Meat and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

featured picture of meat ricotta stuffed shells.

5 from 1 vote

Meat and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

These meat and ricotta stuffed shells are an easy and filling dinner, full of ground beef, creamy ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, and covered in a rich tomato sauce. This family-friendly dinner is sure to be a hit!

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Beef, dinner, Pasta

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 734kcal

Author: Sarah Baumeister

Ingredients

12 oz. jumbo pasta shells
1 lb. ground beef
24 oz. can crushed tomatoes
15 oz can tomato sauce
1 medium onion diced
4 garlic cloves minced
16 oz. ricotta cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese plus more for sprinkling on top
1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese plus more for sprinkling on top
¼ cup pesto
½ tbsp. italian seasoning
2 eggs

Instructions

Cook pasta according to the packaging instructions. Drain and set “al dente” cooked noodles to the side.
In a large skillet, add oil. Add ground beef and brown, breaking it up into small pieces as you go.
Add garlic and onions, and saute until softened, around 3-4 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes for the flavors to develop.
While the beef and sauce mixture is cooking, prepare the cheese filling. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, eggs, pesto, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
Add half of the prepared sauce to the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish. Fill each cooked shell with a large spoonful of the ricotta filling (I eyeball about 2 tablespoons worth). Place each filled shell into the baking pan.
Once all of the shells have been filled, top with remaining beef/sauce mixture. Sprinkle on extra mozzarella and parmesan cheese. I do about ½ cup of mozzarella and ¼ cup of parmesan.
Place into the oven covered with foil for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is starting to brown.

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