If you're looking for a delicious and satisfying meal that's perfect for any occasion, stuffed shells with marinara is an excellent choice. This classic Italian dish is made with large pasta shells that are filled with a mixture of ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, Italian herbs, and spinach. The shells are then baked in a marinara sauce until they are tender and bubbly. You can find many different recipes for stuffed shells with marinara online, but the best one will depend on your individual preferences. Some recipes call for using fresh herbs, while others use dried herbs. Some recipes also include meat or vegetables in the filling, while others are vegetarian. No matter which recipe you choose, you're sure to enjoy this delicious and satisfying dish.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
EASY STUFFED SHELLS WITH MARINARA SAUCE RECIPE
Easy Stuffed Shells with Marinara Sauce is a delicious make-ahead pasta entrée with not one, but three kinds of cheeses; ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan, and the most wonderful homemade marinara sauce ever!
Provided by Sharon Rigsby
Categories Main Dish
Time 1h15m
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Pour tomatoes into a large bowl and crush with your hands or use a potato masher to roughly mash the tomatoes. Do leave some chunks of tomato.
- Add about 1 1/2 cups of water to the tomato mixture and stir to combine.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds or until you can smell the garlic (do not let the garlic brown).
- Add the tomato mixture, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Place the fresh basil sprigs in the sauce and stir to submerge. Simmer the sauce for 15-30 minutes, or until it has thickened. Stir occasionally. Once it has thickened, taste and add more salt if needed. Remove the basil sprigs and set the sauce aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Add the pasta shells to a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook the shells for 8 minutes, stirring gently every few minutes. Drain the shells and place open side down on paper towels or a clean dish towel.
- Add the 1-1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese, 1-1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, the ricotta cheese, eggs, nutmeg, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried parsley to a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Stuff the shells with the cheese mixture. (I tried three methods and the easiest, at least for me, was holding the open shell in one hand and then using a teaspoon to pack the cheese mixture into the shell. Alternatively, you can add the cheese mixture to a piping bag and pipe it into the shells, or add the cheese mixture to a large plastic storage bag, snip off one corner, and pipe in the shells.)
- When all of the shells are filled, spray a large baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Spread a thin layer of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the dish and place the shells open side up in a single layer in the sauce.
- Pour the rest of the sauce over the shells and top with the reserved mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Cover loosely with aluminum foil or a lid and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is puffed and golden.
- Garnish with chopped basil and serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 668 kcal, Carbohydrate 50 g, Protein 37 g, Fat 37 g, SaturatedFat 19 g, Cholesterol 133 mg, Sodium 612 mg, Fiber 5 g, Sugar 11 g, UnsaturatedFat 9 g, ServingSize 1 serving
STUFFED SHELLS RECIPE BY TASTY
Stuffed with a garlicky spinach-ricotta-Parmesan mixture, dressed with bright marinara sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese, and baked to golden, melty perfection, these shells are worth staying in for.
Provided by Tasty
Categories Lunch
Time 55m
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the jumbo shells and cook according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain the jumbo shells through a colander.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and stir until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the spinach and cook until just wilted down, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and let the spinach cool to room temperature, then roughly chop on a cutting board.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta and egg. Add the chopped spinach, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, the black pepper, and red pepper flakes and stir to combine.
- Fill the jumbo shells with the ricotta mixture.
- Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with olive oil. Spread 2 cups of marinara on the bottom of the pan.
- Arrange the stuffed shells in a single layer over the marinara sauce. Spread the remaining 1 cup of marinara over the shells and top with the mozzarella.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover the pan and continue baking until the cheese has melted and is golden brown, about 15 minutes.
- Garnish with the basil and serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 497 calories, Carbohydrate 40 grams, Fat 23 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 30 grams, Sugar 4 grams
STUFFED SHELLS WITH MARINARA
Remember: If the shells are perfectly cooked in the first step, they'll be mushy and flabby after baking.
Categories Bon Appétit Dinner Pasta Ricotta Vegetarian Parmesan Mozzarella Cheese Tomato Bake
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook shells in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente; drain. Run under cold water to stop the cooking and drain again.
- Lightly whisk egg yolks and egg in a large bowl. Stir in ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella; season with salt and pepper. Transfer filling to a large resealable plastic bag.
- Spread 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce in a 13x9" baking dish. Snip off 1 end of plastic bag and, working one at a time, squeeze filling into shells, arranging them in a single layer in baking dish as you go. Top with remaining 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce and remaining mozzarella. Cover pan tightly with foil and bake shells until sauce is bubbling throughout, 35-40 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes.
- Carefully move rack to top of oven and heat broiler. Uncover pasta and broil until lightly browned on top, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with oregano and more Parmesan and drizzle with oil.
- Do Ahead
- Pasta can be baked 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat, covered, at 375°F.
STUFFED MANICOTTI WITH FRESH MARINARA SAUCE
Provided by Food Network
Categories main-dish
Time 2h35m
Yield about 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 22
Steps:
- Make the crepes (crespelle):
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and melted butter. Gradually whisk in the flour and salt until the mixture is smooth. Refrigerate for 1 hour until slightly thickened.
- Spray an 8-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Place the pan over medium heat. With a small ladle, pour about 3 tablespoons of the batter into the pan. Turn the pan at a 45 degree angle to coat the pan evenly so the batter forms a perfect circle. Cook the crepe only until lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Turn the crepe over with a spatula and cook the other side only until lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Slide the crepe onto a 12-inch platter and continue the process with the remaining batter. Stack the crepes between waxed paper so they don't stick. You can prepare these crepes a day in advance covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. No need to reheat the crepes before filling and baking.
- Make the ricotta filling:
- In a large bowl, add all the ingredients for the ricotta filling. With a large wooden spoon or spatula, stir all the ingredients until well blended. Store covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator until ready to use. You can make this filling the day before.
- Make the marinara sauce:
- In a large heavy nonreactive saucepan with a lid, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant but NOT browned. Add the crushed tomatoes to the pan and crush further with a potato masher. Simmer 30 minutes, slightly covered, on medium-low heat, stirring every so often.
- Add the parsley, basil leaves and salt and pepper, to taste, and simmer for another 10 minutes until the sauce is slightly reduced. Taste and re-season as necessary.
- Put it all together:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with 1 cup of the prepared marinara sauce.
- Spoon 3 tablespoons of the prepared ricotta filling 1 inch from the edge of a crepe. Roll evenly into a log, keeping the filling even as you roll. Repeat with the remaining crepes. Place manicotti seam side down and side by side in the sauced baking pan.
- Spoon 1 to 2 cups of sauce over the top of the manicotti. Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan.
- Cover the baking dish loosely with foil and bake about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes until the topping is golden brown and sides are bubbling. Let rest about 15 minutes before serving to firm up the manicotti filling.
STUFFED SHELLS
Of all the baked pasta dishes, stuffed shells are beloved for good reason: The fluffy ricotta filling, punchy tomato sauce, melted cheese and oversize noodles creates the ultimate comfort food, and the make-ahead aspect is equally compelling. The tomato sauce can be made and refrigerated five days ahead, or you can save time by swapping in three cups of your favorite store-bought marinara sauce. The shells can be assembled a few hours ahead, then baked from the refrigerator an hour before it's time to eat. While some versions add frozen spinach, herbs or lemon, you really don't need anything beyond the basics; this classic version is pure comfort.
Provided by Ali Slagle
Categories dinner, casseroles, pastas, main course
Time 2h
Yield 6 to 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Make the sauce: In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until the paste turns one shade darker, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée, season with salt, then bring to a simmer. Cover halfway to reduce splattering, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened slightly, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta with 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, 1 cup Parmesan and the egg yolks. Grate the garlic directly into the bowl, then season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine, then set aside.
- Add the shells to the boiling water and cook until just shy of al dente. (You'll want to cook the shells about 2 minutes less than the minimum time listed on the package, as the shells will continue to cook in the oven in Step 5.) Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain the pasta and rinse it under cold water to cool. Count out 24 shells. (You will have cooked off more shells than will fit in the dish; that's insurance in case any rip. Reserve extras for another use.)
- Stir the pasta water into the sauce, then add half the sauce to a 3-quart/9-by-13-inch baking dish and spread it in an even layer. Spoon about 2 tablespoons filling into each of the 24 shells, lining up the stuffed shells in the dish as you go. Spoon the remaining sauce over the shells, then sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup Parmesan.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. (If you'd like to brown the cheese, you can broil for a few minutes.) Let sit 5 minutes, then serve.
STUFFED SHELLS WITH MARINARA SAUCE
Make and share this Stuffed Shells With Marinara Sauce recipe from Food.com.
Provided by Kathy F.
Categories < 60 Mins
Time 55m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Combine cheeses, egg and pepper in a medium bowl.
- Stuff each shell with cheese mixture.
- Place in ungreased baking dish.
- Pour sacue over shells.
- Bake 2-25 minutes at 350.
- Top with Mozzerella and bake 5 more minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 415.9, Fat 25.6, SaturatedFat 14.3, Cholesterol 124.2, Sodium 1088.3, Carbohydrate 19.4, Fiber 3.1, Sugar 10.7, Protein 26.4
Tips:
- Use the Right Pasta Shells: Large pasta shells like conchiglie or jumbo shells are ideal for stuffing.
- Cook the Pasta Shells Properly: Cook the pasta shells al dente, so they hold their shape when stuffed.
- Make a Flavorful Filling: Use a mixture of cheeses, herbs, and spices to create a flavorful filling.
- Don't Overstuff the Shells: Fill the shells just enough so that they close properly.
- Use a Good Quality Marinara Sauce: A flavorful marinara sauce will enhance the taste of the stuffed shells.
- Bake the Stuffed Shells Properly: Bake the stuffed shells at a high temperature initially to melt the cheese and then reduce the temperature to finish cooking the shells.
- Let the Stuffed Shells Rest: Let the stuffed shells rest for a few minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
Conclusion:
Stuffed shells with marinara are a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed as a main course or a side dish. With a variety of filling options and sauces, you can customize this dish to suit your taste. Whether you are a beginner cook or an experienced chef, this recipe is sure to impress your family and friends. So, gather your ingredients, put on your apron, and let's get cooking!
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