Description
These Best Christmas Stuffed Shells are rich, cheesy, and festive—perfect for holiday gatherings. Jumbo pasta shells are filled with a creamy ricotta mixture, baked in marinara sauce, and topped with gooey melted cheese for a comforting Christmas dinner everyone will love.
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
- 20–24 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley or basil, chopped
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook shells until al dente according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Prepare filling: In a bowl, mix ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Assemble: Spread 1 cup marinara sauce on the bottom of a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Fill each shell with cheese mixture and place in the dish.
- Top: Pour remaining marinara over shells and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
- Bake: Cover with foil and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 10–15 minutes more until bubbly and lightly golden.
- Serve: Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Add cooked spinach or ground Italian sausage to the filling for variation. These shells can be assembled a day ahead and baked just before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 stuffed shells
- Calories: 460
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 720mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 44g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 22g
- Cholesterol: 85mg
Keywords: christmas stuffed shells, holiday pasta, cheesy stuffed shells, italian christmas dinner