Conchiglioni Pasta Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce

Conchiglioni Pasta Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce is jumbo pasta shells and lots of cheese baked together with a made from scratch meat sauce.
(Originally published 7/14/2020 and updated for content 5/14/2024)

If you like this recipe, check out my Burrata Pasta next!

I can’t remember the last time I made stuffed shells. I remember my mom making manicotti. Which is kind of the same concept. Large pasta shapes stuffed with a ricotta cheese mixture. Smothered in sauce and baked. When researching for this post I discovered that conchiglioni in Italian means sea shell and is a typical southern Italian pasta. I had never heard the term. So I figured I’d give myself a little education along with the development of my version of this main course pasta dish. The homemade meat ragu sauce gives it incredible flavor.

More pasta dish recipes

• Johnny Marzetti
• Buffalo Chicken Pasta
• Steak Fajita Pasta
• Fettuccini Alfredo

Ingredients for conchiglioni pasta

• Large Pasta Shells – For purposes of testing this recipe, I used Barilla Jumbo Shells, which cook to al dente in 9 minutes in a pot of salted, boiling water. Use your favorite brand of dry pasta shells or best quality conchiglioni.
• Italian Cheese – Four different cheeses are used in my recipe. A combination of cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese are used in the pasta shell filling. And more shredded mozzarella cheese tops the pasta dish at the end. I prefer using grated Parmesan (the crumbly kind) instead of shredded Parmesan cheese.
• Basil – For the cheese filling. I prefer fresh basil or lightly dehydrated basil over dried in this dish.
• Lemon Juice – Adds a brightness to help compliment the rich and cheesy filling. Salt and fat need an acid to help harmonize the flavor of any dish.
• Butter – Used in the homemade meat sauce. You could substitute the butter with olive oil if you prefer.
• Garlic – Fresh cloves garlic are a must!

Meat sauce (beef ragu)

• Ground Beef – I use ground sirloin to test this recipe. The lower fat (90/10) content means you don’t need to drain after cooking. You could use sausage meat instead of ground beef if you prefer.
• Beef Broth – Helps to add more depth of flavor to the meat sauce.
• Crushed Tomatoes – Use one 28-oz can for the sauce. I prefer a San Marzano tomato, which is a variety of plum tomato originating from the Campania region in Italy
• Sugar – Helps to balance the acidic and salty flavors in the sauce.
• Oregano – You can use fresh or dried oregano.
• Salt and Pepper – Just a pinch of salt and a little black pepper are all you need.
• Variations – To save time, you could always forgo making the homemade meat sauce and top the giant shells with a jarred simple tomato sauce. You could also add chopped fresh spinach leaves to the filling.

Instructions

Make the meat sauce first by cooking the beef over medium heat and adding the garlic, beef broth, crushed tomatoes, sugar, oregano and salt and pepper.

While broth is cooking, bring plenty of salted water to a boil. Add the conchiglioni shells and cook for 9 minutes (or according to package instruction). Drain and allow the shells to cool on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a clean tea towel. Prepare the cheese filling in a large bowl.

Use a large soup spoon or cookie scoop to fill each of the jumbo shells with the prepared ricotta mixture. Cover the bottom of a baking dish with some of the meat sauce. Top with the prepared shells (cheese side up in a single layer) and then top with the remaining meat sauce.

Cover the pasta with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake in a 375 degree F oven. Top with extra Parmesan after baking. For complete instructions, scroll to the bottom for the recipe card.

FAQ’s and pro tips

What is conchiglioni pasta?

Conchiglioni in Italian means sea shell. Any shell pasta is conchiglioni pasta. For purposes of this recipe, I use jumbo shell pasta.

How to pronounce conchiglioni

It is not pronounced at all like I would have imagined. I was trying to pronounce it very literally. I clearly did not take Italian in high school. It is pronounced con – KEEL – yay. Click HERE if you’d like to hear it.

Prepping and stuffing the pasta

The shells are easy to prepare. Cook to al dente and drain. Then allow the shell pasta to cool on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Use a soup spoon or cookie scoop to fill the pasta shells with the prepared cheese mixture.

Serving suggestions

You’ve gotta try my garlic bread recipe when serving this pasta! I have two versions, The Best Garlic Bread which is oven baked. Or Air Fryer Garlic Bread. I also like it with a simple Caesar salad and Strawberry Tiramisu for dessert.

Storage directions

Store any leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Microwave to reheat.

Kitchen tools

• Brand of jumbo shell pasta for this recipe
• Sheet pan and parchment paper to cool the shell pasta
• Approximate size of spoon for filling the pasta
• Or use a cookie scoop for the filling
• Bake the pasta in a casserole dish

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