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    You Are Here Home » Assyrian Recipes

    Published: Nov 5, 2020 Updated: Dec 18, 2020 by Hilda Sterner | This post may contain affiliate links 3 Comments

    Easy Cheesy Stuffed Shells with Meat

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    Easy Cheesy Stuffed Shells with Meat, a simple and delicious recipe that's ready in under an hour. Jumbo Pasta Shells are stuffed with seasoned ground beef, then covered with parmesan cheese, sauce, and mozzarella. Serve with your favorite salad, for a simple and tasty dinner!

    cheesy stuffed shells with meat being served

    Your picky kids will love these cheesy jumbo stuffed shells. Prepare the recipe as is, or make it your own by adding your own touches. For example, add your favorite herbs or spices, or replace the mozzarella cheese with your favorite cheese mixture.

    This Stuffed Shells with Meat recipe always reminds me of my mom. Although not a traditional Assyrian recipe, this was a recipe that mom created.

    Unlike lasagna and other pasta recipes that might be a little daunting to prepare, this recipe is actually fun to make and so easy! Simply boil the shells and stuff with seasoned ground beef then cover with tomato sauce and cheese.

    Make the recipe even simpler by substituting the made from scratch tomato sauce with store-bought spaghetti sauce.

    Jump to:
    • 🛒What Goes Into This Recipe
    • 🔖Recipe Ingredient Notes
    • 🍝How to Make Easy Cheesy Stuffed Shells with Meat
    • Stuff the Shells
    • 🍽 Serving Suggestions
    • 🤷🏻‍♀️ Recipe FAQs
    • 👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips
    • 🥣Related Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    🛒What Goes Into This Recipe

    stuffed shells with meat ingredients
    sauce ingredients

    🔖Recipe Ingredient Notes

    • Filling — To make this recipe even healthier, substitute ground turkey for the ground beef in the filling.
    • Herbs — I'm not sure why mom chose to use mint instead of oregano or basil, but the mint works in this recipe and is a nice change. However, you can substitute basil or oregano if you don't have mint on hand.
    • Cheese — Although mom used parmesan cheese, she never added mozzarella. But pasta is so much better when it's cheesy, so go ahead, add the extra cheese!
    • Pasta: Look for "jumbo shells" so that they're large enough to stuff with the meat mixture.

    🍝How to Make Easy Cheesy Stuffed Shells with Meat

    Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F

    Step 1: Fill a 5-quart Dutch oven ¾ full of water. Add olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt and bring the water to a boil. 

    oil being poured into a pot

    Step 2: Add shells and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water.

    large pasta shells in a pot
    pasta shells being stirred in water

    Step 3: Meanwhile, brown the meat in a medium-sized pan. Add the onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and paprika. Cook a few more minutes and set aside to cool.

    Pro Tip: If using higher fat ground beef, drain the extra fat from the pan.

    meat filling being cooked
    seasoned ground beef in a pan

    Prepare Sauce (or use store-bought)

    Step 4: Mix the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer the sauce while you stuff the shells.

    tomato sauce being whisked in a pot

    Stuff the Shells

    Step 5: Spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Stuff each shell with approximately 1 tablespoon of filling and arrange in the prepared baking dish.

    stuffed shell being held over seasoned ground meat
    stuffed shells in a pan

    Step 6: Pour the sauce over the stuffed shells, then sprinkle with mint and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the shells, cover with foil, and seal. 

    sauce being poured over shells
    stuffed shells
    stuffed shells covered with cheese

    Step 7: Bake the meat-stuffed shells for 30 minutes.

    stuffed shells with meat

    🍽 Serving Suggestions

    This dish is filing on its own but a nice salad completes this delicious meal. If you're serving a hungry bunch, garlic bread is also a great addition!

    🤷🏻‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

    What side goes with stuffed shells?

    Since stuffed shells already contain carbs and protein, a great side option would be a green salad. A Middle Eastern salad in particular goes great with this recipe. A salad adds fiber to the meal, making it a little healthier.

    Can I freeze stuffed shells after baking?

    Yes, stuffed shells can be frozen after being baked. Make sure the stuffed shells are cooled completely first, then wrap the pan tightly with a few layers of heavy-duty foil. Freeze for up to three months.

    How do you heat up stuffed shells?

    If possible defrost frozen shells overnight in the refrigerator, then bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

    To keep the shells from drying out, you may want to add about a half a cup of sauce over the pasta before reheating.

    👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips

    • Be sure to drain the cooked shells completely before filling them with the meat filling.
    • In mom's original recipe, the ground beef was seasoned with allspice and curry. I've left it out in this recipe, but if you would like to try the original recipe, add 1 teaspoon of allspice and ½ teaspoon of curry to the filling.
    • Mix the ground beef with ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, or even cream cheese for a creamier pasta dish.

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    Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.

    Stay in touch with me through social media @ Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook. Don't forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes!

    📖 Recipe

    cheesy stuffed shells

    Easy Cheesy Stuffed Shells with Meat

    Jumbo Pasta Shells are stuffed with seasoned ground beef, then covered with parmesan cheese, sauce, and mozzarella. 
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course, Main Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 people
    Calories: 422kcal
    Author: Hilda Sterner

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 teaspoon salt (divided)
    • 1 12 ounce package of jumbo shells
    • 1¼ lbs. ground beef (lean)
    • 1 small onion (diced)
    • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper
    • 2 teaspoon paprika
    • nonstick cooking spray
    • 1½ teaspoon dried mint
    • 3 tablespoon parmesan cheese

    Sauce

    • 6 ounce canned tomato paste
    • 2½ cups water
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon citric acid
    • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

    Instructions

    Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.

    • Fill a 5-quart Dutch oven ¾ full of water. Add olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt and bring the water to a boil. 
    • Add shells and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water.
    • Meanwhile, brown the meat in a medium-sized pan. Add the onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and paprika. Cook a few more minutes and set aside to cool.
    • Note: If using higher fat ground beef, drain the extra fat from the pan.

    Sauce

    • Mix the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer the sauce while you stuff the shells.

    Stuff the Shells

    • Spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Stuff each shell with approximately 1 tablespoon of filling and arrange in the prepared baking dish.
    • Pour the sauce over the stuffed shells, then sprinkle with mint and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the shells, cover with foil, and seal. 
    • Bake the meat-stuffed shells for 30 minutes.
    • Serve the stuffed shells with salad and garlic bread.

    Notes

    • Be sure to drain the cooked shells completely before filling them with the meat filling.
    • In mom's original recipe, the ground beef was seasoned with allspice and curry. I've left it out in this recipe, but if you would like to try the original recipe, add 1 teaspoon of allspice and ½ teaspoon of curry to the filling.
    • Mix the ground beef with ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, or even cream cheese for a creamier pasta dish.
    • For a quicker version of this recipe, use jarred pasta sauce instead of making your own sauce.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 7shells | Calories: 422kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 1199mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g
    Tried this Recipe? Please leave A Star Rating!Mention @HildasKitchenBlog or tag #HildasKitchenBlog!

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    1. Kelly Methey says

      March 29, 2021 at 4:00 pm

      5 stars
      This is a really good recipe that can be made as is or changed up when you feel the need. My husband loves pasta and this fits the bill for him!

      Reply
      • Hilda Sterner says

        March 29, 2021 at 5:41 pm

        Thanks, I appreciate the input and review. 😘

        Reply
    2. Nancy Vazquez says

      November 05, 2020 at 1:29 pm

      This is a great recipe which can easily be adapted to several cultures simply by changing up the spices and cheese variety. This recipe provides a very useful way to use up odds and ends of cheese as well by incorporating them in this recipe.

      Reply

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