Cheese-Stuffed Shells Recipe

Cheese-Stuffed Shells Recipe Cheese-Stuffed Shells Recipe photo by Taste of Home Rating 5

When I was living in California, I tasted this rich cheesy pasta dish at a neighborhood Italian restaurant. I got the recipe and made a few changes to it in my own kitchen. I'm happy to share it with you. —Lori Mecca, Grants Pass, Oregon

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Cheese-Stuffed Shells Recipe
  • Prep: 35 min. Bake: 50 min.
  • Yield: 12 Servings
35 50 85

Ingredients

  • 1 pound bulk Johnsonville® Ground Sausage
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup 4% cottage cheese
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
  • 24 jumbo pasta shells, cooked and drained
  • SAUCE:
  • 1 can (29 ounces) tomato sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

  • In a large skillet, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the spinach, cream cheese and egg. Add 1 cup mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and cinnamon if desired.
  • Stuff pasta shells with sausage mixture. Arrange in two 11-in. x 7-in. baking dishes coated with cooking spray. Combine the sauce ingredients; spoon over shells.
  • Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 12 servings.

Nutritional Facts 2 stuffed shells equals 397 calories, 23 g fat (14 g saturated fat), 94 mg cholesterol, 1,097 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 24 g protein.

Originally published as Cheese-Stuffed Shells in Taste of Home April/May 1995, p25

Full-Bodied White Wine

Enjoy this recipe with a full-bodied white wine such as Chardonnay or Viognier.

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Reviews for Cheese-Stuffed Shells

Cheese-Stuffed Shells Recipe

Cheese-Stuffed Shells

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(11-20) of 74 reviews

Reviewed on Jan. 30, 2012 by cindyjax

I've made this twice now. It is my favorite stuffed shells recipe. The cinnamon adds such a unique flavor. I asked my husband if he would prefer me to make them w/out the cinnamon this time and he said no he loved this recipe just the way it is! They are great frozen and reheated too!

Reviewed on Jan. 24, 2012 by ekatiakarpova

That`s great idea! I forgot to buy cram cheese so I did without it and it was great even without cream cheese and I didn`t put the sauce because my husband doesn`t like some tomatoes` souces but he likes Pace Salsa and I have served with it. It was so tasty! You can use the jumbo shell idea with any your fave mixture!

Reviewed on Jan. 24, 2012 by ekatiakarpova

Wow, very tasty!

Reviewed on Nov. 23, 2011 by Tean82

I just love this recipe! I made this for my whole family and every one ate it. Including my picky 6 yr old & my 2 yr old.I didn't add the cin. Whenever I make this I know I could be expecting family over:) I was a big hit! Thankyou.

Reviewed on Oct. 11, 2011 by baristababe

Love these- the cinnamon is unexpected and gives it that "secret ingredient" feel :) I usually use extra lean ground beef to cut the fat and reduced fat cream cheese. To save time, I also just poured a jar of my favorite spaghetti sauce over the top. Still tasted great!

Reviewed on Oct. 10, 2011 by rkaiser53

This is absolutely wonderful. First time i made it people complained there wasn't enough sauce so second time i make it i just doubled the sauce and the only complaint i received was it was gone to fast. I have made it several times with and with out the cinnamon and sweet or mild sausage. Mild sausage was the best and i was surprised the cinnamon does add a little something extra

Reviewed on Sep. 16, 2011 by E.Smith

This is amazing! I ended up making about 32 shells and they were stuffed pretty full. The cinnamon adds a little something extra to make this recipe an instant favorite!

Reviewed on Sep. 02, 2011 by Chicagogal

Oh my goodness!!!! These are the most delicious, rich, decadent shells I have ever made and I just LOVE THEM! The recipe as is is perfect! And...besides the superb flavor of this recipe it freezes so well! I usually use 1 large baking dish and then put my remaining shells (this makes a lot of filling so make extra shells) in a smaller baking dish and freeze - it bakes up great! Also, I have a little one and a great cooking tip I learned was if you have a baby spoon in the house (rubber) use that to stuff your shells - it slides in super easy! Thank you so much for the fantastic recipe - I only wish my hubby liked more cheesy recipes like I do - I gobble up the whole thing throughout the week! :) YUM!!!!!

Reviewed on Aug. 30, 2011 by tstreich

Very, very good! My picky family ate it up and went for seconds! I did use 1/2 Italian Sausage and 1/2 lean ground beef and I think I either need to find a better tasting italian sausage or simply use all ground beef. I used 4-8 oz cans tomato sauce, 2 w/ garlic and 2 w/ basil & oregano. This provided a perfect amount of sauce. I liked the flavor of the sauce, but I agree if you have a jar on hand, use your favorite sauce and it'll work. I stuffed 32 shells and crammed them into my pan. I could have easily made 2 pans of 20. But nobody would let me freeze the leftovers because they said they'll nibble on what's left over the next day or two!

Reviewed on Aug. 27, 2011 by heishman01

Absolutley excellent. I have made this several times and I am making this for dinner tonight. Everyone in my family loves it, including my son who is not crazy about spinach. Taste of Home - you are a life saver.

 
 

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