Freezer friendly: If you want freezer-friendly meal ideas then these stuffed shells are the perfect recipe for you. Simple prep the filling, fill your cooked shells, top with the marinara and cheese, then cover with tin foil and wrap in a ziplock to store in the freezer.
Fully customizable: Add additional veggies, change your protein choice, or swap your ricotta cheese with cottage cheese for a protein boost! You can make these shells exactly how your family likes them.
I think you’re going to love this stuffed shells recipe!
Ingredients you’ll need:.
While the preparation of this recipe requires a few more steps than my other dinner recipes, the ingredients themselves are fairly straight forward.
You’ll just need:
Ground meat: Choose any ground meat you want. I used lean ground beef for this recipe but you could also make it with bison, turkey, chicken, venison, and more!
Mushrooms: Finely diced.
Onions: Finely diced
Minced garlic: Added to taste.
Ricotta cheese: This makes the ground meat filling extra creamy for your shells. If you want to increase the protein content, you can choose double cream ricotta or substitute ricotta for cottage cheese which has a similar flavor profile but more protein!
Jumbo shells: Cooked to package instructions.
Marinara sauce: Use any brand you prefer or you can also make your own if you are feeling extra fancy!
Fresh basil: For topping and flavor.
Shredded mozzarella cheese: You can also buy and sliced mozzarella on your own.
Seasonings: You’ll need lots of dried Italian seasoning and some garlic salt to taste.
That’s all you’ll need for this crockpot dinner recipe! It really is that easy.
Step by Step Instructions:
Alright, now let’s get to the actual making of the stuffed shells. As I said, they aren’t HARD to make, you just will get a few dishes dirty in the process. Trust me, this dinner is worth it.
Here’s how you’ll make them:
1) Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Cook your jumbo shells according to package instructions then strain and allow to cool. Try to be gentle when stirring your shells, we don’t want them to break!
2) Add a bit of oil to a large pan and sauté your garlic, chopped onion, and chopped mushrooms until fragrant (about 3-5 minutes).
3) Add your seasonings and the ground meat of your choice and brown until fully cooked through. This should take about 12-15 minutes, but make sure it reaches the proper internal cooking temperature for the ground meat you selected.
4) Once your meat is fully cooked, remove the pan from the heat and stir in your ricotta and some of your marinara sauce, setting the rest of the marinara sauce aside to be added later.
5) Now, let’s stuff your shells! Get a 9x13 baking dish and start by spreading 1/2 cup of marinara sauce evenly along the bottom. Then, take an individual shell and stuff it with about 1 tbsp or a little bit more of your ground meat and ricotta mixture. Squeeze your shell shut and place it in your 9x13 dish.
Repeat this process and create lines of stuffed shells until your baking dish is full. I was able to use all of my ground meet mixture and create 25 stuffed shells in 5 rows of 5 shells. You may have a few cooked shells leftover that you can use for a different recipe throughout your week!
6) Pour the remaining marinara sauce evenly over your stuffed shells, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese to taste, and bake at 330 for 25 minutes. Remove the tin foil for the final 5-10 minutes of baking to allow your mozzarella cheese to fully melt.
LTN Tip: If you want to freeze stuffed shells, put all of your stuffed shells in a freezer friendly baking dish and then add your marinara and mozzarella cheese. Don’t bake them! Instead, cover the pan with tin foil and store in an air tight bag in the freezer.
When you are ready to enjoy your stuffed shells, I recommend setting them in the fridge the night before to allow them to de-thaw then bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until fully warmed through.
7) Garnish with chopped basil, serve warm and enjoy!
Swaps, substitutions, and serving suggestions:
One of my favorite parts about prepping these stuffed shells with ground meat and ricotta are their versatility. You can swap ingredients while you make them but you can also change how you serve them so that it feels like you are enjoying a new recipe every time you make it!
Here are a few of my suggestions:
Change your meat: This is the easiest way to change up the flavor and nutrition of this recipe! I used ground beef but you could also use ground turkey, chicken, bison, sausage, venison, and more!
Swap out the ricotta: Cottage cheese is an excellent substitute for ricotta cheese because they have a similar flavor and creaminess. You could also use plain greek yogurt in this recipe though the greek yogurt may add a slight tang to your marinara sauce!
Pair them with a veggie: There are some mushrooms and onions in the meat and ricotta filling but boost your veggie intake by eating these stuffed shells with roasted broccoli, parmesan Brussel sprouts, a side salad, or another colorful side dish.
Add some spice: Add a little bit of spice by choosing a spicy ground sausage for your meat or stirring in red pepper flakes to your sauce!
The flavor options and meal pairings are endless!
Recipe FAQ:
How to freeze stuffed shells?
If you want to make this dinner for the freezer, I would follow the instructions as they are given and swap your 9x13 baking dish for a freezer friendly casserole dish. Prep your stuffed shells, add your marinara, sprinkle on your cheese, then we’ll freeze it instead of bake it!
How to bake frozen stuffed shells?
These shells bake best when they are allowed to de-thaw in the refrigerator instead of baking straight from frozen. To do this, simply take your frozen stuffed shells out of the freezer and set them in the refrigerator to dethaw overnight and through the day.
Then, I would cover and bake at 350-375 for about 45 minutes to an hour or until your shells are fully warmed through and the cheese has been melted. Enjoy!
How long can stuffed shells stay in the refrigerator?
These leftovers will stay good in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days which makes them perfect for meal prep!
Other easy dinner recipes to try:
If you love the convenience of this crockpot recipe then you’ll probably love some of these other dinner recipes I have on the blog that come together quickly and are easy to make:
BBQ Chicken Flatbread
.
One Pot Unstuffed Pepper Skillet
Tuscan Chicken and Orzo
Meat and Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 330 degrees.
- In large pot, boil water and cook shells according to package instructions.
- Prep your stuffing while your shells boil. Add oil, garlic, mushrooms, and onions to a large sauce pan and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Add ground meat, Italian seasoning, and garlic salt. Mix and stir until the meat is fully cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat then stir in your ricotta and 3/4 cup of your marinara sauce (set the rest of the sauce aside).
- Take a 9x13 baking dish and evenly spread 1/2 cup of marinara sauce along the bottom.
- Take an individual shell (preferably one that stayed whole while it cooked) and stuff with 1.5 tablespoon of ground meat and ricotta mixture. Place the shell in the upper corner of your 9x13 dish. Repeat this process and tightly pack your stuffed shells together until your 9x13 dish is full of stuffed shells (I was able to make 5 rows of 5 shells for 25 shells total).
- Once your 9x13 is full of stuffed shells that have been tightly packed together, pour the remaining marinara sauce evenly overtop of your shells. Then layer with mozzarella cheese to taste. Cover and bake at 330 for 25 minutes, removing the tin foil for the last 5 minutes to help the cheese melt.
- Garnish with roughly chopped fresh basil and serve warm. Enjoy!
*All nutrition information has been approximated
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Hey! I’m Lauren
I’m a Registered Dietitian and busy toddler mom committed to bringing you delicious, nutritious, and easy-to-make recipes!