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Stuffed shells are such a tasty comfort food, hot from the oven with gooey, melty cheese! These stuffed shells with sausage are filled with a seasoned cheese mixture and baked on a bed of pork meat sauce. They’re ready for the oven with just 20 minutes of active time!
I used to make stuffed shells all the time, and honestly, it was one of my very favorite recipes when I first got married! There’s just something about a pan of cozy, cheesy shells coming out of the oven.
Now that we have a big family, I tend to opt for Dutch oven lasagna or venison lasagna because they are slightly less hands-on than stuffing shells.
But I still get the craving for these cheesy stuffed shells periodically, and they are certainly worth the time spent!
So I thought I’d bring this one back out and share it with all of you today, and I hope it becomes a favorite at your house, too!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy recipe: Filling the shells is the hardest part of this recipe, and that’s saying something! Stuffed shells with sausage are ready for the oven in just 20 minutes of active time!
- Filling: Between the cottage cheese, shredded cheese, and pork sausage, this recipe is sure to satisfy and keep you full until breakfast.
- Comforting: There’s nothing like a hot, cheesy pasta bake when you’re craving something cozy and nourishing. (Tip: If you love baked pasta dishes, try my pesto chicken pasta bake next!)
Ingredients
- Pork sausage: You can use spicy or mild Italian sausage, unseasoned pork sausage, or just ground pork (see notes). Ground beef can also be substituted!
- Shredded cheese: I recommend mozzarella cheese for this recipe. It has a mild flavor and gets good and gooey when it melts. In a pinch, you could use Monterey Jack or mild white cheddar.
- Cottage cheese: I use small curd cottage cheese in the filling, and it bakes up so creamy. If you’d rather use ricotta, that’s the classic choice for stuffed shells!
Find the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
How to Make Sausage Stuffed Shells
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook the jumbo shells in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente, then drain.
Step 2. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring now and then, until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook about 1 minute, just until fragrant.
Step 3. Add the ground pork, season with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking it up, until browned with no pink left. Stir in the pasta sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 4. In a bowl, stir together the cottage cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella and the rosemary.
Step 5. Spread about half of the meat sauce in a 9×13 baking dish. Fill each shell with the cheese mixture and lay them in rows on top of the sauce.
Step 6. Spoon the rest of the meat sauce over the shells and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella.
Step 7. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Tips + Notes
- I use ground pork with a little salt and pepper, but pork sausage works great here too! Just skip the salt and pepper if you use sausage, since it’s already seasoned.
- A 12-ounce box has more shells than you’ll need, which is a good thing, since a few always tear while they cook. I filled about 24 to cover a 9×13 dish.
- I bake them covered with foil for the first 25 minutes so the shells stay soft, then uncover them for the last 10 so the mozzarella melts and gets a little golden on top!
- Aim for just al dente when cooking your noodles — you want them to still have a bite. The pasta will absorb liquid in the oven and continue to soften.
- Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or the oven until hot and melty.
- If your shells are tearing a lot when you try to fill them, you may have overcooked them. Shock the noodles in cold water to firm up the starch and stop the cooking process, and cook them a minute or two less next time.
Best Sides for Stuffed Shells
These cheesy stuffed shells with sausage are very easy to make a meal out of. I usually just add a veggie side dish and maybe some garlic bread and call it good! If you need some delicious side dish inspiration for stuffed shells, try one of these:
- Green salad: Caesar or Italian are always good options!
- Hot vegetable: Cast iron green beans, cast iron zucchini, or savory boiled asparagus are easy and tasty.
- Garlic bread: You can buy a loaf or make some Dutch oven cheese bread or whole wheat artisan bread. Slather each slice with garlic butter and bake until hot!
- Focaccia bread: Make my garden herb focaccia bread and use it to mop up your pasta sauce. It’s the best way to clean your plate — trust me.
- Bruschetta: For a little appetizer that feels fancy but is crazy easy to make, try balsamic tomato bruschetta!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Just follow the recipe up until step 7, and instead of baking them, cover and put the dish in the fridge. You can keep them refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking. You may need to bake a little bit longer to accommodate the shells being cold from the fridge.
Yes, you can assemble the shells and freeze them for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw completely in the refrigerator overnight before baking and enjoying.
You can make vegetarian stuffed shells easily by omitting the sausage! You can also replace it with a meatless substitute, like frozen meatless crumbles, mushrooms, or green lentils.
Related Recipes
- Creamy Sausage Pasta
- The Best Venison Pasta Recipe
- One Pan Chicken Alfredo
- Dutch Oven Lasagna Soup
- Dutch Oven Pizza Soup
If you tried this Sausage Stuffed Shells Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Cheesy Stuffed Shells with Sausage
Equipment
- 9×13 baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 12-ounce box jumbo pasta shells
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground pork
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 23.5-ounce jar tomato basil pasta sauce
- 1 24-ounce tub small curd cottage cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided (226g)
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook the jumbo shells in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente, then drain.
- Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring now and then, until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook about 1 minute, just until fragrant.
- Add the ground pork, season with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking it up, until browned with no pink left. Stir in the pasta sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
- In a bowl, stir together the cottage cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella and the rosemary.
- Spread about half of the meat sauce in a 9×13 baking dish. Fill each shell with the cheese mixture and lay them in rows on top of the sauce.
- Spoon the rest of the meat sauce over the shells and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella.
- Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Notes
- I use ground pork with a little salt and pepper, but pork sausage works great here too! Just skip the salt and pepper if you use sausage, since it’s already seasoned.
- A 12-ounce box has more shells than you’ll need, which is a good thing, since a few always tear while they cook. I filled about 24 to cover a 9×13 dish.
- I bake them covered with foil for the first 25 minutes so the shells stay soft, then uncover them for the last 10 so the mozzarella melts and gets a little golden on top!
- Aim for just al dente when cooking your noodles — you want them to still have a bite. The pasta will absorb liquid in the oven and continue to soften.
- Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or the oven until hot and melty.
- If your shells are tearing a lot when you try to fill them, you may have overcooked them. Shock the noodles in cold water to firm up the starch and stop the cooking process, and cook them a minute or two less next time.
Very yummy looking recipe!