My favorite stuffed shells recipe with tender pasta shells with a cheesy filling that stays soft and creamy instead of dry and grainy, all baked under bubbling mozzarella. My secret is cottage cheese and cream cheese instead of ricotta, and I’m excited to show you how you can make this delicious dish at home.
Stuffed Shells At A Glance
Prep
30 min
Bake
42 min
Total
82 min
Serves
6-8
Pan
9×13-inch baking dish
The Dish That Makes Me Grateful I Cook
My husband Greg and I cook all our own food now, and this stuffed shells recipe is a big reason I’m so happy about that. With the huge amount of cheese in stuffed shells, this is a dish I wouldn’t get to enjoy if a restaurant made it. But now I can make it with my favorite ingredients, and it’s just heaven.
When I make it, all I can think is, “I’m so happy I can eat this amazing food.” Yes, simple things give me pleasure and I am not feeling any guilt at having a reasonable portion of this delicious dish. I believe good food should be appreciated and enjoyed. For a long time, I felt guilt eating most foods. But much of that feeling has disappeared now that I can cook it the way that is best for me.
So what’s different about my recipe? While traditional stuffed shells use ricotta, my recipe uses cottage cheese and cream cheese instead. The combination bakes up creamier while holding its shape beautifully in every shell. The first time I made this, I had intended to use all cottage cheese, but I didn’t have quite enough (I know you know how that goes). So I added a little cream cheese, and I loved the combination! Happy accidents are the best.
These stuffed shells are just SO GOOD!
Let’s dig in!
Tips and Notes Before You Start
- Drain the cottage cheese. Let it sit in a mesh strainer while the pasta water heats. That’s why my pan had no liquid in the bottom at all.
- You don’t need the whole box. My 12-ounce box made 42 shells, and only 24 fit in the pan. Cook about 30 so you have a few spares for any that tear.
- Pull the shells 2 minutes early and oil them. Firmer shells are easier to fill, and a little olive oil keeps them from sticking together.
- Taste before you salt. The cottage cheese and Parmesan bring plenty of salt. Mine didn’t need any extra.
- Store-bought sauce is just fine. If you have homemade, even better. My homestyle spaghetti sauce works great here.
- Need it lactose free like me? There are good lactose-free versions of both the cottage cheese and the cream cheese now. See the section below.
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What You’ll Need
Jumbo pasta shells. These are big shell-shaped pasta (called conchiglioni in Italian) that are design to hold a generous filling. You want about 30, which is roughly two-thirds of a 12-ounce box. You’ll fill 24, and the rest are spares in case a few tear.
Small curd cottage cheese. Use the full fat (4% milkfat) kind if you can find it. I also recommend small curd because it blends into the filling more evenly, and the curds will melt completely smooth in the oven.
Can I Use Ricotta Instead?
Yes, you can use whole-milk ricotta instead. Swap it one for one for the cottage cheese and cream cheese for a more traditional dish. Just keep in mind it may not be as creamy as what you see in my photos.
Cream cheese. Use the regular kind, not whipped kind. It’s thicker and richer than cottage cheese, and it’s what helps the filling hold its shape. Let it soften on the counter first so it stirs in smoothly.
Mozzarella. Choose low-moisture cheese here. Half goes in the filling and half goes on top.
Parmesan. This is the primary “umami” flavor due to its aging and concentrated saltiness, and it will cut through the creamy and fresh cheeses we’re using elsewhere. You want to freshly grate this to avoid the graininess that can come from the pre-grated sort in the green shaker bottle (you know the one). When it is freshly grated, it will blend seamlessly into the cheese mixture.
Egg. The egg holds the filling together so it stays in the shell when you scoop it out.
Marinara sauce. A thick sauce is best, since a thin, watery one makes the pan soupy. There’s no meat in this one, so it’s a hearty meatless dinner. But you could use a meat sauce if you prefer, too.
Herbs and seasonings. Fresh parsley, dried basil, dried oregano, minced garlic, and black pepper.
Can I Make It Lactose Free?
Yes, and it’s so much easier than it used to be. Lactaid and Good Culture make lactose-free cottage cheeses, and Green Valley and Philadelphia have lactose-free cream cheese. Both swap in ounce for ounce. Parmesan is aged so long that it has very little lactose left, and lots of people who avoid milk do fine with it. Mozzarella has more, so look for a lactose-free shredded mozzarella if you need to be careful (Kraft makes one). Let your own tolerance be your guide.
How to Make Stuffed Shells
Step 1: Drain the cottage cheese and soften the cream cheese
Set the cottage cheese in a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and let it drain for 10 to 15 minutes while the pasta water comes to a boil, and set the cream cheese out to soften. Draining helps because cottage cheese holds a lot of liquid, and anything you leave in ends up in the bottom of your pan.
Step 2: Mix the filling
Start with the softened cream cheese in a large bowl and stir it around until it loosens up. Then add all of the drained cottage cheese, half of the mozzarella, two-thirds of the Parmesan, and all of the garlic, parsley, basil, oregano, and pepper, and stir until it’s well combined. Now taste it. Mine didn’t need any salt, but brands vary, so it’s worth checking.
Then add the egg and stir until you can’t see any streaks of yolk. We add the egg last so you can taste the filling first.
Step 3: Cook the shells a little short
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt, and cook the shells 2 minutes less than the package says. They’ll keep cooking in the sauce in the oven, and slightly firm shells are much easier to fill without tearing. Stir them gently for the first couple of minutes so they don’t stick to each other or the bottom of the pot.
Step 4: Oil the shells and spread them out
Drain the shells and drizzle them with the olive oil while they’re still in the colander. Then lay them out in a single layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan. One common mistake is leaving them piled up in the colander. They glue themselves together as they cool, and then they tear when you pull them apart. If a few still rip, don’t worry… that’s what the spares are for.
Step 5: Sauce the pan
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread half of the marinara over the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. The sauce underneath keeps the shells from sticking and gives them something to cook in.
Step 6: Fill the shells
Spoon the filling into a zip-top bag, snip off about an inch of one corner, and squeeze it right into each shell. This makes it so much easier to fill the shells. Each shell holds about 2 heaping tablespoons. Be careful not to overstuff them, or the filling will ooze out into the sauce as it bakes.
Set the filled shells open side up in the dish. Three rows of eight fit snugly in a 9×13, and it’s totally okay if a few lean on each other.
Step 7: Top with sauce and cover
Spoon the rest of the marinara over and between the shells. Try to get a little sauce on every bit of exposed pasta, because uncovered edges can turn dry and crunchy in the oven. Then cover the dish tightly with foil.
Step 8: Bake covered for 30 minutes
Bake for 30 minutes. The foil traps the steam, which heats the filling all the way through and keeps the pasta tender.
Step 9: Add the cheese and bake uncovered
Take off the foil, sprinkle on the rest of the mozzarella and the 1/4 cup of Parmesan, and bake uncovered for about 12 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. I pulled mine at 12 minutes, and it was just right.
Step 10: Let it rest
Let the pan rest for 10 minutes before you serve it. I know it’s hard to wait, but the filling needs a few minutes to set. If you dig in right away, it runs out of the shells. Sprinkle with a little chopped parsley and serve.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
One pan makes a LOT, which is part of the fun. Let leftovers cool, then cover and refrigerate them for up to 4 days. To reheat, spoon a little extra sauce or a splash of water over the shells, cover, and warm them in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes, or in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes per serving. That bit of extra sauce keeps the pasta from drying out.
Stuffed Shells FAQs
How many stuffed shells per person?
Three shells each was plenty for my husband and me with nothing else on the plate. One 9×13 pan of 24 feeds 8.
Do I need to cook the shells before stuffing them?
Yes. Regular jumbo shells have to be boiled first, or they stay hard in the oven. And despite finding some recipes claiming you don’t have to boil them first if you add water, use a thinner sauce, and give it extra rest time, it would be REALLY hard to fill most dry, hard shells with the filling. My box of shells was mostly closed and would not have allowed me to add filling before boiling, which softens them enough that I can open them for the filling. So I recommend you just cook them 2 minutes short of the full time they need (check your box) so they hold up to filling.
Why do my stuffed shells look different than some photos?
Not all photos online can be trusted. When I was initially developing this recipe, I saw lots of photos of massively-huge boats of pasta stuffed with the filling passing as “stuffed shells.” I remember wondering why mine were different, and whether or not I use the wrong size of pasta. But, no, the issue was that those were not real photos. Real stuffed shells look like what you see in my photos. Jumbo shells are the largest shells available, and they are about 1.5 to 2 inches long. It should be noted that folks say they USED to be larger in the past, so if you need a bigger shell, check an Italian market for “bronze die-cut” shells or get these . Also, some brands have shells that are more open (Barilla) and others are more tightly closed to hold onto the filling better (DeLallo). I usually use DeLallo because they have a sturdier structure and rarely rip.
Why are my stuffed shells watery?
Usually it’s cottage cheese that wasn’t drained, or a thin sauce. With the cheese drained (see Step 1) and a thick sauce, there wasn’t a drop of liquid in my pan.
Can I make stuffed shells ahead?
Yes, just assemble the pan, cover it, and refrigerate it for up to a day, then add about 10 minutes to the covered bake.
Can I freeze stuffed shells?
Yes, you can freeze the assembled, unbaked pan for up to 3 months, wrapped tightly, then bake it from frozen covered at 375°F for about an hour before adding the cheese.
Easy Stuffed Shells (Cottage Cheese, No Ricotta)
Equipment
- 9×13-inch baking dish
- fine mesh strainer
- colander
- Sheet pan and parchment paper
- Zip-top bag (optional, for filling)
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
For the shells
- 30 jumbo pasta shells about two-thirds of a 12-ounce box
- 1 tablespoon salt for the pasta water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the filling
- 16 ounces small curd cottage cheese (4% milkfat)
- 1 (8 ounce) cream cheese softened
- 1 1/2 cups low-moisture mozzarella shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmesan grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried), plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large egg
- salt to taste
For assembly
- 4 cups marinara sauce divided
- 1 1/2 cups low-moisture mozzarella shredded
- 1/4 cup Parmesan grated
Instructions
- Set the cottage cheese in a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and let it drain for 10 to 15 minutes. Set the cream cheese out to soften.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the shells and cook 2 minutes less than the package directions, stirring gently for the first 2 minutes.
- While the shells cook, stir the softened cream cheese in a large bowl until loosened. Add all of the drained cottage cheese, half the mozzarella, 2/3s of the Parmesan, all of garlic, parsley, basil, oregano, and pepper, and stir until well combined. Taste, and add salt only if needed. Stir in the egg until no streaks of yolk remain.
- Drain the shells, drizzle them with the olive oil, and spread them in a single layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread 2 cups sauce over the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Spoon the filling into a zip-top bag and snip off about 1 inch of one corner, or use a spoon. Fill each shell with about 2 heaping tablespoons. Arrange the filled shells open side up in the dish, three rows of eight (24 shells).
- Spoon the remaining sauce over and between the shells, covering the exposed pasta. Cover the dish tightly with foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil. Sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake uncovered about 12 minutes more, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Let rest 10 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
Nutrition
Notes
- Shells: You only need 24, so cook about 30 to have spares.
- Watery filling: To avoid, drain the cottage cheese well and use a thick sauce.
- Lactose free: Use lactose-free cottage cheese, lactose-free cream cheese, and lactose-free mozzarella. Parmesan is naturally very low in lactose.
- Ricotta: Replace the cottage cheese with 16 ounces whole-milk ricotta, no draining needed (untested).
- Storage: Cool, then cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Freezes well too.
- Reheating: Spoon a little extra sauce or water over the shells, cover, and warm at 350°F for about 20 minutes, or microwave 1 to 2 minutes per serving.
How to Trust This Recipe
I want you to know this is a real recipe made in a real kitchen and eaten by real people, so I like to share a special unedited photo at the end. This is exactly how my pan looked on my kitchen counter after scooping out our dinner portion for the two of us:
The above photo was taken with ProofMode, which attaches Content Credentials (the C2PA standard) to the image, so anyone can check that it’s a real photo taken by my iPhone on my farm on a particular date and place. You can download the proof files here and learn how to verify them.
If you’ve only ever made stuffed shells with ricotta, give the cottage cheese and cream cheese version a try. I’d love to hear what you think.
Happy cooking!
Love,
Jennifer
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Meet Jennifer
Jennifer cooks and experiments in the kitchen at Maker Farm, where she focuses on simple pantry cooking, homemade staples, and practical recipes that make everyday meals easier. Over the years she has tested many ways to make cooking simpler and more dependable, and shares the methods that work best in her own kitchen, occasionally showing them on her Heart to Home at Maker Farm vlog.