Beef and Ricotta-Stuffed Jumbo Shells Casserole

This is such an easy pasta casserole! My recipe for stuffed jumbo pasta shells is made with ground beef, button mushrooms, and ricotta cheese; it all bakes together under a blanket of jarred marinara and mozzarella cheese. Dinner is ready in less than 1 hour!

Beef and Ricotta Stuffed Shells for Dinner!

Stuffed Shells are the ultimate comfort food. I mean, what’s not to love about pasta stuffed with ricotta cheese, ground beef, and mushrooms, all covered in tomato sauce and melty mozzarella? Is your mouth watering yet?

I originally came up with this recipe as a way to cut back on how much ground beef we use—for both budget reasons and because we’re trying to eat a little less meat. Ground beef is expensive! This recipe only uses half a pound, making it stretch for multiple meals. (Use the other half to make potato ground beef casserole!)

My family loves these stuffed shells for dinner. Sometimes I make them ahead of time and just pop them in the oven when I get home from work—easy, no-fuss, and everyone’s happy. We usually serve them with Italian bread or Bread Machine Garlic Bread, plus a roasted veggie on the side. Roasted broccoli is our go-to.

Best mushrooms for stuffed shells?

I recommend white button or crimini mushrooms for stuffed shells.  They both have a simple flavor that won’t overpower the other ingredients.

How to Make Stuffed Shells

TIP for getting shells not to stick together: Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the water while boiling the shells. This prevents the shells from sticking to each other while cooking and after you drain them.

Cook shells in a large pot of salted water. Drain and set aside. Note: We are cooking the shells a little less time than the box says because we are going to bake them. This prevents them from going too soft once baked.

Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Add mushrooms with ground beef and keep cooking until mushrooms are soft. The mushrooms will release liquid while cooking, so drain off any extra liquid or fat.

Add ricotta, eggs, minced garlic and oregano into the skillet and mix to fully combine.

Grab a 9×13 baking dish and add 1 cup of marinara sauce to coat the bottom.

Using a spoon, add about 2 teaspoons of the beef/mushroom/ricotta mixture into each shell.

Fill shells until all the mixture is gone. This will make about 35-40 shells, close to a full box.

Pour remaining marinara sauce on top of the shells.

Now sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.

Bake until cheese melts and lightly browns. Serve and enjoy these delicious stuffed shells!

How to Store Leftovers and Reheat

Leftover stuffed shells will last 3-4 days in an airtight container stored in the refrigerator. When ready to reheat you can bake covered with aluminum foil at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until heated, or throw in the microwave until warmed up.

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Beef and Ricotta-Stuffed Jumbo Shells Casserole

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This is such an easy pasta casserole! My recipe for stuffed jumbo pasta shells is made with ground beef, button mushrooms, and ricotta cheese; it all bakes together under a blanket of jarred marinara and mozzarella cheese. Dinner is ready in less than 1 hour!

By: Pamela Reed

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

serves 8

Ingredients

• ▢ 12 ounce package jumbo pasta shells
• ▢ 8 ounces ground beef
• ▢ 8 ounces button mushrooms finely minced
• ▢ 15 ounce container ricotta cheese
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• ▢ salt and black pepper to taste
• ▢ 24 ounce jar marinara sauce
• ▢ 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in shells, cooking for 9 minute (we’re cooking them a little less than box time since we’re baking them in the oven next). Drain shells. Tip: Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the water while boiling the shells. This prevents the shells from sticking to each other.
  
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until browned. Add mushrooms with ground beef and continue cooking until mushrooms are softened. During this time the mushrooms will release liquid. Once cooked, drain liquid and fat. Remove skillet from burner.
  
• Add ricotta cheese, eggs, minced garlic, oregano and salt and pepper into the skillet, mixing to fully combine the ingredients together.
  
• Add 1 cup of the marinara sauce to the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish, stirring around to fully coat.
  
• Using a spoon, add in about 2 teaspoons of ground beef/mushroom mixture into each shell. Place the shells in the baking dish.
  
• Spread remaining tomato sauce over the shells. Sprinkle the shells with mozzarella cheese.
  
• Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until cheese melts and lightly browns. Serve and enjoy!
  

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Beef stuffed shells, Stuffed shells with ricotta and meat 

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