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Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Creamy sun dried tomato ricotta stuffed shells with giant baked pasta shells filled until every bite is creamy and savory. Baked in marinara until the sauce bubbles and mozzarella turns golden, making a hearty Italian stuffed shells recipe.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Jumbo pasta shells
  • 1 20-24 jumbo pasta shells Cooked al dente.
Filling
  • 15 oz ricotta cheese
  • 0.5 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella Divided: 1 cup for filling.
  • 0.5 cup Parmesan cheese Grated.
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 cloves garlic Minced (as 3 cloves).
  • 2 tbsp fresh basil Chopped.
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • salt To taste.
  • pepper To taste.
Sauce and topping
  • 3 cups marinara sauce
  • 0.5 cup shredded mozzarella Divided: 1/2 cup for topping.
  • fresh basil For garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep the baking dish and oven
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F, then spread 1 cup marinara on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
Mix the ricotta filling
  1. In a bowl, combine ricotta, sun-dried tomatoes, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, garlic, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper until well mixed.
Stuff the shells
  1. Fill each cooked jumbo shell generously with the ricotta mixture and arrange them in the baking dish.
Assemble and bake
  1. Pour the remaining marinara over the stuffed shells, then top with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.
Cover and bake until bubbly
  1. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Broil-brown the cheese finish
  1. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbling.
Serve
  1. Garnish with fresh basil and serve while hot.

Notes

For clean, even stuffing, cool the cooked shells slightly so they don’t crack, then fill right away. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat individual portions in the microwave or bake at 350°F until warmed through. Freeze yes—freeze assembled (before baking) or baked leftovers up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat. For a lighter option, swap part-skim ricotta and low-fat mozzarella while keeping the baking time the same.