Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells

Cheese stuffed pasta shells are comfort food at its best. Tender jumbo shells filled with a creamy ricotta and cream cheese mixture, flavored with garlic and fresh basil. They bake in a bed of marinara that soaks into the pasta, while the topping turns golden and bubbly under the broiler. The result is rich, saucy, and just the kind of pasta dish everyone goes back for seconds on.

Email this recipe!

Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us every week!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

Save Recipe

If you love cheesy stuffed pasta, you will love our Beef and Cheese Cannelloni for another comforting Italian classic.

Here’s Why This Cheese Stuffed Shells Recipe Works

Double cheese blend: Jumbo pasta shells are filled with ricotta for a soft, creamy base and cream cheese for tangy richness and body. Save some ricotta to make these pillowy soft Malfatti dumplings too.

Fresh aromatics: Garlic and fresh basil balance the cheesy filling with bright, savory Italian flavor.

Easy pasta prep: Par-cooking the shells and tossing them with olive oil keeps them intact, saucy, and easy to stuff.

Make ahead friendly: Assemble the shells a day in advance, cover tightly, and refrigerate. Add 5–10 minutes to the baking time if cold from the fridge.

Stuffed Pasta Shells

Cheese stuffed pasta shells are everything you want in baked pasta; tender jumbo shells, creamy cheese filling, rich marinara, and a golden, bubbly topping. They’re simple enough for a weeknight dinner but impressive enough to serve to company.

Make them ahead, freeze for later, or enjoy straight from the oven with a sprinkle of fresh basil. If you’re craving more Italian comfort food, you might also like my cheese manicotti for another family-style favorite.

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 45 minutes mins

4.91 from 11 votes

Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells

By Pat Nyswonger

Jumbo cheese stuffed pasta shells are stuffed with three cheeses! Ricotta , cream cheese and mozzarella and topped with parmesan cheese.  Adding to the ‘easy’ we nestled the stuffed shells in a layer of jarred marinara sauce and baked them to a delicious creaminess. Yum!

If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment.

Servings: 8 servings

SaveSaved Pin Comment Print

Email me this recipe!

Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

Save

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 12 ounces dry jumbo pasta shells
• ▢ 1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce, or homemade
• ▢ 12 ounces cream cheese
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves, grated or minced
• ▢ ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
• ▢ 8 ounces Mozzarella cheese, 2 cups shredded
• ▢ 4 ounces grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 1 cup grated
• ▢ 2 tablespoons curly leaf parsley, chopped

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. 
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta shells to the al dente stage, about 7 minutes.  Drain the cooked shells in a colander and rinse with cold water.  Return the shells to the pot and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil to keep from sticking together. 
• Coat a 9×13-inch ovenproof casserole dish with non-stick oil spray.  Add all of the marinara sauce to the bottom of the dish.  Set aside.
• In a medium-size bowl and using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and the egg together, add the ricotta cheese and blend until smooth.  
• With a spoon or spatula, stir in the garlic, basil and the Mozzarella cheese until evenly blended.
• To fill the shells:  Hold a shell open and spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture into the shell.  Add a teaspoon or more of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on the top, pressing to adhere to the filling.  Place the filled shell in the dish of sauce, repeat with the remaining shells.  
• Cover the dish with foil and transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil, turn the heating unit to ‘broil’ and cook for another 3-4 minutes to brown the cheese.  
• Serve hot with garlic bread and a garnish of chopped basil or parsley.

Notes

Cook shells al dente: Keep jumbo pasta shells slightly firm so they’re easier to fill and hold their shape in the baking dish.

Pipe the filling: Use a piping bag or zip-top bag for quick, even stuffing with minimal mess.

Bake covered, then broil: Cover with foil while baking to keep the pasta moist, then broil briefly for a bubbling, golden cheese topping.

Don’t overfill: About 2 tablespoons of filling per shell is enough. Overfilling can cause them to split as they bake.

Choose the right dish: A 9×13 casserole dish holds the shells in a single layer so they bake evenly in the sauce.

Layer with sauce: Spread marinara on the bottom of the dish to keep the shells from sticking or drying out. 

Freezer-friendly: Fill and freeze the shells on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a container. Bake straight from frozen with extra sauce and foil.

Nutrition

Serving: 3 serving, Calories: 404kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 108mg, Sodium: 491mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!