Baked stuffed shells are jumbo pasta shells filled with ricotta cheese mixture, then baked in a red sauce. Almost everyone loves to have stuffed shells. The making of stuffed shells is easy, but some people make mistakes when cooking or baking stuffed shells in the oven. That’s why it’s important to know the exact cooking time. You are at the right place if you are looking for how long to bake stuffed shells?
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How Long to Bake Stuffed Shells in Oven?
It’s easy to bake stuffed shells in the oven. You should know the whole process of making stuffed pasta shells so that you would know the exact time to bake them. Let’s get started:
You have to preheat the oven first before baking them. Set the temperature to 350°F and grease the baking dish of size 9 x 13 inches. Now, pour some olive oil into a skillet over medium heat to saute onion and garlic for about 3 mins. Add ground beef to the skillet and cook it until brown.
Pour the pasta sauce and simmer on low. Add ricotta cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, parsley, parmesan cheese, and a beaten egg in a large bowl and mix well. Spread 1/3 of the prepared meat sauce into the baking dish. Fill the already boiled pasta shells with filling and place them into the baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the shells and cover the pan with a foil.
Bake them for about 30 mins. When it’s done, remove the foil and spread 1 cup of mozzarella over the shells, and bake again for about 5-10 mins. or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Tips to Cook Stuffed Shells in Oven:
- If you want to save a few calories, it’s better to use whole milk ricotta and mozzarella cheeses.
- Don’t use pre-shredded bags of cheese because they are coated with anti-caking agents and preservatives and don’t melt smoothly. So, grate your own cheese instead.
- Cook a few extra pasta shells as a backup, just in case a few break apart while stuffing.
- You can use a spoon, zip lock bag, and a pastry bag to pipe the filling according to your convenience.
How Long to Cook Frozen Stuffed Shells?
If you want to cook frozen stuffed shells, you have to preheat the oven to 450°F. Remove already stuffed shells from the fridge/refrigerator and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake them for about 28-30 mins. or until the internal temperature of the stuffing reaches 165°F. You can check the doneness of the stuffed cells using an instant meat thermometer.
FAQ:
How Long do You Boil Pasta Shells?
Pasta shells usually take 9-14 mins. to boil. So, it’s better to remove pasta shells from the water 1-2 mins. before cooking perfectly because when you bake them after stuffing, they will be cooked perfectly without being mushy.
How to Reheat Stuffed Pasta Shells?
Stuffed pasta shells can be reheated in the oven at 375°F temperature. It will take about 1-2 mins.
