Lasagna Stuffed Shells are large shell noodles stuffed with a cheesy lasagna filling, with extra sauce and cheese on top. One of our favorite dinners!
So my husband and I have been in school for our entire marriage. We completed our undergrads, and then he decided to go to Law School. Then he decided to get an MBA on top of his law degree.
It felt like we’d be students forever. But now, as of this week, I can officially say we are living in “the light at the end of the tunnel!” He took his last final last week, accepted a job offer and we’ve spent the entire weekend celebrating!
We are on to bigger and better things and I’m so excited to enter this next phase of life!
I can’t help but think how far we’ve come since he started on the JDA/MBA journey. Most importantly, we’ve had two sweet kids who we are crazy about. We’ve had great internships, met a ton of great people, and have completely loved our move to Saint Louis.
In the midst of our celebrating, Jeff requested these Lasagna Stuffed Shells. He LOVES them, my kids love them–what else can I ask for. I served them with a fresh green salad, and some of my homemade Martinelli’s, since, you know, it was a celebration 🙂 .
Make ahead and freezer directions:
Lasagna stuffed shells makes for an excellent freezer meal. Assemble the dish following the recipe directions but don’t bake them! Consider using a disposable container or aluminum pan. Once the meal is assembled, cover it with a layer of plastic wrap and then a double layer of aluminum foil.
Freeze this meal for up to 2 months! When your ready to enjoy it, remove it from the freezer and allow it to thaw in the fridge for 24 hours. remove the plastic wrap, cover it back up with tinfoil, and baked 45 minutes or until warmed through and bubbly. Remove the tinfoil for 15 minutes before it’s finished baking to allow the cheese to get bubbly!
CONSIDER TRYING THESE POPULAR PASTA RECIPES:
- Pizza Stuffed Shells
- Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Stuffed Shells
- Lemon Parmesan Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes
- Roasted Red Pepper Tortellini Pasta
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Lasagna Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 12 ounce box Jumbo pasta shells (about 24 shells)
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground italian sausage
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 small onion , chopped
- 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves (or kale)
- 16 ounces tomato sauce
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes , undrained
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasonings (or a mix of dried oregano and basil)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese , divided
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese , divided
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium high heat brown the beef and sausage. Drain grease.
- Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and onions and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Place everything in a food processor and pulse 2-3 times until the meat is crumbled really small. Set aside.
- Add tomato sauce, and tomato paste to the pan and stir well to combine. Add diced tomatoes and seasonings.
- Cover and let simmer for 20-30 minutes on medium-low heat.
- Meanwhile, cook the jumbo pasta shells according to package instructions, until al-dente. Drain from water and lay out on a large dish to cool, so that they don't stick together.
- Add the ricotta cheese, egg, 1 cup mozzarella, and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese to a large mixing bowl and mix well to combine.
- Add meat mixture and chopped spinach to the tomato sauce and stir to combine.
- Pour about 1/2 of the tomato sauce mixture into the bowl with the ricotta (you want to save the other half for pouring on top of the stuffed shells). Stir to combine.
- Spoon some of the reserved tomato sauce into the bottom of a 9x13'' pan. Stuff each cooked shell with a heaping 2 tablespoons of the ricotta/tomato mixture and set them face up in the pan. (I fit 4 shells wide and 6 shells long.)
- Spoon the remaining red sauce over the top of all of the stuffed shells. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes. Enjoy!
- You might also like Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Stuffed Shells!
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
Amie says
Wonderful news! Congratulations!
JMartin says
Congrats !! and thanks for sharing your yummy recipes 🙂
Stacy says
Can these be made ahead of time, or would it change the consistency?
Lauren Allen says
Hi Stacy, I think it would be fine to make the filling ahead of time and then stuff the shells when you’re ready to bake them. 🙂 Hope you enjoy them!
Debbie says
You put tomato paste in ingredients but in directions you didn’t use it. Do you add it same time you add tomato sauce?
Tammie says
Can you freeze these? And if so before or after you bake them?
Lauren Allen says
Hi Tammie,
I think these would be a great freezer meal. I would not bake them first. Just make the dish, cover it with aluminum foil and put it in the freezer. Then cook them at about 350 for 40-45 minutes!
Jordan says
I used manicotti noodles instead of the jumbo shells. It was a big hit in my household! We loved it!
Lauren Allen says
Love that idea! Thanks for sharing!
Michele says
This dish was excellent. I doubled the recipe and it came out great
Jamie says
Hi! When you say “tomato sauce”, do you mean the kind in the can, like Hunt’s tomato sauce, or do you mean the kind in the jar, more of a tomato/pasta sauce? Like Prego or something like that? Thank you!
Lauren Allen says
Canned tomato sauce, not pasta sauce 🙂
kN says
I am really excited to try this recipe. Sounds so yummy.
Donna says
Loved it after making a few changes. I left out the spinach as my family doesn’t like it. Instead of ricotta cheese and egg, I used cottage cheese and put that in the food processor to make the curds smaller.