dinneratthezoo.com
Classic Stuffed Shells
These stuffed shells are filled with three types of cheese, then covered in marinara sauce and more cheese and baked to golden brown perfection. A comfort food classic that's great for feeding a crowd!
Prep
25 min
Cook
30 min
Total
55 min
Serves
6
Instructions
- 01
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9"x13" baking pan with cooking spray.
- 02
Spread 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce in an even layer in the bottom of the pan.
- 03
Place the ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, Italian seasoning, egg, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese in a bowl. Stir to combine.
- 04
Fill each shell with the ricotta mixture and place in the baking dish.
- 05
Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over the shells, then sprinkle the other 1 1/2 cups of cheese over the top.
- 06
Cover the dish with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover the pan, then bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown.
- 07
Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.
Nutrition
per serving · 1 serving
- Calories
- 488
- Protein
- 30g
- Carbs
- 35g
- Fat
- 26g
- Fiber
- 3g
- Sugar
- 7g
- Sat. fat
- 15g
- Sodium
- 1193mg
- Cholesterol
- 115mg
Variations & swaps
Flavor Variations
- This is a classic version of baked shells with a cheese filling, but you can add a variety of ingredients to this dish to customize it to your taste.
- Protein: Stir 8 ounces of cooked crumbled ground beef, Italian sausage or ground turkey into the cheese mixture. You can also try using shredded cooked chicken.
- Vegetables: Add up to 1 cup of veggies to the cheese filling such as spinach, mushrooms, onions, red bell peppers, broccoli, zucchini or kale. Make sure to finely chop the vegetables and cook them before they go into the mix.
- Sauce: Swap out the marinara sauce for creamy Alfredo sauce or use a hearty bolognese style meat sauce instead.
- Cheese: You can use other types of cheese instead of the three I’ve listed, such as cream cheese, small curd cottage cheese, provolone, fontina, asiago or romano.
- Garlic: Feel free to add two teaspoons of minced garlic to your cheese filling.
- Give these stuffed shells a try! They are easy to make and a real crowd-pleaser that will have everyone asking for more!
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