Have you ever wondered how to make stuffed shells? It is so easy and delicious! My favorite part about this meal is that it freezes well. You know I love me some freezer meals!! There are so many reasons to love this Stuffed Shells Freezer Meal recipe! It is so versatile…if you like meat, use meat sauce…if not, just use marinara.
You can use your own homemade sauce or use your favorite store bought sauce. Add about half the jar of prepared sauce and 2 tablespoons of water to the bottom of the pan. Stir around until the bottom of the pan is coated.
While the shells are cooking, in a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, basil, and parsley. Mix well. Once cooled, take the shells, one at a time, and fill with the cheese mixture. When the pan is full and all shells have been filled, pour the remaining sauce over the shells and top with mozzarella cheese. You can garnish with a little extra parsley if you have it, just to make it pretty.
I know I do, this Stuffed Shells Freezer Meal is the perfect meal to make ahead and have on hand for those busy nights! Prepare the stuffed shells as directed above, but do not bake. Simply cover with aluminum foil and label the top and place in the freezer. This recipe was first posted July 6th, , but has been updated with new photos and better detailed instructions and tips on Dec 21st, I never really thought of it that way. If you were to put the shells in a smaller pan, would the cooking time need to decrease?
Looking for meals that can be frozen for my grandpa to easily heat up. A full pan is too much for one person but a smaller pan would be perfect. I made this but without parsley as I was out of it. We followed the recipe exactly. Made and added Italian sausage to the ricotta mix…along with spinach and garlic… tasty and delicious!! Left a few plain ones for the kiddos…thanks for sharing!
It was super easy to make. Filling and delicious! It was a big hit with the family. Xo thank you. I accidentally bought frozen spinach instead of fresh. Can I use it? Hi Radhika! You can absolutely use frozen spinach — just thaw and drain like you described and cook according to the recipe. Tried this tonight.. Our daughter made another version of these, said these were better.. Just fabulous. These are so delicious, this is my second time making them.
My family goes NUTS over them! This uses the perfect amount of cheese filling the right ratio of ingredients. Whoops, so many typos! This is the best recipe for stuffed shells ever! Love that you use fresh spinach, not frozen.
Thank you for sharing this delicious and healthy recipe. It makes me so happy when I try a new recipe and it turns out even better then expected. Thanks for a simple recipe that is fresh and flavorful. I will make this dish again and again, its that good!! Really awesome! I made some slight tweaks. I chopped up the spinach with scissors and just used the rest of my baby spinach, was probably a little less than what it called for. I also chopped up 4 big white mushrooms for heartiness and half an onion.
I bought a big loaf and shredded myself. Omg so much better than pre shredded mozzarella, it has so much moisture! Overall a great recipe. Will double it next time and freeze! Loved this recipe! I substituted chopped kale for the spinach and used bechamel instead of marinara-delicious.
So delicious in fact, my husband ate almost the entire pan of shells!! Thanks so much, Diane!! Do you think ground beef could be substituted for the spinach? Hi Casey! Hope you enjoy! Such a nice dish! These were super yummy. I had made extra shell in case they split. So I had eight in one pan and nine or ten in another pan.
She has two recipes for marinara but it is the same recipe but halved. I made the one that makes a quart. The only I added to her recipe is that I put in a can of Rotel tomatoes , just to kick it up a notch.
These were excellent. I froze the other pan for another day. My husband and I had these for dinner with a garden salad and there is lots for leftovers. Even the very carnivorous males loved them and were satisfied. I made this for Sunday dinner and everyone really liked it.
I tripled it and used more garlic, it was amazing. Thanks for sharing your recipe. The can be served with a side of meat sauce for us and plain sauce for our two guests. No fuss not bother. Excellent, easy, delicious recipe. Will be a staple of my household!! A lady in line at the grocery became invious when she saw my ingredients. This was really great!!! No cut corners in flavor. This will become a regular in our meal rotation.
The filling was delicious enough to eat on its own, but nestled into the shells and sauce was pure decadence. Thanks for the recipe Laura! Hi Laura, I am having guests for dinner tomorrow night. Plan to make this dish, looks delicious. But I do not want the egg, can I use cream cheese as a binder instead? Is it ok to bake cream cheese for that long? Or is it better to just leave out the egg and proceed with the recipe? If so, for how long should I bake? Thanks much. Hi Divya!
I think you could cream cheese or just omit the egg. The texture will change a little bit, but should still be yummy. Hope that helps!! Turned out great both times. Will definitely be making these again and again. Very tasty!! Used the ingredients as listed but winged the measurements. Only thing I did different was to sprinkle mozzarella and parmigiano on the top with some fresh basil. Will make again for sure. This recipe was fantastic. I followed it exactly except for the basil I used 1 tsp dried and used shredded Italiano instead of just mozzarella.
I used Presidents Choice sweet basil pasta sauce and it was perfect. Everyone who ate it raved, I even took some to my coworkers who all want the recipe! Thanks, this will be made again and again! Made this for a Christmas party last night. People raved about how delicious it was. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!! I use a piping bag or a large heavy duty Ziploc with the corner cut off to put the stuffing into the shells. It works and saves time. I made this for dinner tonight and I had to stop and leave a review.
This dish was just absolutely amazing! I substituted the marinara sauce with meat sauce I had from spaghetti I made last night and it was unbelievably incredible! Thank you, Laura—this recipe is now officially in my rotation.
Great recipe — I have made it many times. Works with frozen spinach too. As others have said, this freezes incredibly well. I am hoping to make this tonight but I have one question please. I have never attempted to cook pasta in the oven???
In the past I would boil my shells to al dante but never heard of cooking them in the oven. Could you elaborate on this for me please. Hi Nancy! Hope that answers your question! This is a winner— and freezes SO well. I had leftovers so wrapped them in tinfoil and put in freezer.
I did this 5 months ago and just took some out yesterday to have for dinner. Just as fabulous 5 months later! Hi, Gabrielle! You can reheat the shells in the oven two ways. The shells will defrost while they bake, which will take a little bit longer than the regular recipe somewhere in the minute range , before uncovering and baking an additional minutes.
Just add them frozen or slightly defrosted to a baking dish, add sauce, and bake. If the finished product tastes as good as the filling does, this is sure to be a winner tonight! Definitely a step up and above the traditional stuffed shell recipe! I made your shells tonite for my husband and myself as a test run. Your shells will be front and center on Derby Day.
Thanks for sharing it with us. I made it tonight for dinner and my husband and I both absolutely loved it. I will be making this many more times and plan to pass it along to my sister. I do have one question though: What is a good side dish to go along with these shells? Hi Alexandra! Thanks so much! I usually pair these shells with a big green salad, with whatever fresh veggies I have on hand to throw in.
Just made it. Very good. I am interested to see how the 11 year old likes it and if husband notices no meat. Mine took a little longer to bake uncovered, I had to use a covered glass dish because I was out of foil.
Still turned out great, will make again. Will test out freezing them, cuz that would be a fabulous mid week, no time to cook dinner!!! At what temp do you cook it at? Hi, Brittani — You bake these at degrees F. Brittani- the traditional stuff shells recipe calls for just ricotta the egg will add the flavor and bake it properly through.
If no egg is used you will taste a difference and may need to cook it longer. I made these last night and they are delicious! Thank you for the recipe, very simple and not too overwhelming for a weeknight family dinner.
Hi Crystal! Just tried the recipe with 1. Made these tonight and they were awesome!!! Great recipe, thanks for sharing… My family love it..
I made this recipe about two months ago, and everyone loved it!! Does anyone have any recommendations on adding sausage? I want to use a healthier type like chicken sausage. I never cook with sausage. Any thoughts on this? Thanks for your help!
If so, would you mind letting me know if you needed to adjust the cook time, etc?? I made this recipe, and it was absolutely delicious! I plan on making these again and would like to add sausage to some of the shells for people who want a little meat in the stuffed pasta shell. Does anyone have any recommendations on doing this? Some come precooked. I think that I may cook it up with a little bit of onion in a pan first of all. Many thanks for the tasty recipe!
My 11 year old son made this for us last night and it was a huge hit. The whole family loved these! I am making this for a party Saturday night. Trying to figure out the best time to make this.
Do I make it now and freeze it until Saturday morning then bake? If I do, do I freeze it in the pan with the sauce? Do I not make it at all until the morning or very early afternoon of the party? I need to transport it and heat it back up on the sternos for a 7pm party and we plan on leaving the house around 3PM.
Any advice would be appreciated. Great recipe. So glad I somehow found it, so delicious and so easy to make. Thank you so much for posting it! These are so delicious! We have picky eaters in our family and this recipe has made it into the rotation.
That says A LOT! Thank you so much for a happy vegetarian meal with spinach, even that everyone enjoys. Thanks so much, Elizabeth! So, so good. I make these once a week now. Thank you so much, Gwyn! Easy and delicious! Finally now just checking out this website and very excited to try a bunch of the other recipes out! Great recipe though! We loved the fresh basil in these. Thanks so much for letting me know, Julie! I made this a few nights ago! It was perfect. My boyfriend asked if we could include this in our regular rotation.
Awesome, and easy! Amazing recipe just made that for my Family they love it and I will be making it again. Love love love it. I am loving your blog! I just discovered it the other week and have already tried the stuffed shells and banana chocolate muffins-both fantastic! I am definitely making YOUR recipe making 2 trays — one to take on Christmas, and one to freeze for a couple of days later! This recipe is absolutely delicious. I made it ahead of time and put it in the freezer.
All I had to do was throw it in the oven! I love the combination of flavors of the spinach and cheese. I made this for my boyfriend and he loved it. Can you put this in the refrige and cook at a later time in the day? Temp of oven and how long to cook it then? Hi, Samantha! Absolutely, you can make this even the day before. It will bake at the same temperature, but might take a bit longer to cook. Some of this depends on the baking dish, but maybe minutes more.
Does this freeze well? Hi, Jeanne! They do! Also, I love the idea of adding spinach into the cheese mixture. Thanks, Angela!
Hope that helps, and that you and your guests love the recipe! Laura I want to use this for my eating light group.
Do you have the nutritional value and calories for this dish? How could I make it light? Hi Judith! Do you think I can just increase the ricotta and add a little water?
Or should I use egg replacer? If she is allergic, simply omit the egg and continue with the rest of the recipe — no water needed. Thank you Laura for the reciepe. I made it for dinner today and it came out amazing. My boyfriend and friends loved it. Hi Dorothy! I would definitely serve this with a salad… The stuffed shells are almost a complete meal themselves, but a light salad would be a nice side. Honestly though, I think any green salad would be great with this. Let me know what you end up making, and enjoy your dinner party!!
My boyfriend loves pasta and I usually avoid it, but I actually really like this one and of course so does he. If a salad,,,what kind of salad?? The shells look extremely tempting, but I really must try my own pasta first! Wy waste 2 cups of spinach? Not sure what to do…. No, no! What that means is that the spinach will cook down considerably, reducing the overall volume of spinach by about half as much of the natural water in the spinach cooks away.
We made it two weeks in a row! Really flavourful and filling, yet still light. Definitely a new favorite so thank you! Making it today for my bookclub! This recipe is a total home run! This was fantastic. Thank you I looked like I have been cooking for years. The wife loved it and I now have lunch tomorrow besides a great dinner tonight. The hardest part was buying the food. Then the anticipation of this bothered me a little, I hate to wait as I am a fast food guy.
So glad I made this. Great recipe … Thanks. Hello, this sounds like a lovely recipe! Green beans, sala, carrots? I got RAVE reviews on these shells! It was great to be able to make these up the evening before and we set our oven to come on while we were having appetizers at House 1 on our dinner tour.
I am going out of state to care for my elderly parents soon and will be taking the ingredients to WOW my Italian mama and father when I make them dinner. These freeze really, really well so the leftovers will go into their freezer for their caregiver to warm up for them at a later date. Great, easy and delicious recipe! Dang, these were awesome!
I added cooked crumbled bacon into the cheese mixture and it turned out delicious! Great recipe for one of my favorites growing up!! I used kale in mine instead of spinach and cooked it the same just in a Dutch oven instead of skillet!
Very yummy!! And boyfriend loves it!! Just made this tonight. So great. We used a little extra ricotta parm and mozz, just because we had it. Unfortunately I burned the fresh garlic so we had to use garlic powder the second go round. Thanks for my new go to recipe. These look amazing! I cant wait to try the recipe. You said they could be frozen, any idea on heating instructions after being frozen?
Thanks so much for sharing! When I make this delicious recipe I always make extra. I put the stuffed shells on a cookie sheet and freeze them. When frozen I put them n a freezer bag and can remove as many as I want when needed without having them all stuck together.
Laura, I just found this recipe and amazing photo of your spinach-ricotta stuffed shells. I will be making these for our Italian Christmas Eve celebration at my parents house on Tuesday. Thank you for your recipe!!!!!!!! It was as good as it looked. My family loved it and it reminded me of Olive Garden. I will follow this blog more often. Love it!!!!! I would like to add ground turkey to this… can I add it into the cheese mixture without ruining them?
Or would I need to just add it to the marinara sauce? Let me know how it turns out! Our frozen spinach was freezer burned, so we just subbed in cottage cheese. And extra ricotta. Oh, and I had to use cheddar … but it was still delicious!
Placed the filled shells on top of the sauce; do not overcrowd. Top the shells with the remaining 1 cup tomato sauce, sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes; remove the foil and cook until the cheese is fully melted and browned on top, an additional 5 minutes.
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