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Everyone loves a baked pasta dish, and my Baked Beef and Ricotta Stuffed Shells are about as good as it gets.
The filling is made with a combination of creamy ricotta cheese, parsley, bright lemon zest, an egg, salty Parmesan cheese, and shredded mozzarella. It’s fragrant from the lemon and herbs, and just so satisfying. To make the sauce, I make a ragu using a jar of marinara for ease.
The whole dish comes together in an hour, but because it’s a bit of a process to assemble the individual shells, I love to get my kids involved in the process! Let them stuff the shells with the ricotta mixture or sprinkle the cheese over the top of the sauce just before baking! This cozy pasta bake is sure to please your whole family.
Ingredients:
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- Ground Beef (90/10)
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic Cloves
- Dry White Wine
- Marinara Sauce
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Dried Oregano
- Fresh Basil
- Jumbo Shells
- Ricotta Cheese
- Fresh Parsley
- Large Egg
- Lemon Zest
- Parmesan Cheese
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
step-by-step:
step one: preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 375°F and bring a large pot of water to a boil.
step two: cook the beef
Meanwhile, heat the oil in large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, onions, and garlic and cook, breaking up the meat into very small pieces with the edge of a spoon, until cooked through and no longer pink. Drain off excess fat and return to the skillet.
step three: make the sauce
Pour in the white wine and cook, stirring, until it has reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and add the marinara, 1½ teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, oregano, and fresh basil. Stir to combine and cover. Set aside.
step four: cook the pasta
When the water is boiling, add the jumbo shells and cook until al dente, according to package directions.
step five: make the filling
While the pasta cooks, make the filling. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, parsley, egg, lemon zest, Parmesan, 1 cup of mozzarella, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Mix until very well combined.
When the shells are done, drain and lightly rinse with cool water.
step six: assemble the shells
In the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish, spread 1/2 of the meat sauce into an even layer. Gently stuff each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture and place the stuffed shells in a single layer, seam side up, in the baking dish. Once all of the shells are filled, pour the remaining meat mixture over the top in an even layer. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.
step seven: bake the shells and serve
Cover tightly with foil, transfer to the oven, and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and serve!
Recipe fAQs:
Yes! You could use chicken broth or beef broth instead of the wine to make the sauce.
Yes! You can make the entire recipe through step six. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours, then bake.
The next time you want a cozy pasta dish that will feed your whole family, try these Baked Beef and Ricotta Stuffed Shells. Comment below and let me know how it comes out!
Looking for more pasta recipes? try these!
Creamy Sausage Rigatoni with Saffron
One-Pot SpaghettiOs with Mini Meatballs
Sausage and Kale Tortellini Bake
Meatballs with Basil and Burst Tomatoes
Baked Beef and Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef 90/10
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves, plus more to garnish
- 12 ounces jumbo shells
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 large egg
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1¼ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, onions, and garlic and cook, breaking up the meat into very small pieces with the edge of a spoon, until cooked through and no longer pink. Drain off excess fat and return to the skillet.
- Pour in the white wine and cook, stirring, until it has reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and add the marinara, 1½ teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, oregano, and basil. Stir to combine and cover. Set aside.
- When the water is boiling, add the jumbo shells and cook until al dente, according to package directions.
- While the pasta cooks, make the filling. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, parsley, egg, lemon zest, Parmesan, 1 cup of mozzarella, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Mix until very well combined.
- When the shells are done, drain and lightly rinse with cool water.
- In the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish, spread 1/2 of the meat mixture into an even layer. Gently stuff each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture and place the stuffed shells in a single layer, seam side up, in the baking dish. Once all of the shells are filled, pour the remaining meat mixture over the top in an even layer. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.
- Cover tightly with foil, transfer to the oven, and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and serve!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography and styling by Jessica Gaertner.
Absolutely gorgeous meal. It made about 20 jumbo conchiglioni. Thank you
This was so delicious!! It is definitely more of a process to make this but so worth it. My husband and 12 month old loved it!!
Makes a ton of food! Next time, I plan to bake half and freeze the other half.
These are so good! Dare I say even better the next day for lunch! My daughter (very picky/never eats beef) was eating the sauce by the bowl. Going on our weekly rotation. Thanks for another great recipe Alex!
Thank you!!
Excellent! Great make ahead dinner for busy nights.
Totally agree! So glad you love it!