Meatball Stuffed Shells – a family favorite! Jumbo shells stuffed with cottage cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, and frozen meatballs and baked in marinara sauce. This recipe makes a lot of food. Great for dinner parties and potlucks. Can make in advance and refrigerate or freeze for later. Serve with garlic bread and a salad for a meal better than in any restaurant!
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
Cook jumbo pasta shells according to package. Drain and cool.
Combine cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, dried parsley and 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
Stuff pasta shells with cheese mixture and one meatballs per shell. Place shells in prepared baking dish. Top with spaghetti sauce and remaining mozzarella cheese. (Can freeze at this point)
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until bubbly.
Notes:
My favorite store-bought spaghetti sauces are Trader Joe’s Roasted Garlic Marinara (green label), Rao’s, and La Famiglia DelGrosso.
I use half-ounce frozen beef meatballs.
There is no need to thaw the meatballs before stuffing them into the shells. They will bake along with the pasta.
What cheese goes in stuffed shells? I use cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese. Feel free to use different types of cheeses
Don’t like cottage cheese? You can substitute ricotta cheese.
Feel free to add some fresh spinach to the cheese mixture.
Add some red pepper flakes to the dish for a little spicy.
Can Stuffed Shells be made in advance? Yes! You can assemble the casserole ahead of time and refrigerate it until you are ready to bake. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the cooking time if baking straight from the refrigerator.
Can Stuffed Shells be frozen? Yes! Assemble the casserole and cool completely. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze.
When ready to bake, thaw the frozen shells and bake as directed.
The shells will keep for 3 to 4 months in the freezer.
This makes a lot of food. Feel free to split the casserole between two pans. Bake one and freeze one for later.