Why do stuffed shells get watery?

One possible reason for watery shells is that the shells were overcooked. Another possible reason is that the cheese stuffing contains too much moisture.

How long does it take to bake meatballs at 350°?

It will take about 30-45 minutes to bake meatballs at 350°F, depending on the size of the meatballs.

Why are my pasta shells hard?

Hard pasta shells would indicate that they were undercooked when you were boiling them. Hard pasta shells could also mean that they were overcooked in the oven.

Meatball Stuffed Shells - Sugar & Snap Peas

Meatball Stuffed Shells

Round dish filled with meatballs stuffed shells.

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Meatball stuffed shells is a classic stuffed shell recipe with a twist! Jumbo pasta shells are filled with a ricotta cheese mixture, topped with marinara sauce and stuffed with Italian style meatballs.

Author: Katie
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 6 servings 1x
Category: dinner
Method: baking
Cuisine: Italian American

Ingredients

Scale

30 small frozen meatballs - thawed
1 package jumbo pasta stuffing shells
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese - divided
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese - divided
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce - divided

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Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
Make the ricotta cheese mixture. In a small mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, garlic powder, dried oregano, fresh parsley, salt and pepper.
Using a spoon, spread 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce in an even layer on the bottom of your baking dish.
Stuff the pasta shells. Stuff each shell with about 1 teaspoon of the ricotta mixture and 1 thawed meatball. Place each stuffed shell in the baking dish in even rows. You will end up with 30 individual stuffed shells.
After all the pasta shells are stuffed, top the shells with the remaining 1 cup marinara sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese on top of the marinara sauce.
Cover the dish of meatball stuffed shells with foil. Bake in the oven, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melty.
Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

If you are worried about your foil sticking to the cheese on top of the stuffed shells, lightly spray the underside of the foil with cooking spray. This should prevent the foil from sticking.
Stuffed shells make for excellent leftovers! Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
The nutrition information shown below is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice.

Nutrition

Serving Size:
Calories: 877
Sugar: 10.4 g
Sodium: 1878.8 mg
Fat: 46.9 g
Carbohydrates: 63.3 g
Fiber: 6.9 g
Protein: 50.9 g
Cholesterol: 149.3 mg

Find it online: https://sugarandsnappeas.com/meatball-stuffed-shells/