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Close-up of baked stuffed pasta shells with melted cheese and fresh herbs in marinara sauce.

Cheesy Sausage Stuffed Shells

This flavorful Cheesy Sausage Stuffed Shell dish, marries savory Italian sausage with pasta shells and a rich tomato sauce
5 from 2 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: sausage, shells, stuffed shells
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 500kcal
Author: Lola Jay

Equipment

  • 1 9 x 13 casserole dish

Ingredients

  • 1 lb sweet Italian chicken sausage removed from casing see notes in recipe card for substitutions
  • 16 oz package jumbo pasta shells
  • 15 oz Ricotta
  • ¼ cup asiago cheese grated
  • 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese reserve 1 cup for topping
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ cup cup parsley reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish
  • ¾ cup shredded parmesan reserve ¼ cup for topping
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pasta Shells

  • Preheat your oven to 375F. Boil water in a large pot and add in your shells and salt. Cook a few minutes short of al dente, according to instructions on the package. Once done, strain them and cover with cold water and set aside.
    Pouring hot water over pasta shells in a metal bowl on a wooden counter.

Cheese Filling

  • In a large bowl, combine your ricotta, 2 cups of mozzarella, ½ cup of parmesan, asiago cheese, ½ cup chopped parsley, salt, pepper, garlic powder and your Italian seasoning and combine.
    Mixing fresh herbs into a bowl of ricotta and mozzarella cheese on a wooden cutting board.

Italian Sausage

  • Add a teaspoon of olive oil to your pan on medium high heat. Let heat for 3 minutes and add in your Italian sausage. If using a different meat, see note below.
    Cooking ground meat in skillet with wooden spatula on stovetop, perfect for savory meal preparation.
  • Put the heat down to medium and spread the sausage and leave it untouched for 4 minutes so it browns on one side.
    Cooking ground turkey in a skillet with light browning for a healthy meal prep.
  • Once the 4 minutes has passed you can mix and break up the sausage. Once all the pink is gone and the sausage is browned, set it aside and let it cool for 10-15 minutes.
    Sautéing chicken in a skillet, with a spatula stirring the browned pieces. Ideal for recipes or cooking tutorials.

Stuff Shells

  • Place half your marinara sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish.
    Glass baking dish with a layer of tomato sauce, ready for lasagna, next to a bowl of ricotta mixture on a wooden counter.
  • I like to use a large soup spoon to stuff my shells.
    Hand holding stuffed pasta shell with creamy filling over tomato sauce in a baking dish.
  • Stuff your shells and place them in a single layer.
    Stuffed pasta shells in tomato sauce, ready to bake in a glass dish. Perfect for an Italian dinner or meal prep.
  • Top with the rest of your marinara, mozarella cheese, and parmesan cheese.
    Glass baking dish with stuffed pasta shells, tomato sauce, and shredded cheese topping.
  • Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and then broil for two minutes. Top with parsley and enjoy!
    Cheesy baked pasta shells with tomato sauce in a glass dish, topped with fresh parsley. Perfect comfort food!

Video

Notes

Italian Sausage Sub: If you are using ground beef, chicken, turkey or a plant-based ground meat, sauté one garlic clove on medium for 30 seconds and then add in your meat, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon onion powder and ½ teaspoon of ground fennel (optional but adds great taste). Cook on medium until browned. 

Nutrition

Calories: 500kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 158mg | Sodium: 1288mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 832IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 415mg | Iron: 2mg