Hellooooo sweet people, we are going to learn how to properly cook our frozen stuffed shells to get the best outcome. I know there are so many questions running through your mind on how best you can get your meal ready but once you are here, you don’t have to worry about it at all.
I’ll show you just how to cook your frozen stuffed shells and get the best outcome to enjoy with family and friends.
Free your mind from all the questions you’ve got and let’s learn something great here.
It’s important to know that stuffed pasta shells from the store will be pre-cooked, but not necessarily the filling.
Stuffed Shells are a classic comfort food. Some pasta shells stuffed with a creamy, cheesy filling flavour with fresh herbs and topped with a rich marinara sauce or any sauce of your choice then baked to absolute perfection just make a delicious meal.
How Long To Cook Frozen Stuffed Shells Recipe
Stuffed shells are a traditional Italian pasta dish consisting of seashell-shaped large noodles stuffed with a cheesy filling and coated in a robust red sauce
Equipment
- oven
- or Microwave
- Baking pan
Ingredients
- Jumbo shell pasta
- ricotta cheese
- parmesan cheese
- egg
- basil
- parsley
- marinara sauce (or any sauce of your choice)
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- water
Instructions
COOKING STORE BOUGHT SHELLS
- Place some sauce on the bottom of the panAdd the shells in a single layer
- Afterwards, cover the shells with some sauce so that no pasta shells are exposed.
- Cover your pasta shells and bake in an oven proof dish at 350F for some minutes. Make sure the internal temperature of the shells reaches 165F.
- Take it out and serve.
HOW TO MAKE STUFFED SHELLS IN THE HOUSE.
- First, prepare a pan by slightly spraying it with non-stick cooking spray. Add about half the jar of prepared sauce and 2 tablespoons of water to the bottom of the pan. Stir around until the bottom of the pan is coated.
- Cook the shell pasta as directed on the package.While cooking, combine the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, basil, and parsley in a bowl. Mix them quite well. I prefer using fresh herbs but dried herbs will also work out just fine.
- After cooking the shell pasta, allow to cool till you can hold it in your hands. After they are cooled take them one by one and fill it with the cheese mixture but don't overfill it.
- Place the shells downwards in the pan you've prepared, but pour some sauce in the pan to prepare it so that you shells don't get stuck.
- Once the pan is full, pour remaining sauce on top of the shells and add some mozzarella cheese to it.
- Bake at 350˚ for 35 minutes or until it gets nice and bubbly and slightly browned on top. You can garnish with a little extra parsley if you have it, just to make it pretty.
- And I bet you, you are sooo going to love this meal
How to Cook Frozen Shells with no Sauce
- If your shells do not include sauce, add your own sauce on top to cover the shells. before baking. The sauce will keep the shells moist during the baking process. Otherwise, add some water and cover during the baking process.
- You can add additional sauce anytime while baking
Video
Notes
Frozen pre-cooked stuffed shells should be baked in a standard oven at 350F for 45 minutes to an hour. If the shells are partially pre-cooked, extend the cooking time by 30 minutes. Make sure the shells are covered with sauce so no pasta is exposed.
If the shells have thawed and are fully pre-cooked, then they should be baked in a preheated standard oven at 350F for 45 minutes. If the thawed shells were originally partially baked, extend the cook time by 30 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Ensure that the internal temperature of the stuffed shells reaches 165F.
Keep in mind that these times and temperatures are estimates based on a standard oven. If you are using a convection oven reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and the cooking time by 20 minutes. Store bought frozen shells most often state that you cook them frozen. If you are cooking homemade stuffed shells, it is advised to thaw them in the refrigerator a day in advance to ensure even baking and shorter cooking time. Cover your stuffed shells when baking in the oven or the microwave. This helps trap the heat and cook the shells without losing moisture. It also helps to prevent dry edges of the pasta. Store bought pasta may come with sauce packets. Use half the sauce to cover the bottom of the baking dish and the other half on top. Some instructions such as from Celentano recommend mixing half of the sauce with ¼ cup of water for the top. I don't recommend using a crock pot to cook your pasta since the pasta will absorb so much liquid that it becomes overcooked and mushy. You can also refrigerate your prepared stuffed shells and bake it anytime you are ready. Don't forget to cover it up. Thank you sweet team. Follow our food blog for more mouth watering recipes that you and your family are just going to love Byeeee.
If the shells have thawed and are fully pre-cooked, then they should be baked in a preheated standard oven at 350F for 45 minutes. If the thawed shells were originally partially baked, extend the cook time by 30 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Ensure that the internal temperature of the stuffed shells reaches 165F.
Keep in mind that these times and temperatures are estimates based on a standard oven. If you are using a convection oven reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and the cooking time by 20 minutes. Store bought frozen shells most often state that you cook them frozen. If you are cooking homemade stuffed shells, it is advised to thaw them in the refrigerator a day in advance to ensure even baking and shorter cooking time. Cover your stuffed shells when baking in the oven or the microwave. This helps trap the heat and cook the shells without losing moisture. It also helps to prevent dry edges of the pasta. Store bought pasta may come with sauce packets. Use half the sauce to cover the bottom of the baking dish and the other half on top. Some instructions such as from Celentano recommend mixing half of the sauce with ¼ cup of water for the top. I don't recommend using a crock pot to cook your pasta since the pasta will absorb so much liquid that it becomes overcooked and mushy. You can also refrigerate your prepared stuffed shells and bake it anytime you are ready. Don't forget to cover it up. Thank you sweet team. Follow our food blog for more mouth watering recipes that you and your family are just going to love Byeeee.
Nutrition
Serving: 100g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Lillian
Lillian loves to try her hands on new recipes. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise: food is the way to everyone's heart.
