Crockpot Stuffed Shells Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do stuffed shells get watery? ›

Avoid anything with a gum listed—these gums bind water but release it as you heat the ricotta up. Straight out of its container, even good-quality ricotta can be too wet, which will result in a watery filling later.

I often serve these stuffed shells with my Homemade Caesar Salad, but my Arugula Salad, Beet Salad, or Simple Green Salad would also pair well with this recipe. And when it comes to bread, you really can't go wrong! Stick with a crusty loaf, or make rosemary focaccia, garlic knots, or dinner rolls. Enjoy!

The pasta shells can be pulled from the freezer and go right into the oven after just adding some prepared spaghetti sauce (a staple in my house) and cheese. Sixty minutes later they are ready to serve.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spoon the cheese mixture into each pasta shell and place open side up, in a single layer, in prepared pan. Pour the rest of sauce over the stuffed shells. Loosely cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

There are several ways to thicken ricotta filling. One is to place the filling in a fine strainer over a bowl and allow excess liquid to drain off. Another way is to line the strainer with cheesecloth. Yet another way is to add a thickener such as cornstarch or arrowroot starch.

I was taught to stuff shells uncooked then cook them in the oven with a lot of sauce. The liquid from the sauce will cook the shells and they stay "intact". I also layer my lasagna with uncooked noodles and use a lot of sauce to cook them in the oven.

Cook shells one minute shy of package instructions (so they don't fall apart when you're stuffing them), drain and arrange on a baking sheet so they don't stick together.

Alternatively, you can put the shells in the dish you'd like to eventually bake them in, cover the top in plastic wrap, and freeze the whole thing so you can conveniently cook the dish later with the quick addition of sauce.

Like most leftovers, your stuffed shells should last for three to four days in a fridge set at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower .

Stored properly, fresh ricotta will last in the freezer for one to three months. Once you thaw your cheese, it is not recommended to refreeze it. Since freezing it just once already causes the cheese to degrade somewhat, you can imagine what constant thawing and refreezing would do.

Can you freeze stuffed shells after they are cooked? ›

Here's how you can do it: Cook the pasta shells according to package instructions, drain and let them cool down. Stuff the shells with your desired filling, such as cheese, meat, or vegetables. Place the stuffed shells on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place them in the freezer.

These ricotta stuffed shells are a great dinner to meal prep for weeks to come. You can make them up to a day ahead and store in the fridge until ready to bake (perfect to prep in the morning and pop into the oven at dinner time). You can also freeze them for up to 3 months and enjoy on another day.

There are usually around 40 to 46 shells in a 12 oz box of jumbo shells. It's good to have more than this recipe calls for (36) because some shells rip or are broken.

The pasta called conchiglioni, usually marketed as “jumbo shells” here in the US, are filled with a ricotta cream enriched with mozzarella, napped with a simple marinara sauce and topped with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan before being baked in a hot oven.

To reheat non-casserole baked pasta dishes, such as stuffed jumbo shells, place the shells in an oven-safe dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 375 degrees until the shells' internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

The sign your ricotta is bad

If the ricotta has gone yellowish or brown, or if there's a layer of water sitting atop the cheese, that's also an indicator that your ricotta has spoiled (so don't just shrug and mix the water back into the cheese!).

The stuffing should be moist but not wet. If there is a puddle of broth at the bottom of the bowl, you've added too much. Add more bread to soak up the excess moisture. If the mix is still dry and crumbly, add more liquid and toss gently until it starts to clump together.

You can cut mold off hard cheeses and still eat the cheese, but once mold appears on ricotta, throw it away. Some molds produce harmful toxins and the mold spores have likely infiltrated the entire container. The cheese may also be watery or have a light brown or yellow appearance, rather than white.

Like most leftovers, your stuffed shells should last for three to four days in a fridge set at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower . If you can't eat the extra stuffed shells so soon, put them in the freezer set at 0 degrees Fahrenheit and they will stay fresh for four months.