Italian Sausage Stuffed Pasta Shells Recipes

SAUSAGE-SPINACH STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Make the stuffed shells: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook until just slightly softened but still firm, about 7 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drizzle with olive oil and toss; set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste and stir until heated through, about 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
• Combine the spinach mixture, ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, the parmesan, parsley and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Stuff each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the filling; set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the cheese sauce: Melt the butter with the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the butter begins to foam, add the flour and whisk constantly until lightly golden, about 1 minute. Add the milk and cream, bring to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and nutmeg to taste.
• Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with olive oil and pour in about two-thirds of the cheese sauce. Add the stuffed shells and top with the remaining cheese sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and top with the marinara sauce and the remaining 1 cup mozzarella; continue baking until the sauce is bubbly, 15 to 20 more minutes.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x13 baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook shells in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet; place drained pasta on baking sheet to cool.
• Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a heavy skillet. Cook and crumble sausage until it has lost its pink color and begins to brown. Remove from heat; drain off grease.
• Stir half of the shredded cheese and the Italian seasoning into the browned sausage. Spoon mixture into the pasta shells (1 to 2 tablespoons per shell). Arrange stuffed shells in prepared baking dish. Pour marinara sauce evenly over the shells. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven until heated through and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake until browned, 5 to 10 more minutes. Sprinkle with a pinch of Italian seasoning, if desired.

SAUSAGE AND CHEESE STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 F. Bring a large pot filled with water to a boil.
• Cook pasta shells according to manufacturer's instructions. Drain and rinse with cool water. Line shells on a large baking sheet lined with wax paper or aluminum foil and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the sausage into the skillet and fry until lightly browned. Using a wooden spoon, break the meat into small bits as it cooks. You don't want any big chunks.
• Combine cooked sausage, ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan, eggs, parsley, basil, salt and pepper together in a large bowl and mix well.
• Pour enough marinara sauce in a 9×13 baking dish to cover the bottom of the dish, about 1 1/2 cups. Fill each pasta shell with about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of the filling, and line the baking dish with the shells. Ladle the rest of the marinara on top. Sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan, cover with foil and bake until bubbly, about 30-35 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is gooey and melted and begins to brown.
• Remove and let stand about 10 minutes before serving.
• Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to a week, or frozen for up to 3 months.

SAUSAGE STUFFED SHELLS WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 3-quart baking dish or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the pasta shells then follow package directions for cooking the shells. Drain, and then rinse the shells with cold water.
• Meanwhile, heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. As the sausage cooks, use a wooden spoon to break the sausage up into small pieces in the pan.
• Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, as well as the thawed and ringed out spinach. Cook until heated through and liquid reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat then stir in the ricotta cheese. Taste for seasoning then adjust with salt and pepper to taste.
• Fill each shell with sausage filling and arrange into the baking dish. Scatter mozzarella cheese on top. Bake until the tips of the shells begin to brown and the cheese has melted, about 25 minutes. Serve with a warm marinara sauce (optional).

SAUSAGE AND PEPPER STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil a large pot of water, preferably a Dutch oven and add a small amount of salt (optional.) When the water comes to a rolling boil, add shells and cook according to package directions, minus 1 minute. Drain and rinse with cold water immediately. Transfer to a paper towel lined cookie sheet with shells placed upside down to drain excess water.
• While shells are boiling, brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for 5 minutes, or until brown, breaking up with a spatula or spoon. Remove sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease. Add olive oil, bell peppers, and onion to the same hot skillet. Saute for 5-7 minutes or until soft. Transfers to a mixing bowl.
• Add browned sausage, Italian seasoning and 1 cup shredded Italian cheese to bell pepper mixture. Toss to mix.
• Spread a few spoons of marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 dish. Carefully fill each pasta shell with sausage mixture and place into the dish, fitting tightly so they are upright. Cover with remaining marinara sauce and 1 cup shredded Italian cheese.
• Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy your Sausage and Peppers Stuffed Shells!
• If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was!

STUFFED JUMBO PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Prepare shells by adding them to a large pot of boiling, salted water** for approximately 15 minutes. They will cook more when you place them in the oven, so don't over cook them).Drain, but don't rinse.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Prepare cheese filling:.
• Beat the eggs; add ricotta, Mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese; mix in seasonings, including fresh basil if using.
• Using a large casserole dish, beginning with sauce, layer the cheese-filled shells, then more sauce, ending with the sauce.
• Bake 45 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and the casserole is heated through.

CREAMY SAUSAGE AND SHELLS

Steps:

• Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil and add shells. Cook according to box instructions, around 6-8 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
• Meanwhile, in a large pan over medium heat, heat 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. When oil is hot, add in sausage and shallots. Season with Italian seasoning. Cook, breaking up the pieces of meat into small bits, until the meat is cooked through and the shallots are tender. Add garlic, and cook for an additional minute.
• Add in white wine, and allow the wine to reduce by about half (approx. 2-3 minutes). Then, add heavy cream to pan, and stir to combine with meat and oil. Allow the cream to bubble slightly, then add the spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted down. (Sauce time = 13-15 minutes)
• Add in the hot shells, toss to combine. Season with freshly ground pepper, as much or as little as you like, then season with salt to your preferred taste. Add pecorino, and toss to combine. Then slowly add pasta water, bit by bit, just until you are left with a creamy uniform sauce (I used about ½ cup).

STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Once the water comes to a boil, heavily salt the water and add in the shells. Cook for 9 minutes, or 2 minutes less than the package directions state. Drain the pasta and allow it to cool slightly.
• While the pasta is cooking, prepare the filling by mixing together the ricotta egg, parmesan, garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium mixing bowl.
• Spread a 2-quart baking dish with 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the pan.
• Once the shells are cool enough to handle, stuff each shell with the ricotta mixture, about 1/4 cup filling per shell. Remember to not overstuff the shells, so that the shells can somewhat close around the ricotta filling.
• Top the shells with the remaining spaghetti sauce and then cover with the mozzarella cheese.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and browned.

STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350° (180° celsius)
• Start the sauce first, in a medium pot add olive oil, tomato puree, onion, carrot, water, salt and basil leaves (cut in half), stir and cook on medium heat, half covered till thickened, for approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, once thickened add the cream, stir to combine and cook for about 1 minute, turn off heat.
• Cook pasta shells in boiling salted water till al dente. Drain and set aside.
• While sauce is cooking, in boiling salted water (1 inch of water (2 1/2 centimeters) cook spinach till very tender, drain, and let cool, once the spinach is cool, squeeze out excess moisture, then finely chop the spinach. Place cut spinach in a medium size bowl, add ricotta, egg, pinch of salt and nutmeg and then the parmesan cheese, mix gently together.
• In a medium size baking pan spread 1 1/2 to 2 ladles of sauce on the bottom, fill shells with ricotta mixture (I used about a heaping teaspoon and a bit per shell) and place in pan,( the mixture fills 24 shells and they fit perfectly in the pan, I used a an 11x7 " (28x18 cent.)). Top the shells with sauce, but don't cover completely, then sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese (or more or less, how desired), bake in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes. Serve immediately and Enjoy!

THESE STUFFED SHELLS ARE SO EASY & FREEZER-FRIENDLY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350˚F
• Coat the bottom of a large baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil
• Cook the shells for 2 minutes less than the package directions
• Drain the shells, then arrange on a sheet tray to cool while you make the filling
• Discard any broken shells
• In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat
• Add the sausage, breaking it up, and cook until browned, 5 to 8 minutes
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a small bowl
• Add the onion to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes
• Stir in the grated garlic and cook for a minute more
• Transfer to the same bowl as the sausage and let cool for about 10 minutes
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, parmesan and half of the shredded mozzarella with the herbs
• Once the sausage mixture has cooled slightly, mix into the ricotta mixture
• Season to taste with salt and pepper
• Mix in the egg
• Coat the bottom of the prepared baking dish with ½ cup sauce
• Fill each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the sausage mixture and arrange in the pan with the opening face up
• Pour remaining sauce evenly over the shells
• Bake for 25 minutes, then remove from the oven and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese
• Preheat the broiler, then broil the shells for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, keeping an eye on the shells to keep them from burning
• Let stand 15 minutes before serving

SAUSAGE STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Boil 8 cups of water in a large pan over medium -high heat.
• Gently pour the stuffed shells into the boiling water and boil for 9 minutes, then drain and set aside. (You'll need about 22-24 shells, but I boil the whole 12 ounces so I have extra in case some shells break.)
• In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, egg, cheese, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley and basil. Mix well.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread about 3/4 cup sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan.
• Using an ice cream scoop (or your hands), scoop the meat mixture and gently stuff it into the shells. Place the shells meat side up into the prepared pan, side by side to fill the pan.
• Once the shells are all stuffed, pour the rest of the sauce overtop the shells and spread it around to cover all the shells.
• Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over top.
• Cut a piece of aluminum foil a little larger than your pan. Spray one side with cooking spray. Cover the baking pan (sprayed side down) and press to seal.
• Bake covered for 40 minutes, then uncover and broil on low for 3-5 minutes to brown the cheese (watch this closely!).
• After baking, sprinkle the top with fresh parsley and serve.

SAUSAGE STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Mix well the sausage meat, mozzarella, parsley, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic and eggs in a medium bowl. Portion out the meat in desired amount.
• Cook the same amount of shells as meat portions. Slightly undercook the shells because they will be baked too.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place about 1/2 cup of the sauce in a baking dish large enough to hold the amount of shells you made--this would be anywhere from a 1 1/2-2 1/2 quart baking dish.
• Put the shells in the pan and top with more sauce and desired amount of shredded mozzarella.
• Cover baking dish with foil and bake 45-60 minutes, or until sausage is cooked through.

SAUSAGE STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook pasta shells according to package directions; drain and set aside.
• Remove and discard casings from sausage.
• Brown sausage in a large skillet, stirring until it crumbles; drain.
• Combine sausage, salt, pepper, egg, and breadcrumbs in skillet; set aside.
• Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce in bottom of lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish.
• Spoon sausage mixture into shells, and place in baking dish.
• Pour remaining sauce over shells.
• Cover and bake at 350 degrees, for 15 minutes.
• Sprinkle with cheese, and bake, uncovered 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

SAUSAGE STUFFED SHELLS W/CREAMY WHITE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the Jumbo pasta shells per instructions on package for Al Dente. Drain and set aside.
• In a skillet add 1 TBS cooking oil and heat up. Place onions in and cook until softened and a little brown. Add in sausage, break up and brown thoroughly. Turn off burner and drain any excess grease. Stir in spinach,, 2 cups of shredded cheese, salt & pepper. Let cool while making the creamy sauce.
• To make the creamy sauce, melt 4 TBS butter in medium pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour for 1-2 minutes until combined. Slowly stir in milk a little at a time until smooth. Cook an additional 2-5 minutes until mixture thickens into a gravy consistency. Turn off burner. Add in parmesan cheese and mix to combine. Season with salt & pepper, if needed.
• In the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish spoon enough sauce in and spread to coat the bottom and sides of baking dish. (This will keep the shells from sticking.) Place 2 TBS of sausage mixture into a cooked shell and place into the prepared baking dish. Complete all shells. Pour creamy white sauce over all the stuffed shells and sides of dish. Sprinkle with dried parsley.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. Enjoy.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• cook pasta for only 10 minutes. drain and lay out to cool slightly.
• meanwhile, in a large skillet set over medium heat, brown italian sausage, breaking it up into small pieces as you go. set aside.
• if using spinach, drizzle olive oil into a large skillet (if you want, you can use the same skillet as the sausage - just remove the sausage before continuing), and add spinach. cook over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes until spinach it wilted. set aside.
• in a medium bowl, combine the italian sausage, spinach (if using), cheeses (ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan), eggs, parsley, basil, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. spread ½-1 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9″x13″ pan. fill each pasta shell with about 2 tablespoons of the cheese filling and layer them in the pan, making two layers, if needed. spread remaining marinara sauce over the top of the shells and sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. cover with foil and bake at 375 for 35 minutes.
• if freezing, cover baking dish and freeze before baking. to bake, place baking dish in fridge the night before you plan on eating to thaw it out and then bake according to the regular directions. if you need to bake from frozen, bake for approx twice the amount of time it calls for in the regular instructions, or until heated through.

SAUSAGE, SPINACH, RICOTTA STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook pasta shells: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (1 teaspoon salt per quart of water). Cook the pasta shells according to the instructions on the package. Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.
• Cook onions, then sausage, then add garlic: Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage to the pan, breaking up the sausage into smaller bits. Lower the heat to medium. Cook sausage until cooked through, and no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute more. Remove pan from heat.
• Make ricotta spinach stuffing: Beat the egg lightly in a large bowl. Mix in the ricotta, chopped spinach, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, basil, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and sausage mixture.
• Fill pasta shells with stuffing: Fill each cooked pasta shell with some of the ricotta, spinach, sausage mixture.
• Arrange stuffed shells on chopped canned tomatoes in baking dish: Spread 1/2 cup chopped canned tomatoes over the bottom of each of the baking dishes. Arrange the stuffed pasta shells in the dishes. Spread the remaining tomatoes over the top of the pasta shells. At this point you can make ahead, to freeze (up to four months) or refrigerate before cooking. (If freezing, cover with foil, then wrap with plastic wrap.)
• Bake: Heat oven to 375°F. Cover the pans with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbling. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese, bake uncovered for 10 more minutes. Recipe adapted from recipe on box of Barilla jumbo pasta shells, and a recipe appearing in the Sacramento Bee.

SHELLS WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND RICOTTA STUFFING

Steps:

• 1. In a skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, until pork is no longer pink; drain.
• 2. In a Dutch oven, cook pasta shells according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water.
• 3. Using a pastry brush, coat sides and bottom of a 3-quart baking dish with oil.
• 4. Pour half of the marinara sauce into baking dish.
• 5. In a large bowl, combine eggs, ricotta cheese, 2-½ cups of mozzarella, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, basil, pepper and prepared sausage.
• 6. Stuff shells with meat mixture; arrange in baking dish.
• 7. Pour remaining marinara sauce over shells.
• 8. Cover and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
• 9. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
• 10. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
• 11. Sprinkle with parsley.
• 12. Serve.

ITALIAN STUFFED JUMBO SHELLS

Steps:

• 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place water in a medium to large sized pot on your stove top at high heat to boil. Keep in mind the jumbo shells take up much more room in the water than other pasta. Place your hamburger and Italian sausage into a large skillet on medium heat, to brown. At this step and continuously while cooking, use a spatula to break down the chunks of meat into finer pieces. If using my Italian sausage recipe (recommended!), prepare and add to the skillet with the hamburger. When your pot of water is boiling, add jumbo shells and cook for 12 minutes. Stir your hamburger and Italian sausage mixture to evenly combine them. When thoroughly browned, carefully drain grease and remove from heat. Add your pasta sauce to the meat mixture and stir to combine. Remove from heat and do not cover, as this mixture cooling off will help you in the long run! After 12 minutes, carefully pour jumbo shells into a strainer in the sink. Using the spray attachment, or faucet, run cold water over shells, cooling them. They should be comfortable to touch by the time you're done. Be careful stirring them in the strainer with your hand, as some may have pockets of very hot water inside! Lightly grease your 9×13 pan. With clean hands, grab a jumbo shell in your non dominant hand. Hold it open with your fingers. With your other hand, use a spoon to stuff the shell with the meat mixture. Be careful, this could still be pretty hot! I stuff them almost completely full, but it's your preference. Repeat this process until you run out of meat. I usually have 4+ jumbo shells left, which works because that's about how many rip while cooking and handling. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the dish. Bake for 15 minutes on 350. At this time, broil for 1-2 minutes, or until browned. Watch closely! Serve and enjoy!