Million dollar stuffed shells take all the creamy, cheesy goodness of the classic and wrap it into fun jumbo shells. It’s cozy, everyone loves it, and it’s easy to make!
Why These Shells Steal the Show
- Perfectly Portioned: The jumbo shells act like little edible bowls, giving you a balanced mix of sauce, cheese, and pasta in each bite.
- Great for Prepping Ahead: You can assemble the dish in advance, pop it in the fridge, and bake when you’re ready. It’s freezer-friendly, too!
- Make it Your Own: This recipe is easy to switch up with different proteins, herbs, or cheeses to match your mood or what you have on hand.
Ingredients for Million Dollar Stuffed Shells
- The Meats: Mix and match your meats, sausage, beef, turkey, or chicken. Just make sure it adds up to a pound.
- Marinara: Homemade is always delicious, but a good-quality jarred sauce keeps this dinner quick, easy, and stress-free.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Add a pinch (or two or three!) to the sauce for a kick of heat that complements the rich cheese filling.
- Cottage Cheese or Ricotta: You can easily swap 1:1 cottage cheese for ricotta if you prefer a smoother texture.
- Extra Cheese Topping: Feel free to pile on more mozzarella for an extra cheesy finish.
- Mozzarella: Shred your own low-moisture mozzarella. It melts better, tastes better, and costs less than pre-shredded.
How to Make Million Dollar Stuffed Shells
This stuffed shell recipe is a family favorite and goes well with a simple side salad, garlic bread, or even roasted vegetables for a hearty meal any night of the week. Prep ahead, bake when ready, and enjoy a dinner everyone will love.
- Prep the Pasta: Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, then set it aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then cook the jumbo shells according to package directions for al dente. Drain the shells and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process. Toss lightly with 1-2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil to prevent sticking.
- Cook the Meat: Add the ground beef and Italian sausage to a large skillet and cook over medium heat for 7-10 minutes until fully browned and no pink remains, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Drain off any excess grease.
- Sauté Onion and Garlic: Add the olive oil and onion to the skillet, and cook for about 2 minutes before adding the garlic. Cook for an additional minute, then stir in the marinara sauce and Italian seasoning. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from the heat.
- Make the Million Dollar Stuffed Shells Filling: Add the cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, 1 ⅓ cups mozzarella, and parmesan to a large bowl and mix until combined by hand or with an electric mixer.
Million Dollar Stuffed Shells Assembly
- Add Marinara to Dish: Spread about two-thirds of the marinara mixture evenly in the bottom of the baking dish.
- Spoon Filling into Shells: Stuff the cooked shells with the million dollar filling in each shell, then arrange them in an even layer over the top of the sauce.
- Bake: Spoon the remaining third of the sauce over the shells, then top with the remaining mozzarella. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Let the dish rest for about 5 minutes before garnishing with chopped parsley or basil, if desired, and serving.
Alyssa’s Pro Tips
Perfect Pasta: Undercook the shells a few minutes so they stay nice and firm. They’ll finish in the oven anyway. Give them a cold rinse and a quick olive-oil toss to stop them from cooking and keep them from sticking together.
Million Dollar Stuffed Shells
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Equipment
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1 9 x 13 Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) box jumbo shell pasta about 24 shells
Sauce
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound mild Italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅓ cup diced onion about half a medium onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 cups marinara sauce homemade or store-bought, about 1 24-ounce jar
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
Million Dollar Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- 1 cup small-curd cottage cheese or whole-milk ricotta cheese
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- chopped fresh parsley or basil optional garnish
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, then cook 1 (12-ounce) box jumbo shell pasta according to the directions on the package for al dente pasta. If preferred, undercook by a few minutes to avoid overcooking in the oven.
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Drain the shells and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process. Toss lightly with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil or vegetable oil to prevent them from sticking.
Sauce
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Add ½ pound lean ground beef and ½ pound mild Italian sausage to a large skillet and cook over medium heat for 7-10 minutes until fully browned and no pink remains, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Drain off any excess grease.
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Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and ⅓ cup diced onion to the skillet, and cook for about 2 minutes before adding 2 teaspoons minced garlic. Cook for an additional minute, then stir in 3 cups marinara sauce and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste and remove from the heat.
Million Dollar Cheese Filling
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Add 8 ounces softened cream cheese, 1 cup small-curd cottage cheese, ½ cup sour cream, 1 ⅓ cups of the 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, and ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese to a large bowl and mix until combined by hand or with an electric mixer.
Assembly
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Spread about ¾ of the sauce evenly in the bottom of the baking dish.
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Stuff the shells with about 2 tablespoons of the million dollar filling in each shell, then arrange them in an even layer over the top of the sauce.
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Spoon the remaining third of the sauce over the tops of the shells, and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
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Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Let the dish rest for about 5 minutes before garnishing with chopped fresh parsley or basil if desired and serving.
Notes
Prepare ahead: You may prepare and assemble these shells up to 2 days before cooking, although I recommend preparing the sauce and cheese mixture ahead of time and waiting until the day you plan to bake and serve it to cook the shells and assemble them. This will prevent the pasta from soaking up additional moisture as it sits in the refrigerator in the days prior to baking.
To freeze, follow through step 9 (without preheating the oven), cover tightly with 2-3 layers of plastic wrap around the whole freezer-safe baking pan followed by a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking. You may need to add 10-15 minutes of baking time to account for it being cold. Bake until the center of the dish reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If needed, tent the top with aluminum foil to avoid the cheese burning on top.
Nutrition
More Italian Dinner Favorites
If you love this dish, you’ll want to try more of my top Italian meals. These recipes are full of taste, easy to make, and sure to please the whole crew.
