These Stuffed Shells are a classic family-favorite meal! A creamy filling stuffed into jumbo pasta shells with a homemade meat sauce and topped with gooey melted cheese! AN EASY BAKED STUFFED SHELLS RECIPE I have been making this recipe for stuffed shells for over 25 years. It is my go-to meal that I know everyone will love. It’s easy to make. The only time-consuming part is stuffing the individual shells. But I promise it’s worth it! TIPS FOR MAKING STUFFED SHELLS You can use cottage cheese or ricotta cheese. I like the creaminess of cottage cheese but I know a lot of people are averse to it. Instead of making the sauce with tomato paste, hot water, oregano and beef bouillon – you can substitute with a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce. Serve with a delicious Italian Salad and some Warm Garlic Bread! INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE) jumbo pasta shells – a few are bound to tear when you stuff them – it’s ok. ground beef – or ground Italian sausage works great with this. onion – if you don’t like onion just leave it out, this also goes delicious with green peppers if you want to add those in. garlic – you can use fresh or the jarred stuff but I love to use fresh where I can. tomato paste – instead of tomato paste (along with the hot water and bouillon cubes), you can use a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce hot water and bouillon cubes – you can substitute these two for beef broth. dried oregano – fresh oregano can be used – about a Tablespoon or so. small curd cottage cheese – ricotta or mascarpone cheese can be substituted, what I love about cottage cheese is it isn’t as dry as ricotta and keeps this super creamy shredded mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese – use the cheese that your family loves. I think mozzarella is a must. It’s a very mild cheese. Some people don’t like the saltiness of parmesan so you can leave it out or substitute with another Italian cheese. large egg – the egg is a binder, it helps hold the filling together as it cooks. HOW TO MAKE STUFFED SHELLS Prepare jumbo shells per package directions. Drain thoroughly. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Cook beef, onion and garlic in a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook until beef is brown and crumbled. Drain excess grease.  Stir in water, tomato paste, beef bouillon cubes and oregano. Stir and allow to simmer while preparing the shells. In a medium bowl, stir together cottage cheese, one cup mozzarella, parmesan cheese and egg. Now begin stuffing the cooked shells. About a Tablespoon of the cheese mixture will fit into each one. You should be able to fit about 24 into your 9×13-inch baking dish. You may have to put some in there horizontally. Pour sauce mixture on top of shells. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for about 40-45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle remaining cup of mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake for an additional 5-8 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with garlic bread and your favorite salad! CRAVING MORE RECIPES?  Taco Stuffed Shells The Best Crock Pot Lasagna Skillet Lasagna Grandma’s American Goulash Originally published: October 2011Updated & republished: May 2024 Print Easy Stuffed Shells These Stuffed Shells are a classic family-favorite meal! A creamy filling stuffed into jumbo pasta shells with a homemade meat sauce and topped with gooey melted cheese! Course Main CourseCuisine American Prep Time 15 minutes minutesCook Time 55 minutes minutesTotal Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes Servings 6 Calories 439kcal Author Brandie @ The Country Cook Ingredients1 package of jumbo pasta shells1 pound ground beef1 small yellow onion, finely diced1-2 cloves garlic, minced12 ounce can tomato paste2 cups hot water3 beef bouillon cubes1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano16 ounce container small curd cottage cheese (or ricotta cheese)2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (divided use)½ cup Parmesan cheese1 large eggdried parsley, for topping (optional) InstructionsPrepare 1 package of jumbo pasta shells per package directions (until al dente). Drain thoroughly. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Cook 1 pound ground beef, 1 small yellow onion, finely diced and 1-2 cloves garlic, minced in a large pan over medium-high heat.Cook until beef is brown and crumbled. Drain excess grease. Put ground beef back into pan. Stir in 12 ounce can tomato paste, 2 cups hot water, 3 beef bouillon cubes and 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano. Stir and allow to simmer over medium heat while preparing the shells.In a medium bowl, stir together16 ounce container small curd cottage cheese , one cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and 1 large egg. Begin stuffing cooked shells. About a Tablespoon of the cheese mixture will fit into each one. Place shells into a 9×13-inch baking dish You should be able to fit about 24 into the dish. Pour sauce mixture on top of shells. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for about 40-45. Uncover and sprinkle remaining one cup of mozzarella cheese over the top. Sprinkle with dried parsley.  Bake for an additional 5-8 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Sprinkle with a little dried parsley, for topping (optional) then serve! Video Notes Instead of tomato paste and hot water, you can use your favorite spaghetti sauce and skip the use of the beef bouillon. NutritionCalories: 439kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 26g | Sodium: 916mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g