I originally intended on making these Mexican Stuffed Shells from Tricia’s March Menu. Just not feeling that “unstuffed” or “Mexican” vibe this afternoon.
Ended up making Italian Stuffed Shells. And a whole lotta ’em.
And a dairy-free version, too.
Recipe below is the doubled version. Will make at least 2 9×13 pans. And costs just over $10! Got another meal stashed into the freezer!
And I need to include this. I only ate 4 of these. Because that’s all that my teeny-tiny stomach would allow. I totally would have had 8. Or 10. Maybe even 12! They were THAT good.
Italian Stuffed Shells
Servings: 10 persons
Ingredients
- 2 boxes of jumbo pasta shells ($4) I used about 2/3 of the shells, so you could get by just cooking 1 1/2 boxes.
- 2 26 oz. cans spaghetti sauce ($2) Currently on sale for $1/can.
- 1 box frozen spinach ($.50) These guys are regularly on sale for $1 and use $1/2 coupon.
- 1.5 lb. ground beef ($2.09) On sale recently for $1.39/lb!
- 1 medium onion ($.30)
- 2 tsp garlic powder ($.10)
- 1 tsp each salt and pepper
- 2 eggs ($.20)
- 2 cups shredded cheese ($1.25) Omit if dairy free
- Serve with fresh veggies like 2 broccoli heads On sale for $.99 a bunch this week!
Instructions
- 2 boxes of jumbo pasta shells ($4) I used about 2/3 of the shells, so you could get by just cooking 1 1/2 boxes.
- 2 26 oz. cans spaghetti sauce ($2) Currently on sale for $1/can.
- 1 box frozen spinach ($.50) These guys are regularly on sale for $1 and use $1/2 coupon.
- 1.5 lb. ground beef ($2.09) On sale recently for $1.39/lb!
- 1 medium onion ($.30)
- 2 tsp garlic powder ($.10)
- 1 tsp each salt and pepper
- 2 eggs ($.20)
- 2 cups shredded cheese ($1.25) Omit if dairy free
- Serve with fresh veggies like 2 broccoli heads On sale for $.99 a bunch this week!
**This easily made 2 dinners plus 2 lunch leftovers for us!
Michelle L. says
Looks good! I bought the shells today ($1.50 a box at Wal-Mart) to do the Mexican Stuffed Shell recipe this weekend. I’m looking forward to it. I just wish the shells came in whole wheat variety. Anyway, thanks for suggesting the recipe and keep up the good work….love this site!
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@Michelle L.,
I hear ya Michelle, my grocer didn’t have whole wheat shells either!
Jennifer says
These look divine!!
Kara says
Erin,
I’ve never had stuffed shells with an egg added to it. What does that do?
You really inspired me this month to set a weekly goal for my grocery costs and I have to say that I made it every week—$80 or less was spent on our groceries each week and we ate great!!
Kara Mayfield
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@Kara,
Just makes it “fluffier”…it is certainly not needed!
And best wishes on your new grocery budget! I know you can do it!!!
Ricarda says
This looks good! I’m definitely going to give it a try tonight!! I do have a question about freezing the leftovers. Do I freeze them after fully cooking them? What’s the best kind of containers to freeze them (I saw these disposable foil pans in your picture so I was wondering if you used these to go in the oven then allowed it to cool off then in the freezer??) help!!!! 🙂
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@Ricarda,
I froze them cooked. In the metal pans I used…wrapped in foil and then into gallon size freezer baggies. I will thaw in fridge overnight before reheating.
Ricarda says
@Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom, Made these last night.. came out great! Thanks again!! 🙂
Alta says
Yum! Now, to find gluten-free shells….or to make some (might not be so easy once I do that!)
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@Alta,
Could work with Rice Lasagna noodles…rolled up!
Alta says
@Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom, Oooh! Good call! I have some in my pantry.
joanna says
Do you think this would work with rolled-up lasagna noodles? I like using what I have on hand 🙂
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@joanna,
Absolutely! A perfect alternative!
sherri says
I love stuffed shells. Great recipe.
Sally says
Gluten-free pasta: This sounds amazing! I’ve actually seen some Tinkyada brand big rice shells, but they’re definitely not budget! I wonder if rice pasta freezes okay? Anyone know?
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@Sally,
Not sure how rice pasta freezes. Have not experimented with that!
Amanda says
I made these today and yummmmmyy! Thanks so much. I live alone, so even making a single batch, I froze half of them and had dinner tonight and probably two more lunches. Thanks!
Bonnie says
This was by far the most delicious I’ve ever cooked! it had such a yummy flavor and consistency. I also added a tablespoon of Italian seasoning to my meat mixture. Thank you so much. The frozen leftovers are thawing right now and I can’t wait to have them again. My husband loved these, too.
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@Bonnie,
Hooray!
Randy says
The recipe looks good, but your pricing is a bit unrealistic.
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@Randy,
Prices are what I paid for the products 🙂
Lindsey says
We made these and LOVED them!
http://lindseyis.blogspot.com/2009/11/italian-stuffed-shells.html
nancy M says
what would be good to use besides spinach.? something in its place.Thanks
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@nancy M,
Chopped broccoli would work.
karisa says
How do you reheat the frozen leftovers?
Christine Milczarek says
Stuffed shells just screams ricotta cheese to me! Do you think adding a scoop to the shells before adding the meat mixture would work? These look great, thank you for all you do! I have never kept track of how much I spend at the grocery store, so setting a price as a weekly budget might kill me. BUT, I am inspired by what you do and am seriously making an effort now to rein in our grocery spending. Thank you!
Kat says
Obviously I’m not Erin, but I bet if you added some Ricotta Cheese to the meat sauce (instead of the shredded cheddar) and mixed that together before stuffing and then top with the shredded cheddar when you bake them, it would be wonderful. You get the flavor and texture of the ricotta but don’t have to add as much as using it alone.
I’m going to try this one really soon – so many wonderful ideas.
Myra says
I got this recipe from my daughter-in-law I had them last night my husband and sister-in-law are in love with them. They were very good
Crystal says
I found these via pinterest and made them for dinner tonight. Loved them! I adapted it a bit to add veggies and take out the meat but provided a great base recipe.
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
Awesome…glad you enjoyed them!
Erin
Tiffany says
YUM!
I did saute some garlic in with the meat, and I added some lentils to stretch the meat mixture a little more. You can’t even tell, my husband who hates “weird” foods like lentils didin’t even notice.
I also added Italian seasoning and topped with parm and italian cheeses.
Thank you for the great recipe 🙂
Courtney says
I made this tonight and it was great! I used one can of Hunt’s italian sausage pasta sauce and one can of garlic and onion. I used ground turkey and mozza cheese. I filled 2- 9×13 pans and still ended up with TONS of leftover shells. I had leftover creamy italian chicken in the fridge http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotchicken/r/bl104c4.htm , so I put it through the food processor and used that to fill more shells (an 8×8 pan worth), then I poured a can of Progresso garlic sauce overtop, but there were still enough shells to at least have filled another 9×13 pan. So next time I think I will just use one box (from Wal-mart) for 2 pans. After I filled the shells I poured another can of Hunt’s pasta sauce (chunky vegetable) over the top because I was worried the pasta would dry out when it baked. I sprinkled the cheese on just during the last ten minutes. Loved it!
Courtney says
**update** I made these again tonight and used 2 pounds of ground turkey and just one 12 oz box of American Beauty large pasta shells (keeping the same amounts for everything else) and the ratio was perfect!