Meat Stuffed Shells

5 from 1 vote

You don't need ricotta to make the best stuffed shells recipe! These meat stuffed shells are filled with a savory stuffing made from beef and Italian sausage with a hint spinach and dairy free mozzarella. Everyone will love this super easy recipe!

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Total Time1 15

Course: Mains

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: baked stuffed shells, beef, dairy free, easy stuffed shells, how to make stuffed shells, italian stuffed shells, pasta, pork, recipe for stuffed shells, sausage, spinach stuffed shells, stuffed shells, stuffed shells with ground beef, stuffed shells with meat

Servings: servings

Calories: 286kcal

Author: Melissa Belanger

Ingredients

For the shells:

1 pound mild Italian sausage*
1/2 pound ground beef 80-85% lean
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs*
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1 12- ounce package frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained of water
1 cup dairy free mozzarella
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Pinch of coarse salt

For the sauce:

2 28- ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 tablespoon dried parsley

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Cook pasta shells in salted water according to package directions for al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, mix the filling ingredients together in a large bowl until evenly combined.
In a separate large bowl, mix the sauce ingredients together.
When the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse with cool water.
Spread a thin layer of the pasta sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish.
Stuff each shell with a few tablespoons of the filling and place into the baking dish. Continue until all shells are stuffed. Top with additional sauce.
Cover the pan with foil and bake the shells for 40-45 minutes, or until the filling reaches 160˚F. Remove from oven and allow the shells cool for about 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

You will probably only use about 3/4 of the cooked shells, but making the whole package will ensure you have enough shells if some break in the cooking or filling process.

If you aren't dairy free, feel free to substitute equal amounts of regular low-moisture mozzarella cheese for the vegan mozzarella shreds.

*Make sure you check the labels on your packages for hidden dairy before using. Breadcrumbs and sausage tend to be products that often use dairy in the ingredients.

Nutrition