{"id":1678,"date":"2026-02-10T12:31:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T12:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/?p=1678"},"modified":"2026-02-10T12:31:35","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T12:31:35","slug":"stuffed-cheese-shells-for-dinner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/?p=1678","title":{"rendered":"Stuffed Cheese Shells for Dinner"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Stuffed Cheese Shells for Dinner (Classic Family Favorite)<\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Stuffed cheese shells are one of those comforting, crowd-pleasing dinners that never fail. Creamy, cheesy, and packed with flavor, this dish is perfect for busy weeknights, Sunday dinners, or anytime you want a guaranteed hit at the table. In my house, it disappears fast\u2014there are never leftovers!<\/p>\n<p>These jumbo pasta shells are filled with a rich ricotta cheese mixture, baked in spaghetti sauce, and topped with melted mozzarella for the ultimate comfort meal.<\/p>\n<h3>\u00a0Ingredients<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Pasta &amp; Sauce<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1 box jumbo pasta shells<\/li>\n<li>Spaghetti sauce (enough to coat the bottom of the pan and cover shells lightly)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Cheese Filling<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>15 oz ricotta cheese<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese<\/li>\n<li>1 egg<\/li>\n<li>3 garlic cloves, pressed<\/li>\n<li>1 tablespoon fresh parsley (or dried if needed)<\/li>\n<li>1 tablespoon fresh basil (or dried)<\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon oregano<\/li>\n<li>Salt, to taste<\/li>\n<li>Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Topping<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>\u00a0Instructions<\/h3>\n<h4>Step 1: Cook the Pasta Shells<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.<\/li>\n<li>Add the jumbo shells and cook until <strong>al dente<\/strong> (slightly firm).<\/li>\n<li>Drain and rinse gently with cool water.<\/li>\n<li>Set aside on a tray so they don\u2019t stick together.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><em>Tip: Don\u2019t overcook the shells\u2014they\u2019ll continue cooking in the oven.<\/em><\/p>\n<h4>Step 2: Make the Cheese Filling<\/h4>\n<p>In a large mixing bowl, combine:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ricotta cheese<\/li>\n<li>Parmesan cheese<\/li>\n<li>Egg<\/li>\n<li>Pressed garlic<\/li>\n<li>Parsley<\/li>\n<li>Basil<\/li>\n<li>Oregano<\/li>\n<li>Salt<\/li>\n<li>Fresh cracked black pepper<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Mix everything together until smooth and well combined.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do not add the mozzarella to the filling<\/strong>\u2014this goes on top later.<\/p>\n<h4>Step 3: Prepare the Baking Dish<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Preheat the oven to <strong>350\u00b0F (175\u00b0C)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Spread a layer of spaghetti sauce evenly across the bottom of a baking dish.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>This keeps the shells from sticking and adds flavor from the bottom up.<\/p>\n<h4>Step 4: Stuff the Shells<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Using an <strong>ice cream scoop<\/strong> (works perfectly!), fill each shell with the ricotta mixture.<\/li>\n<li>Place the stuffed shells open-side up in the baking dish, nestled into the sauce.<\/li>\n<li>Continue until the dish is full.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4>Step 5: Add Cheese &amp; Bake<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella evenly over the stuffed shells.<\/li>\n<li>Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.<\/li>\n<li>Bake at <strong>350\u00b0F for 25 minutes<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4>Step 6: Finish Baking<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Remove the foil.<\/li>\n<li>Return the dish to the oven.<\/li>\n<li>Bake uncovered for an additional <strong>5 minutes<\/strong>, or until the cheese is fully melted and lightly bubbly.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>\u00a0Serving Suggestions<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Serve with garlic bread or a side salad<\/li>\n<li>Add extra Parmesan on top before serving<\/li>\n<li>Let rest for 5 minutes before serving so shells hold their shape<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>\u00a0Tips for Best Results<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Use whole-milk ricotta for extra creaminess<\/li>\n<li>Fresh herbs give the best flavor, but dried work fine<\/li>\n<li>Ice cream scoop = faster, cleaner stuffing<\/li>\n<li>Can be assembled ahead of time and baked later<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This <strong>stuffed cheese shells recipe<\/strong> is rich, flavorful, and always a family favorite. It\u2019s simple enough for weeknights but impressive enough for guests\u2014comfort food at its best.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Stuffed Cheese Shells for Dinner (Classic Family Favorite) &nbsp; Stuffed cheese shells are one of those comforting, crowd-pleasing dinners&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-recipes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1678"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1678\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1680,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1678\/revisions\/1680"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}