Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells

Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells is a popular Italian classic that’s perfect for both family dinners and special celebrations!

What’s not to love? Giant pasta shells are stuffed with a lemony ricotta cheese filling, topped with both a rich marinara sauce and a creamy Italian béchamel sauce. The smell as these cheese stuffed shells bake in the oven is irresistible!

I could never choose just one favorite pasta dish, I love them all too much! But I’m certain this recipe for Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells would be at the top of the list. And I’m sure it will be on your list of favorites too!

My family eats a lot of pasta so it’s just as well that there are so many different types and variations. This recipe uses giant shell shaped pasta known in Italian as “conchiglione” or “conchiglie gigante” which, similar to manicotti and cannelloni, are made for stuffing. It’s a fun pasta shape and can be filled abundantly.

Just like my Calamarata Pasta, Gnocchi Carbonara or Pizzoccheri, these Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells are so tasty. You will love serving this three cheese pasta dish to family and friends because it can be made in advance and is always such a crowd pleaser. Just be warned, you’ll have requests to make this again and again!

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Familiar Italian Flavor – you know this recipe is going to be delicious because it is loaded with classic Italian flavors!
• Italian Béchamel Sauce – I’ll step you through making and perfecting homemade Italian béchamel sauce (or besciamella in Italian). You’ll never need to buy it again!
• Versatility – if you can’t find giant pasta shells at the supermarket, you can easily use manicotti or cannelloni shells instead! 
• Perfect for Entertaining – Just like my Pasta al Forno, this is the ideal dish for feeding a crowd and satisfying your guests with Italian flavors. 
• Make ahead – you can easily make this recipe in advance and either store in the refrigerator or freezer until you are ready to bake them in the oven. 

For complete ingredient quantities and full instructions, please scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Ingredients

• Giant Pasta Shells – I always recommend buying good quality pasta. Giant pasta shells can also be labelled as conchiglie gigante or conchiglione. You may need to look for these at speciality food stores or Italian import stores.
• Milk – full-fat milk for the best results. This isn’t diet food!
• Nutmeg – I prefer freshly grated nutmeg, but you can use ground nutmeg if that’s all you have.
• Garlic – choose fresh, juicy garlic for this recipe. At a pinch, you could use bottled or powdered garlic.
• Olive oil – I recommend using extra virgin olive oil for maxim flavor, but regular olive oil is a good substitute.
• Tomato puree – also known as tomato passata. Easily available at supermarkets. You can also substitute canned, peeled tomatoes which you can mash well with a fork or puree in a food processor.
• Oregano – dried oregano adds familiar Italian flavors to this pasta recipe. While I often prefer fresh, dried oregano usually very fragrant and flavorful.
• Whole milk ricotta – fresh ricotta is readily available in most supermarkets. However, if it’s too expensive or you can’t find it, you can use my Homemade Ricotta Cheese recipe. 
• Mozzarella cheese – use a low moisture mozzarella cheese or drain Mozzarella cheese that has been packed in water. Avoid pre-grated mozzarella. It has additives that prevent it from melting well.
• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese – I recommend buying Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (Parmesan) in a block and finely grating it as needed. It’s cheaper and tastier than grated Parmesan cheese.
• Parsley – fresh parsley is used to flavor the cheese filling. Dried parsley isn’t a suitable substitute.
• Lemon Zest – adds a wonderful freshness and zing to the cheese filling.
• Salt and pepper – for seasoning. 

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and have ready a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33cm) baking dish.

In a large pot, with boiling salted water, cook the giant pasta shells for 3 minutes less than the cooking instructions on the packet. Drain and cool on a baking sheet that has been lined with a kitchen towel.

Over medium heat, whisk the flour into the melted butter. While whisking, add the milk to the butter and flour.

Continue whisking until the sauce has thickened. 

Season with salt and nutmeg. Allow to cook on low heat for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat.

In a frying pan, fry the garlic in olive oil until fragrant. Add tomato puree to the pan. Season with oregano and salt. 

Allow the sauce to cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the filling.

Use a piping bag or a spoon to fill each shell with the ricotta cheese filling. 

Cover the bottom of the baking dish with two thirds of the marinara and Italian béchamel sauce. Arrange the stuffed pasta shells on top of the sauce in the baking dish.

Spoon over the remaining marinara sauce and Italian béchamel sauce. Then sprinkle the top with extra mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil then return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes until the top just begins to brown.

Hint: Be sure to arrange the filled pasta shells neatly and slightly overlapping so that they fit into the baking dish.

Substitutions

• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese – try substituting Pecorino Romano instead. 
• Homemade béchamel sauce – while I prefer homemade béchamel sauce in this recipe, you could use a store-bought creamy alfredo sauce or homemade alfredo sauce instead. 
• Large pasta shells – if you can’t find giant shell pasta, you could use manicotti or cannelloni tubes instead. 

Variations

• Crunch gratin topping – if you want to achieve a gratin result, sprinkle a generous handful of breadcrumbs along with mozzarella cheese. It’ll give these Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells a crispy crust. 
• Ground beef stuffing – saute diced onions, garlic, ground beef and Italian seasoning in a frying pan. Allow the mixture to cool and stuff it into the giant pasta shells. 
• Gluten-free option – use gluten-free pasta shells to easily make this dish gluten-free. 

Equipment

You will need a large baking dish for this Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells recipe along with your regular kitchen staples. 

A piping bag makes stuffing the pasta shells quick and easy. However, if you don’t have a piping bag just use a spoon.

Storage

Instead of cooking this dish on the same day as you prepare it, assemble these Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells the day before you intend to bake them. Cover the unbaked dish of cheese stuffed shells with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. The following day, remove the plastic wrap and transfer the dish of cheese stuffed shells into a preheated oven.

If you want to prepare these cheese stuffed shells further in advance, you can freeze them unbaked. Assemble into the baking dish and cover the unbaked cheese stuffed pasta shells tightly with plastic wrap. When you are ready to bake the Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells, remove them from the freezer and allow the dish to thaw in the fridge overnight. Bake in the oven as per the recipe instructions adding a few extra minutes to allow for the chilled ingredients.

If you have any leftover Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for two to three days. Reheat stuffed shells in the microwave for best results. 

Top tip

Be careful not to overcook the pasta shells when you boil them in salty water. They will cook a little more when the entire dish is baked in the oven. I always recommend cooking them for 3 minutes less than the cooking instructions on the packet. Be sure to drain and cool the pasta on a kitchen towel before filling.

To make the perfect Italian béchamel sauce, start by using the best quality ingredients you can afford. Be sure to whisk any lumps out when you add the flour into the melted butter and (while constantly whisking) allow the flour to cook off a little before you milk. Continue whisking as you add the milk. Then allow the béchamel sauce to simmer and thicken. Once the sauce has thickened, allow it to simmer gently for a few more minutes to ensure you can’t taste uncooked flour. 

For an extra brown surface, pop the dish under the broiler or oven grill for a few minutes. Watch it carefully so that it doesn’t burn!

FAQ

Serving suggestions

As I said earlier, this is a meal in itself. However, I’m sure no one would oppose a slice of Ciabatta Garlic Bread or Focaccia Genovese if offered. 

Giant cheese stuffed pasta shells can be served as a first course or “primo” followed by Italian Chicken Cutlets or Spiedini. And if you’re anything like me a meal always needs dessert. For something light, serve Baked Peaches, Coconut Panna Cotta or Mini Fruit Tarts. And remember, there’s always room for pasta!

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Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells Recipe

Giant pasta shells are stuffed with a lemony ricotta cheese filling, topped with both a rich marinara sauce and a creamy Italian bechamel sauce. The smell as these cheese stuffed shells bake in the oven is irresistible!

5 from 82 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings:6 people

Author: Marcellina

Equipment

• ▢
  1 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33cm) baking dish
• ▢
  1 disposable piping pag optional
• ▢
  1 medium saucepan
• ▢
  1 Skillet
• ▢
  1 whisk
• ▢
  measuring cups and spoons (or scales)
• ▢
  Wooden spoon and/or rubber spatula

Ingredients

For the pasta shells

• ▢ 8 ounces (250 grams) giant pasta shells
• ▢ Salt for the cooking water

For the Italian béchamel sauce

• ▢ 2 tablespoons (30 grams) salted butter
• ▢ 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 ½ cups (354mls) whole milk
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg optional

For the marinara sauce

• ▢ 4 cloves garlic minced or crushed
• ▢ ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 3 cups tomato puree passata or pureed canned tomatoes
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt or to taste

For the filling

• ▢ 1 pound (450 grams) whole milk ricotta
• ▢ 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• ▢ 4 ounces (120 grams) grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese Parmesan cheese
• ▢ ⅓ cup chopped parsley
• ▢ Finely grated zest of one lemon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

To assemble

• ▢ 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• ▢ 2 ounces (60 grams) grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese Parmesan cheese

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Instructions

• In a large pot, with boiling salted water, cook the giant pasta shells for 3 minutes less than the cooking instructions on the packet. Drain and cool on a baking sheet that has been lined with a kitchen towel.

Italian béchamel sauce

• Melt butter in a saucepan.
• Add flour while whisking and continue whisking until smooth.
• Pour the milk into the butter and flour paste while whisking. Continue whisking until the sauce has thickened.
• Season with salt and nutmeg. Allow to simmer on low for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat. It may seem thin but it's perfect for this recipe. Set aside.

Marinara sauce

• In a skillet or frying pan, fry the garlic in olive oil until the garlic begins to become fragrant.
• Add tomato puree to the pan. Season with oregano and salt. If the tomato puree is very thick you may want to add some water to thin it – ⅓-½ cup of water should be enough.
• Allow the sauce to cook over medium low heat for 10 minutes and then turn off the heat. The sauce shouldn't reduce by much. Set aside.

Filling

• In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients until well mixed. Set aside.

Assembly and baking

• Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and have ready a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33cm) baking dish.
• Filling a disposable piping bag with half of the filling mixture. Snip off the end and fill each pasta shell abundantly with the ricotta cheese stuffing. Alternatively use a spoon to fill the pasta shells.
• Cover a baking dish with ⅔ of the marinara sauce followed by dollops of the Italian béchamel sauce using about ⅔ of it as well. Arrange the stuffed pasta shells on top of the sauces in the baking dish. Cover with remaining marinara sauce and dollops of the Italian béchamel sauce.
• Sprinkle over grated mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan) cheese.
• Cover the baking dish with greased aluminum foil or I like to first place a sheet of parchment over the top and then the foil. Place into a preheated oven for 30 minutes
• When there are 10 minutes left of cooking time, remove the aluminum foil from the baking dish and return to the oven to brown a little.

Notes

Tips for Success

• Cook the pasta shells for 3 minutes less than the suggested cooking time on the package.
• Drain and cool the pasta shells on a kitchen towel.
• For the béchamel, use a whisk to combine the milk into the butter and flour mixture. This helps to prevent a lumpy béchamel sauce.
• Be sure to simmer the béchamel sauce once it has thickened so that the sauce doesn’t taste “floury”.
• If you’d like an extra brown surface on the cheesy pasta shells, pop the dish under the broiler or oven grill for a few minutes when cooked. Take care that it doesn’t burn!

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Nutritional Estimate Per Serving

Calories: 782kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 1754mg | Potassium: 937mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 2166IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 899mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. For accurate results, it is recommended that the nutritional information be calculated based on the ingredients and brands you use.