Beef stuffed shells
Jumbo shells filled with a cheesy beef and ricotta filling, baked in marinara until bubbling, and they freeze beautifully.
- 70 min total
- 35 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 6
- About $3.05 a serving
- 700 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 30 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 lb 85/15 ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
- ½ cup grated parmesan, divided
- 1 jar marinara sauce, divided
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Each serving has about 700 calories, 43 g protein, 52 g carbs and 34 g fat, and costs about $3.05 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No 85/15 ground beef? 90/10 ground beef works.
- No ricotta cheese? Cottage cheese works.
- No shredded mozzarella? Provolone slices work.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 375°F. Fill a large pot with water, add the salt, and bring it over high.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cook the shells 2 minutes less than the package says, stirring gently now and then. and spread them on a to cool.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
High heat
Dolly’s tip: A few always tear, so cook a couple of extra shells if the box has them.While they cook, heat a large over medium-high and cook the beef 7 to 8 minutes, breaking it up, until no pink is left. Spoon off the fat.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium-high heatTimer: 7 min 30 sec
Food safety: Ground beef, pork and lamb are done at 160°F. When it’s cooked through there’s no pink left anywhere in the pan.
Stir in the garlic and Italian seasoning for 30 seconds, then take the pan off the heat and let it cool 5 minutes.
Timer: 5 min
Stir the beef, ricotta, egg, 1 cup mozzarella and ¼ cup parmesan together in a bowl.
Spread 1 cup of the marinara in a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Spoon about 3 tablespoons of filling into each shell and set them in the dish open side up.
Dolly’s tip: Hold the shell open with one hand and fill it with a spoon in the other. Overfilled is better than skimpy.Spoon the rest of the marinara over the shells and top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
Cover with foil and 25 minutes, then uncover and bake 10 minutes more, until bubbling.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Timer: 35 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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