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Baked Beef and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Baked beef and ricotta stuffed shells with jumbo pasta shells stuffed with seasoned ground beef and a creamy ricotta filling. Baked in marinara until the mozzarella turns golden, bubbly, and stretchy for an Italian stuffed shells pasta bake comfort-food dinner.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Jumbo pasta shells
  • 20 jumbo pasta shells Cooked al dente
Beef filling
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 onion Small, diced
  • 3 garlic Cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 0.25 salt To taste
  • 0.25 black pepper To taste
Ricotta filling
  • 2 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese Grated; amount based on total parmesan
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley Chopped
Sauce and topping
  • 24 oz marinara sauce 1 jar
  • 2 cup mozzarella cheese Shredded

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Preheat and prep the dish
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
Brown the beef mixture
  1. In a skillet, brown the ground beef with the diced onion, then drain excess fat.
  2. Add the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, and cook briefly until fragrant.
  3. Remove the skillet from heat and let the beef mixture cool slightly.
Make the ricotta filling
  1. In a bowl, mix the ricotta with the egg, grated parmesan, chopped parsley, and the cooled beef mixture until combined.
Assemble and bake
  1. Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of the greased baking dish.
  2. Fill each cooked jumbo pasta shell with the beef-ricotta mixture and arrange them in the dish.
  3. Pour the remaining marinara over the shells, then top with shredded mozzarella.
  4. Bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes at 375°F until the cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbling, then garnish with fresh basil.

Notes

Pro tip: Cool the beef mixture slightly before mixing with ricotta so the egg sets gently and stays creamy. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 3 days; freeze stuffed shells baked or unbaked up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating). For a lighter option, use part-skim ricotta and reduced-fat mozzarella while keeping the bake time the same.