This ground beef stuffed shells recipe delivers a comforting and satisfying meal that’s sure to become a family favorite. Inspired by classic hearty dishes and with a nod to the Pioneer Woman’s style of home cooking, this recipe simplifies the process while maximizing flavor and ensuring a dish that’s perfect for weeknights or gatherings. These stuffed shells are not only delicious and protein-packed but also incredibly convenient, designed as a one-pan meal that can be prepared ahead and frozen for busy days.
Why You’ll Love These Ground Beef Stuffed Shells
If you’re searching for a recipe that brings everyone to the table with smiles, look no further. These stuffed shells with ground beef are:
- Family-Friendly: A guaranteed hit with both kids and adults, offering a familiar and comforting Italian-inspired flavor.
- Hearty and Satisfying: Packed with lean ground beef and a rich ricotta cheese filling, this dish is substantial and keeps you full.
- Make-Ahead Marvel: Perfect for meal prepping, these shells can be assembled in advance and baked later, or even frozen for future meals.
- One-Pan Easy: Less cleanup with a complete meal baked in a single dish.
- Versatile: Easily customizable with variations for gluten-free or dairy-free diets, and adaptable to your favorite marinara sauce.
This recipe takes the essence of beloved comfort food and streamlines it for the modern home cook. While paying homage to hearty recipes often found in the Pioneer Woman’s repertoire, this version is designed to be accessible, quicker to assemble, and slightly lightened up without sacrificing any of the robust flavors you crave.
Key Ingredients for Flavorful Stuffed Shells
Here’s what you’ll need to create these mouthwatering stuffed shells:
- Jumbo Pasta Shells: The star of the show! Jumbo shells (conchiglioni) are essential for stuffing and creating that classic stuffed shell look. Ensure you use jumbo, not large or medium shells, for the best results.
- Lean Ground Beef: Provides a hearty protein base. Lean ground beef keeps the dish flavorful yet not overly greasy. Ground turkey can also be substituted.
- Aromatic Vegetables: Onion and garlic form the flavor foundation of the meat sauce, adding depth and savory notes.
- Marinara Sauce: Use your favorite homemade or quality store-bought marinara sauce. A robust marinara brings moisture and Italian flavor to the dish. For an extra layer of flavor, consider a sauce with herbs and a slightly sweet profile.
- Ricotta Cheese: Part-skim ricotta creates a creamy and light filling. Full-fat ricotta can be used for a richer texture.
- Spinach: Frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry, adds a boost of nutrients and subtle flavor to the cheese filling.
- Italian Cheese Blend & Parmesan: A combination of Italian cheeses, including mozzarella and parmesan, provides a cheesy, melty topping and adds a savory, sharp finish to the filling.
- Egg: Binds the ricotta filling together, ensuring it holds its shape during baking.
- Olive Oil & Kosher Salt: Essential for sautéing and seasoning, enhancing the overall flavors of the dish.
Step-by-Step Guide to Making Ground Beef Stuffed Shells
Follow these simple steps to create perfect stuffed shells every time:
- Prepare the Pasta Shells: Cook jumbo pasta shells in salted boiling water until just under al dente, about 2-3 minutes less than package directions. This prevents them from becoming too soft and tearing during stuffing. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside to cool slightly.
- Sauté Aromatics: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
- Brown the Ground Beef: Add lean ground beef and kosher salt to the skillet. Cook, breaking up the beef with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Drain off any excess grease if needed.
- Create the Meat Sauce: Pour marinara sauce into the skillet with the cooked ground beef. Stir to combine and heat through. Remove from heat.
- Mix the Ricotta Filling: In a large bowl, combine part-skim ricotta cheese, egg, thawed and squeezed spinach, half of the Italian cheese blend, half of the parmesan cheese, and kosher salt. Mix until well combined.
- Stuff the Shells: Spoon the ricotta mixture into each cooked pasta shell, using about 2 heaping tablespoons per shell.
- Assemble the Dish: Spread half of the ground beef marinara sauce evenly in the bottom of a large baking dish. Arrange the stuffed shells in a single layer over the sauce.
- Top and Bake: Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the stuffed shells. Sprinkle the remaining Italian cheese blend and parmesan cheese evenly over the top.
- Bake: Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the shells are heated through.
- Serve: Let the stuffed shells rest for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
Tips for Perfect Stuffed Shells
- Don’t Overcook the Shells: Cooking the shells slightly less than al dente ensures they hold their shape and don’t become mushy after baking.
- Use Jumbo Shells: Jumbo shells are specifically designed for stuffing. Smaller shells are difficult to fill and won’t hold as much filling. If you are unable to find jumbo shells, you can create a deconstructed lasagna-style bake with layers of sauce, pasta, and ricotta mixture.
- Squeeze Spinach Dry: Ensure you thoroughly squeeze out excess moisture from the thawed spinach. This prevents the filling from becoming watery.
- Make it Ahead: Assemble the stuffed shells ahead of time and store them unbaked in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Add a few extra minutes to the baking time if baking directly from the fridge.
- Freeze for Later: These stuffed shells freeze beautifully. Assemble the unbaked dish, cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 2-3 months. Bake from frozen, covered with foil, for about 50-60 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes to ensure they are heated through and the cheese is melted.
Variations and Substitutions
- Vegetarian Option: Omit the ground beef and add sautéed vegetables like mushrooms, zucchini, or bell peppers to the marinara sauce. For a vegetarian protein boost, consider adding lentils or crumbled vegetarian meat substitutes to the sauce or ricotta filling.
- Spicy Kick: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the ground beef mixture or marinara sauce for a touch of heat.
- Different Cheeses: Experiment with different cheese combinations in the filling and topping. Provolone, mozzarella, or a blend of Italian cheeses all work well.
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free jumbo pasta shells or create a deconstructed version using gluten-free pasta. Ensure your marinara sauce is also certified gluten-free.
- Dairy-Free: Substitute dairy-free ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses to make this dish dairy-free. Nutritional yeast can add a cheesy flavor to the dairy-free ricotta filling.
Make-Ahead and Freezing Instructions
Make Ahead: Assemble the stuffed shells and refrigerate unbaked for up to 24 hours. Bake as directed, adding about 10-15 minutes to the baking time if starting from cold.
Freezing Unbaked: Assemble the dish completely. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, then with a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2-3 months. Bake from frozen: remove plastic wrap, cover with foil, and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 50-60 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is melted.
Freezing Baked: Bake the stuffed shells as directed. Let cool completely. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. Reheat covered with foil in a 350°F (175°C) oven until heated through.
Serving Suggestions
These hearty stuffed shells are a complete meal on their own, but you can enhance your dinner with a simple side dish:
- Garlic Bread: Classic and always a crowd-pleaser. Homemade or store-bought garlic bread pairs perfectly with the Italian flavors of the stuffed shells.
- Simple Salad: A fresh green salad with a light vinaigrette provides a refreshing contrast to the richness of the pasta.
- Roasted Vegetables: Roasted asparagus, broccoli, or zucchini add a healthy and flavorful side.
Quick Garlic Bread Recipe Suggestion
For a super easy side, brush slices of Italian bread with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder and a pinch of salt. Broil for a few minutes until golden brown and crispy.
Recipe: Ground Beef Stuffed Shells
Inspired by hearty home cooking, perfect for family dinners and make-ahead meals.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 9 (3 stuffed shells per serving)
Ingredients:
- 27 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 28 ounces marinara sauce
- 1 (15-oz) container part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 (16-oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed well
- 2 cups part-skim shredded Italian cheese blend, divided
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, divided
- Optional topping: Chopped fresh parsley
Equipment:
- Large pot
- Large skillet
- Large mixing bowl
- 9×13 inch baking dish
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Cook pasta shells in a large pot of salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes less than package directions (just under al dente). Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion with ¼ teaspoon salt until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add ground beef and ¼ teaspoon salt. Sauté until browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes, breaking up beef. Drain excess oil.
- Stir in marinara sauce and heat through. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, combine ricotta, egg, spinach, 1 cup Italian cheese blend, ¼ cup parmesan, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Mix well.
- Stuff each pasta shell with about 2 heaping tablespoons of ricotta mixture.
- Spread half of the beef marinara sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange stuffed shells over sauce.
- Top with remaining marinara sauce and remaining 1 cup Italian cheese blend and ¼ cup parmesan.
- Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 minutes more, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Sprinkle with parsley (optional) and serve.
Recipe Notes:
- Substitutions: See blog post above for gluten-free, dairy-free, and other substitution suggestions.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. For freezing instructions, see make-ahead and freezing section above.
Nutrition Information (per serving, 3 stuffed shells with beef sauce):
- Calories: 439kcal
- Carbohydrates: 48g
- Protein: 43g
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Cholesterol: 70mg
- Sodium: 796mg
- Fiber: 18g
- Sugar: 8g
- Vitamin A: 63482IU
- Vitamin C: 37mg
- Calcium: 986mg
- Iron: 13mg
Enjoy this hearty and comforting ground beef stuffed shells recipe – a delicious and easy meal inspired by classic home cooking!
