Italian Sausage Stuffed Shells
Take it up a notch or two with these fabulous Italian Sausage stuffed shells. Each shell is stuffed with savory Italian sausage and an amazingly melty blend of three cheeses. The easy-to-make homemade marinara sauce brings it all together for that perfect bite!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
One of the main reasons I love this stuffed shells recipe is because it takes familiar ingredients and mixes them up into a totally amazing eye candy dish. Of course, it tastes amazing using everyday ingredients but visually, it just pops.
The whole family is going to love this dish and is very easy to modify to your particular likes. Want more cheese, no problem. You want to use ground turkey instead of Italian sausage, no big deal. It is super versatile without sacrificing taste.
Furthermore, this dish will feed a lot of people. I had 4 shells and was full. You add a salad or other side to this dish, you can stretch it even further.
You could even prepare this ahead of time and bake it when you need to.
It’s just a great recipe that sometimes we don’t really consider. A smidge more work than a plate of spaghetti (which I love) that is totally worth it.
Some great things to accompany this delicious meal would be some homemade focaccia, Italian bread, or garlic bread, and a crisp salad such as our Arugula Fennel Salad or our Cucumber Radish Salad.
Ingredients Needed
Nothing crazy here, including the homemade marinara sauce (see below). Simle ingredients making a fabulously tasting and visually appealing dish.
See the recipe card below for the complete list of amounts and instructions.
How To Make Italian Sausage Stuffed Shells
Place a large pot over high heat and boil the shells in salted water until about 2 minutes from al dente. Remove from the heat, drain, and run cold water over the noodles to stop the cooking. Drain again well and set them aside.
Add salt and pepper (to your preference) and Italian seasoning to the Italian sausage. Break it up into large pieces and allow them to brown up a bit before breaking into smaller pieces.
Add the minced garlic and mix to combine. Cook for an additional minute until the garlic becomes fragrant. Place the cooked Italian sausage in a paper towel lined bowl and set aside.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue to bake for 10 more minutes until the cheese is nice and melty!
I think if you give this a whirl you will make this homemade stuffed shells recipe a regular for you and yours.
How To Make A Simple And Delicious Marinara Sauce
We always recommend making a marinara sauce if possible. It will be better and give you total control of what goes in it. This quick recipe is so easy and is better than any bottled stuff you get off the shelf. We use this same marinara sauce in our Italian Sausage Calzone , Easy Homemade French Bread Pizza, and our homemade pizzas using our Easy Homemade Pizza Dough From Scratch.
The ingredients are simple. All you need is a can of crushed tomatoes, olive oil, onion, garlic, sugar, salt, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. For the full amounts and instruction, see the recipe card.
In a saucepan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil. When shimmering, add the grated onion. Cook until the onion starts to become transparent, about 5 minutes. Adjust the heat if need, to avoid browning the onions.
As this is cooking, add the kosher salt, sugar, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning to the crushed tomatoes. Mix them well to combine. I just add this stuff to the can of crushed tomatoes and hit it with an immersion blender.
Next, add the garlic and cook for another minute, until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the tomato sauce (with all the other ingredients) to the saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
And that’s it. Easy peasy, with no crazy ingredients. Feel free to mix it up a bit. Add some fresh basil, more garlic, add mushroom … whatever your heart desires. Make this sauce your own!
Also, you can reduce this down for an hour or so to make a fabulous marinara dipping sauce.
Tips
- You want to make sure that the Italian sausage is at room temperature before adding it to the cheese mixture. I found that stirring it often in the bowl released the heat very quickly.
- Use a store-bought marinara sauce to make this a tad easier. Make the marinara sauce for the real deal.
- After rinsing the shells, I separated them as to prevent them from sticking together and allowed them to dry a bit before stuffing them with the cheese/Italian sausage mixture.
Variations
- Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells: Swap the sausage for sautéed spinach, then mix with ricotta, mozzarella, and a pinch of nutmeg for a lighter, vegetarian option.
- Spicy Sausage and Alfredo Stuffed Shells: Use hot Italian sausage, and replace marinara with a creamy Alfredo sauce. Add red pepper flakes for an extra kick.
- Chicken Pesto Stuffed Shells: Replace sausage with shredded rotisserie chicken and blend with a few tablespoons of basil pesto and sun-dried tomatoes for a fresh, herbaceous twist.
FAQ’s
Absolutely! Assemble the stuffed shells and cover them tightly with plastic wrap or foil. Store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before baking. When ready to bake, add an extra 10-15 minutes to the bake time to ensure it’s heated through.
Yes! Assemble the shells as directed but don’t bake. Cover tightly with foil and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake from frozen, place the dish in a 350°F oven covered for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 15-20 minutes until bubbly.
Boil the shells for only 2 minutes less than the package instructions and handle them gently. Rinsing with cold water immediately after draining helps stop the cooking and makes them easier to stuff.
Absolutely! Swap out Italian sausage for chorizo, chicken sausage, or even ground beef or turkey if you prefer a different flavor profile. Adjust seasonings as needed.
Other Delicious Italian Pasta Recipes
Italian Sausage Stuffed Shells Recipe
Ingredients
- 30 Jumbo shells (1) 12oz box should be enough.
- 1 Jar Your favorite marinara sauce Optional, in place of homemade marinara. See below.
Meat Filling
- 1 lb Italian sausage
- 1/2 Onion diced
- 2 clove Garlic minced
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- 2 tsp Black pepper
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
Cheese Filling
- 15 oz Ricotta drained
- 1/2 cup Romano cheese grated
- 3 cup Mozzarella cheese (low moisture) divided
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper
Homemade Marinara Sauce (Optional, in place of jarred marinara)
- 28 oz Crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 Onion grated
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp Red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Boil jumbo shells in salted water until 2 minutes shy of al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- In a skillet, cook sausage with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning until halfway done. Add onion and cook until sausage is fully browned. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Set aside.
- In a bowl, combine ricotta, half the mozzarella, and Romano cheese. Mix in the cooked sausage.
- Spread half the marinara sauce in a 9×13 dish. Stuff each shell with a heaping tablespoon of sausage mixture and place in dish.
- Top with remaining marinara and mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Let set for 5 minutes, garnish with fresh basil or parsley, and serve.
Optional Instructions For Homemade Marinara
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil. Sauté grated onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, sugar, salt, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Adjust seasoning to taste. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.