Easy Ground Beef Stuffed Shells
These easy, saucy stuffed shells are the ultimate family dinner! Filled with ground beef, ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan they're baked with your favorite spaghetti sauce until bubbly and tender!
Recipe Makes: 8
Approximate Cost: $3.25
Equipment
- 13x9-inch baking dish
Ingredients
- 24 jumbo pasta shells (boiled and drained according to package, plus a few extra to allow for breakages)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 15 oz ricotta
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup grated parmesan (plus extra for topping)
- 24-26 oz spaghetti sauce (one jar)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning blend
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain well and set aside.
- Cook the ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium heat until the beef is lightly browned, and the onions are soft and starting to take on some color. Remove from the heat and pour off any excess drippings, if necessary.
- Mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, and egg in a large bowl. Stir the ground beef mixture until totally combined.
- Spread 1 cup of spaghetti sauce in a 13x9-inch baking dish.
- Spoon about ¼ cup of the cheese/ground beef mixture into each shell, and place in the baking dish in a single layer.
- Sprinkle any remaining meat mixture over the shells.
- Top the shells with the remaining spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese. Whatever you have leftover from the pack or block of cheese should work fine.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F. The cheese should be melted, and the sauce should be bubbling!
Recipe Notes
Add oil: If you find there is not enough fat coming out of your ground beef to cook the onions, feel free to add a splash of neutral cooking oil to help things along.
Cook extra shells: Always cook a few extra shells than you need to allow for some to tear during cooking!
Change the protein: If you don't want to use ground beef, ground pork or ground turkey would also work well in this recipe.
Recipe costs provided are approximate. Actual cost per recipe & serving will vary by location, store, brand, etc. Approximate cost shown does not include costs for any optional ingredients.
Nutrition
Calories: 512kcal | Protein: 31g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 1005mg | Potassium: 559mg | Total Carbs: 26g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Net Carbs: 24g | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 405mg