HOME › Recipes › Main Course › Pork
By Shawn Williams
4.63 from 16 votes
May 07, 2020, Updated Oct 19, 2023
Jump to Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Sausage stuffed shells are a delicious and easy Italian appetizer or entree with very simple ingredients. They’re cheesy, creamy, savory, garlicky, and loaded with so much delicious ricotta flavor!
My stuffed shells are filled with ricotta and Parmesan cheese, ground sweet Italian sausage, fresh basil, garlic, and an optional egg. They’re baked topped with marinara and plenty of mozzarella cheese.
Table of Contents
- Why I Love this Recipe
- Ingredients
- Ground Beef Versus Ground Sausage
- How to Make Stuffed Shells
- Easy Shell Filling
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Similar Pasta Recipes
- Sausage Stuffed Shells Recipe
Why I Love this Recipe
I love this recipe because it is delicious and filling and made with such basic ingredients. It makes for a nice heavy appetizer thanks to its richness. Adding ground sausage to the ricotta filling lends some extra flavor and protein, however, you can make this recipe vegetarian by simply omitting it from the recipe.
Stuffed shells come together in about 15 active minutes of cooking and 25 minutes of baking. It’s a real crowd-pleaser the whole family will love! If you love this recipe, also check out my skillet lasagna, no-boiled baked ziti, and creamy pasta shells!
A few of my other favorite skillet Italian dishes are my gnocchi bolognese, skillet chicken parmesan, and my skillet eggplant parmesan.
Ingredients
- Jumbo shells: jumbo shells are the largest shells offered at grocery stores. A 14 or 16-ounce box is all you need for this recipe.
- Marinara: use your favorite jarred tomato sauce or make my favorite tomato sauce. Be sure to grab a 24-ounce jar so you have enough. I love Rao’s
- Ground sweet or hot Italian sausage: you can also use ground beef or any combination of beef and sausage. If you can’t find ground Italian sausage, buy uncooked Italian sausages and squeeze the sausage out of the casing. I do it all the time!
- Ricotta cheese: you will need a 15-ounce container to ensure you have enough. You won’t need the whole container.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese: I use low-moisture mozzarella. Preshredded or not is up to you.
- Coarsely grated parmesan cheese: I always opt for a block of parmesan cheese and grate it myself. It’s fresher and doesn’t contain extra preservatives.
- Egg: egg is typically added to stuffed shells to give the ricotta filling more body. Since my recipe calls for ground sausage, you can skip the egg if you want.
- Fresh garlic cloves: the garlic flavor is so fresh and aromatic in this recipe because it slowly cooks inside the filling. You can optionally roast the garlic if you want some extra sweetness.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities below.
Ground Beef Versus Ground Sausage
You can optionally make stuffed shells with ground beef in place of sausage. I just prefer the flavor of Italian sausage in pasta dishes—it just belongs together! The advantage of using beef is it’s easier to break into small chunks for the filling. Sausage can be a little more stubborn. If you enjoy a little heat, opt for hot/spicy Italian sausage! It’s delicious
How to Make Stuffed Shells
Step 1.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Step 2.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta shells 1 minute before al dente, strain, and rinse with cool water to prevent overcooking.
Step 3.
Meanwhile, in a cast-iron skillet, cook sausage until fully cooked through and browned. About 5-7 minutes. Use the tip of a spatula to break the sausage into the smallest chunks possible as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove the pan from the heat.
Step 4.
Transfer the sausage to a medium bowl with ricotta, basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and egg. Stir until fully incorporated and creamy.Place 1 cup of marinara in the bottom of the now-empty skillet.
Step 5.
Cut a 1-inch hole in a pastry bag or corner of a large Ziploc bag. Transfer the ricotta filling to the bag and fill each shell to the top with ricotta. You can alternatively fill shells with a spoon.
Step 6.
Arrange shells in the skillet as tightly as possible. You can usually fit 20-22 shells in a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Top each shell with a heaping tablespoon of marinara. Layer the entire dish with about 1 cup of shredded mozzarella (more is OK too).
Step 7.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is fully melted and golden. Finish with a quick broil to give the cheese a little sear if desired. Let cool for 5 minutes, top with extra chopped basil, and serve immediately.
Expert Tips
- If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can bake shells in a baking dish instead. If making additional, You will need to scale the ricotta filling as it’s enough for roughly 20-22 shells.
- Finish the baking with a quick broil. It will slightly crisp the cheese and give it a beautiful golden finish. Broil on high for 1-2 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning.
- Cook shells just under al dente to prevent overcooking. Rinsing the shells with cool water after straining will prevent them from cooking further. This is so they don’t break apart when filling.
Easy Shell Filling
The easiest way to fill stuffed shells is with a pasty bag. This makes quick and neat work of filling the shells. The most important tip is to cut a solid inch off your pasty bag so the meat can easily slide through. Assuming your ricotta is adequately mixed, this shouldn’t be a problem.
If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can cut the corner off a large Ziploc bag or similar. You don’t need a frosting tip or anything fancy like that. You can of course use a spoon, it’s just a more manual process and gets a little messy at times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this meatless?
Yes, simply omit the meat from the recipe. Be sure to include the egg if omitting meat.
Do I need the egg?
No, not necessarily. The egg is typically added to stuffed shells to give the ricotta filling more body. Since my recipe calls for ground sausage, you can skip the egg if you prefer.
Why are my shells falling apart?
Don’t overcook the shells because they will continue to cook in the oven. For best results, cook shells a minute or two before al dente and rinse with cool water after straining.
Similar Pasta Recipes
Skillet Chicken Parmesan
Baked Rigatoni Recipe
Simple Creamy Gnocchi Recipe
Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
Enjoy this recipe? If you made this recipe, please leave a ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star rating in the recipe card below & areview in the comments!
4.63 from 16 votes
Sausage Stuffed Shells Recipe
By: Shawn Williams
Servings: 22 shells
Prep: 15 minutes mins
Cook: 30 minutes mins
Total: 45 minutes mins
Save
Jumbo stuffed shells filled with ground sweet Italian sausage, ricotta and parmesan cheese, fresh basil, garlic, and egg. Baked topped with marinara and melted mozzarella cheese.
Ingredients
- 20-22 jumbo shells, 16-ounce box
- 24 ounces marinara
- 14-16 ounces of ground sweet or hot Italian sausage, or ground beef
- 1 3/4 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 6-7 basil leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta shells 1 minute before al dente, strain, and rinse with cool water to prevent overcooking.
Meanwhile, in a cast-iron skillet, cook sausage until fully cooked through and browned. About 5-7 minutes. Use the tip of a spatula to break the sausage into the smallest chunks possible as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove the pan from the heat.
Transfer the sausage to a medium bowl with ricotta, basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, and egg. Stir until fully incorporated and creamy. Place 1 cup of marinara in the bottom of the now-empty skillet.
Cut a 1-inch hole in a pastry bag or corner of a large Ziploc bag. Transfer the ricotta filling to the bag and fill each shell to the top with ricotta. You can alternatively fill shells with a spoon.
Arrange shells in the skillet as tightly as possible. You can usually fit 20-22 shells in a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Top each shell with a heaping tablespoon of marinara. Layer the entire dish with about 1 cup of shredded mozzarella (more is OK too).
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is fully melted and golden. Finish with a quick broil to give the cheese a little sear if desired. Let cool for 5 minutes, top with extra chopped basil, and serve immediately.
Notes
The easiest way to fill stuffed shells is with a pasty bag or Ziploc bag. This makes quick and neat work of filling the shells. The most important tip is to cut a solid inch off your pasty bag so the meat can easily slide through. Assuming your ricotta is adequately mixed, this shouldn’t be a problem.
If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can bake shells in a baking dish instead. If making additional, You will need to scale the ricotta filling as it’s enough for roughly 20-22 shells. There will be leftover shells in the box.
Finish the baking with a quick broil. It will slightly crisp the cheese and give it a beautiful golden finish. Broil on high for 1-2 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning.
Cook shells just under al dente to prevent overcooking. Rinsing the shells with cool water after straining will prevent them from cooking further. This is so they don’t break apart when filling.
Nutrition
Calories: 430kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 24.6gFat: 21.6gSaturated Fat: 9.2gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 864mgFiber: 1.4gSugar: 1.9g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Additional Info
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Tried this recipe?Mention @kitchenswagger or tag #kitchenswagger!
