Stuffed Shells with Meat
by Sommer Collier — on Aug 20, 2025 These stuffed shells with meat feature a rich spinach and ricotta cheese filling snuggled inside tender pasta shells, then baked on top of a zesty tomato and sausage meat sauce. This classic recipe is Italian comfort food at it’s finest!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
If you love stuffed shells (who doesn’t?) and you love spaghetti and meat sauce this mashup stuffed shells with meat recipe is going to be right up your alley!
We have a couple of stuffed shells on the site, including these vegetarian cheese-stuffed shells and decadent seafood stuffed shells. Today’s recipe is cozy with a rustic ground sausage (or beef) sauce and a lovely combination of ricotta, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella, and herbs. Plus, the dish has a hit of nutrients like iron, fiber, and a variety of minerals from spinach in the filling. Because, balance!
Why You’ll Love These Stuffed Shells
- Simple, but customizable – We include a fabulous ground meat sauce, either made with ground pork sausage or ground beef, your choice. But you could even use ground turkey or chicken, if you prefer!
- Hands-off baking – There is some easy prep work, like making the filling and stuffing the pasta, but then the dish goes in the oven for an hour.
- Great to make ahead – This recipe is easy to put together in advance and store in the fridge or freezer until ready to bake.
We think you’ll agree – these stuffed shells with ground beef are a bit more refined than your classic midweek spaghetti, and pack a punch of flavor!
Ingredients and Tips
- Pasta shells – You need 24 to 25 jumbo shells to fill a 9 x 13-inch pan. I suggest cooking a few extra shells just in case some of them break while boiling.
- Stuffed shell filling – These beauties included a simple blend of ricotta and parmesan cheeses, egg, garlic, spinach, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Meat sauce – Use your choice of ground pork sausage or ground beef, plus onion, marinara sauce (jarred or homemade), and some water.
- Mozzarella cheese – Shredded mozzarella is the finishing touch on the dish before baking.
Recipe Variations
- Gluten-free – You can use gluten-free jumbo shells, but they are sometimes hard to find.
- Other meat – Swap pork sausage or beef with leaner ground turkey or ground chicken (dark thigh meat is best).
- Spicy – If you want to spice up this recipe, we suggest adding crushed red pepper flakes, or Italian Calabrian chilies.
Protein Pointer – We’ve added spinach to this recipe for extra veggie goodness. But if you don’t like spinach, or would rather have more protein and less green in your cheese filling, you can remove the spinach and add 8 oz cream cheese to the ricotta filling, OR 1 ½ cups of well-drained cottage cheese. This will give you extra protein and an ultra-rich and creamy filling.
How to Make Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce
Make Ahead Tip for Success – This recipe is great for making ahead of time and freezing! Start by assembling a freezer-safe disposable aluminum pan of stuffed shells with ground beef and ricotta as directed in the recipe card. But instead of baking, cover the pan tightly in a layer or two of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months.
If cooking from frozen, raise the temperature to 375°F and bake for 60+ minutes.
Find the full Stuffed Shells with Meat recipe with detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Leftover stuffed shells are delish! After cooling, transfer them to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezing – These are great to freeze! I suggest placing them in a disposable aluminum pan and wrapping the pan tightly in foil. They’ll freeze well for up to 3 months, then you can pop the pan straight into the oven!
- Reheating – Reheat the shells in the microwave in short bursts at 50% power, until warmed throughout. You can also reheat the pan in the oven at 350 degrees, as long as it’s oven-safe and not a cold glass dish. Keep it covered with foil for about 15 minutes, so the shells are heated without drying out. Then remove the foil and continue to reheat for another 10 minutes or so.
Serving Suggestions
Pair warm, meaty, cheesy stuffed shells with a fresh green salad for a nice balance of textures and flavors. They are a fabulous meal with a caprese-style panzanella salad or caesar salad.
Can’t get enough carbs? I don’t blame you! This cozy dish practically begs for some warm breadsticks, garlic olive focaccia, or classic garlic bread.
Stuffed Shells Recipe with Meat
Video
Ingredients
- 24-25 dried jumbo pasta shells
- 15 ounce whole milk ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese or pecorino cheese
- 1 large egg
- 3 cloves garlic minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
- 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper
For the Meat Sauce –
- 1 pound ground pork sausage or ground beef
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 cups marinara
- 1 cup water
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set out a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Set a large cast-iron skillet (or sauté pan) on the stovetop for the meat sauce, and set a large pot of water on the stovetop for the pasta shells.
- Heat the skillet to medium heat. Add the ground sausage to the skillet. Break it apart with a wooden spoon to create small pieces as the meat cooks. Once the sausage is mostly cooked, stir in the chopped onions. Continue to stir and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the marinara and water. Then simmer for 5-10 minutes and turn off the heat. Pour the meat sauce into the baking dish.
- Meanwhile, set a pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Throw a large pinch of salt into the water. Once boiling, add the pasta shells and cook for 5-10 minutes, according to the package instructions. You want the shells to be cooked, so they are soft and flexible, but not overly cooked where they will rip when you fill them. The moment the shells are perfectly cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the boiling water and set them on a clean work surface.
- Set out a mixing bowl. Open the package of chopped spinach and squeeze it thoroughly to remove as much moisture as possible. Use paper towels if needed to dry out the spinach. Combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan, egg, minced garlic, dried chopped spinach, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper in the bowl. Mix well.
- Use a spoon to stuff the cooked pasta shells with the cheese filling. It’s OK if they are slightly overstuffed and the filling is exposed.
- Place each stuffed shell into the baking dish, pressing them down into the meat sauce.
- Once all the shells are stuffed and in the baking dish, sprinkle the top with mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the baking dish with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. *You can spray the foil with no nonstick cooking spray, if you like, to keep the cheese from sticking to the foil.
- Remove the foil and continue to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the cheese is fully melted. Serve warm.
Notes
- If Cooking from Frozen – Raise the temperature to 375°F in bake for 60+ minutes.
- Storing Leftovers – Leftover stuffed shells are delish! After cooling, transfer them to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezing – These are great to freeze! I suggest placing them in a disposable aluminum pan and wrapping the pan tightly in foil. They’ll freeze well for up to 3 months, then you can pop the pan straight into the oven!
- Reheating – Reheat the shells in the microwave in short bursts at 50% power, until warmed throughout. You can also reheat the pan in the oven at 350 degrees, as long as it’s oven-safe and not a cold glass dish. Keep it covered with foil for about 15 minutes, so they shells are heated without drying out. Then remove the foil and continue to reheat for another 10 minutes or so.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Place the shells face up in the pan before sprinkling on the mozzarella cheese.
Oh yes, you absolutely need to boil and drain the pasta before filling itwith the cheese and spinach mixture.
