Rich, creamy, vibrant, comforting, and delicious! ALL of the good adjectives can be applied to this delicious stuffed shells recipe. My family has fine-tuned this recipe over the years, so read on to learn how to make your own family’s stuffed shell tradition.
Crowd-pleaser: This stuffed shell recipe makes six portions, meaning it’s a super easy recipe to feed a group. And if you’re a smaller family (like us) then the extras means you get a delicious lunch tomorrow. Kid-approved: My girl LOVES this recipe, and it’s always received well by the smaller tummies. Contrast: I love the way the chewy pasta contrasts with the zesty, creamy ricotta filling and tangy marinara sauce. The contrast is in flavors, but also in texture, too. Everything melds together into one big delicious mess on the plate! Easy prep: By the time the pasta has boiled, the ricotta filling is made and ready to stuff. It’s really simple to bring together. Simple ingredients: Stuffed shells uses familiar ingredients – you’ll likely have many on hand already.
My recipe for stuffed shells is vegetarian – but, if you’re a carnivore or you’d like to use some protein, its’s easy to adjust this recipe to make stuffed shells with meat! Here are some of my favorite ways to incorporate protein:
Ground meat: Whether it’s ground beef, Italian sausage, ground turkey, chicken, or pork, this is probably the easiest way to create stuffed shells with meat. Simply add minced garlic and diced onion to a skillet, and once the onions are translucent, add your ground meat and cook until no pink remains. Once it’s cooked through, add your marinara sauce. Shredded chicken: Use two forks to shred leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken, then mix it directly into the ricotta filling. Pancetta: Sauté some pancetta then sprinkle it into the ricotta filling for a salty surprise.
I also love to make my roasted broccoli, roasted asparagus, or garlic parmesan zucchini on the side to make sure we’ve got our greens. This Italian cauliflower is also a winning side dish!
Did you make this?
We love to see what you made! Tag @theendlessmeal or hashtag #theendlessmeal!
