These 4-Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells are incredibly delicious and a favorite vegetarian meal for Meatless Monday. They're made with ricotta, cottage, parmesan, and mozzarella cheese. They are the perfect dinner to take to a friend or put in the freezer for another day.
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Four Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells Video Tutorial
I love doubling and tripling this recipe. It's an easy stuffed shells recipe and is perfect for taking to a friend after she has a new baby or a surgery. It's also perfect to throw in the freezer for another day. It's one of a few meals that taste just as good after being frozen.
If you have some extra tomatoes from the garden or want to make this meal extra special, try this homemade marinara sauce. It is amazing and really kicks this dish up a notch.
Or if you're looking for a delicious side for this recipe, check out the Garlic pull Apart Bread . It's made with this incredible Garlic Butter.
How to Make Stuffed Shells
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Be sure the pasta is not overcooked. You want it to be al dente-- cooked firm to the bite. It will finish cooking when the pasta bakes. (My pasta shells suggested cooking them for 10 minutes in boiling water. I cooked them for 8 minutes and that was about right for this recipe.
- Combine the ricotta cheese in a large bowl with the cottage cheese, half of the parmesan, and half of the mozzarella cheese. Stir until combined. Stir in the eggs, parsley, salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.
- Spread ½ Cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 13" baking dish (This will prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan)
- Fill the jumbo pasta shells use a piping bag, (if you don't have the frosting bags, you can also use a small spring-loaded cookie scoop to fill the shells.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 min. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes and bake until the cheese is golden.
- Let the pasta bake rest for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
How to Freeze Stuffed Shells
- Freezing- Make according to directions and then freeze before baking. Cover the stuffed shells with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Label and freeze for up to a couple of months.
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Preparing after Freezer- Remove the plastic wrap from the frozen shells and then re-cover with foil. Bake in a preheated 350 degree Fairenheight oven for about 70 minutes or until bubbly. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-145 minutes or until the cheese on top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Tips
- Use 2 disposable 9 by 9 aluminum pans when cooking for a smaller crowd.
- If you know you will be freezing these, add an additional ½ cup of marinara sauce to the top of the stuffed shells to keep them really saucy when they're baked. They can be a little dry if you don't add a little extra marinara.
- Freeze these stuffed shells before you bake it.
- Write the date and "stuffed shells" on the foil so it's easily identified in the freezer.
- This recipe can be frozen for up to 2 months in a regular kitchen freezer and up to 4 months in a deep freezer.
4 Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells
Ingredients
- 1 package Jumbo 12 oz. Jumbo Pasta Shells
- 2 Cups Ricotta Cheese
- 2 Cups Cottage Cheese
- ½ Cup Parmesan, grated
- 2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 Tablespoon Parsely, dried
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ⅛ tsp Nutmeg
- 3 Cups Marinara Sauce (homemade or jarred is great)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. (Be sure the pasta is not overcooked. You want it to be barely underdone. It will cook the rest of the way in the pasta sauce)
- In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, half of the parmesan, and half of the mozzarella cheese. Stir until combined. Stir in the eggs, parsely, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- In a 9 by 13": baking dish, spread ½ Cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom.
- Use a pipping bag, (picture in the post) to fill the jumbo pasta shells.
- Place the jumbo shells in the baking dish. Cover with remaining marinara sauce and the remaining parmesan and mozzerella cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 min-1 hour. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes and bake until the cheese is golden.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Enojoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Best Pasta Dinner Recipes:
- Chicken Spaghetti
- Sun Dried Tomato Penne Pasta
- Chicken Pesto Pasta Recipe
- Homemade Mac and Cheese Stovetop
- Easy Baked Ziti
- Homemade Lasagna
- Slow Cooker Tortellini Pasta Bake
- Meatball Pasta Bake
- Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad
- 4 cheese Stuffed Pasta
- Lasagna Soup Recipe
- Easy Crockpot Lasagna with Ravioli
- The Best Marinara Sauce
- Chicken and Sun-dried tomato stuffed jumbo shells
These 4-Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells are incredibly delicious and a favorite vegetarian meal for Meatless Monday. They're made with ricotta, cottage, parmesan, and mozzarella cheese. They are the perfect dinner to take to a friend or put in the freezer for another day.
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