Four Cheese Stuffed Shells

Four Cheese Stuffed Shells – cheesy stuffed shells loaded with four Italian cheeses, homemade marinara, and fresh herbs with an easy no-boil cooking method.

Four Cheese Stuffed Shells

Tender creamy stuffed shells loaded with four types of cheese and a fresh marinara sauce. Classic stuffed shells are one of my favorite comfort foods, and this quicker cooking method makes them even easier to make! Start with the uncooked shells, and pipe them with the creamy ricotta cheese mixture. Bake them in a homemade marinara sauce topped with more cheese and fresh herbs for the ultimate comfort food.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• No-Boil Stuffed Shells – this recipe adds water to the casserole dish so the shells cook in the oven after stuffing.
• Homemade Marinara – can be substituted with a high-quality pasta sauce to save even more time.
• Meat Optional – keep it just cheese, or add ground beef or Italian sausage to the casserole dish before baking for an even heartier alternative.
• Four Cheeses – a homemade blend of Italian cheeses adds texture and flavor to the stuffed shells.

Ingredients for Stuffed Shells

• Marinara Sauce – homemade or store-bought. If using store-bought, I recommend Rao’s.
• Jumbo Shells – not every store carries jumbo shells, so if I find them, I usually buy an extra box.
• Cheese – Ricotta, Mozzarella, Provolone, and Parmesan. I usually recommend fresh grated cheese, but I do think pre-shredded cheese works fine in this recipe.
• Fresh Herbs – a blend of fresh basil and parsley.

How to Make No-Boil Stuffed Shells

1. Prepare the marinara sauce or use store-bought sauce. Add a cup of sauce to bottom of casserole dish.
2. In a large bowl, prepare the ricotta cheese filling.
3. Instead of a spoon, use a gallon-size baggie to pipe ricotta filling into the uncooked shells and place filling side up in a single layer in the pan.
4. Top with remaining sauce and 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
5. Add water around shells and let bake covered with aluminum foil. Water and sauce will absorb into the shells and soften them.
6. Uncover and broil cheese for a few minutes.
7. Add fresh herbs.

Recipe Tips

1. For recipe shortcuts, use store-bought marinara sauce and pre-shredded cheese.
2. Some jumbo shells may be too tightly closed to fill, but I have always found that most of the shells in a box are open enough to fill the uncooked shells. The box of jumbo shells is usually 16 oz, and the recipe calls for only 12 oz of shells. Tightly closed shells can be set aside and saved for another recipe.
3. If adding meat to the sauce, sprinkle in cooked ground beef, ground turkey, or Italian sausage after the shells are filled and in the casserole dish.
4. Make sure to add 1 1/2 cups of water to the dish before baking and cover tightly with foil so the shells can soften and steam while cooking.
5. Serve with a simple green salad and garlic knots.

More Stuffed Shells Recipes

I have two more versions of this recipe. One is a Slow Cooker Stuffed Shells Recipe with Meat Sauce, and the other is an Instant Pot Stuffed Shells Recipe.

More Recipe Ideas

• Garlic Parmesan Breadsticks – I used this recipe in the photo below, but tied the sticks into garlic knots.
• One Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
• Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
• One Pot Chicken Alfredo