Crockpot Stuffed Shells
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Crockpot stuffed shells made with Italian sausage, creamy ricotta cheese, and savory tomato sauce is a family favorite!
This slow cooker stuffed shells recipe is a great easy dinner option especially for busy nights. Serve with with other favorites like air fryer mozzarella sticks and caprese skewers!
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Crockpot Stuffed Shells
Crockpot Stuffed Shells
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Why you’ll love this recipe!
📌 An easy set it and forget it recipe – get it cooking and then go about your day until dinner!
📌 Easy to adjust to your family’s tastes – make it spicy or fill it with veggies!
📌 Perfect for busy night dinners.
Ingredients
- Cheese – Ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese.
- Spinach – Frozen spinach, drained and chopped.
- Egg – Large egg.
- Pasta – Jumbo pasta shells, cooked just until soft enough to stuff.
- Meat – Ground sausage, ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey.
- Sauce – Spaghetti sauce grab a jar from the market or make your own pasta sauce in the blender or our slow cooker pasta sauce.
- Garnish – Italian parsley.
Step-by-step directions
⭐ First, in a large bowl mix together ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, and egg. Spoon the mixture into each shell.
⭐ Next, spread a layer of sauce on the bottom of your slow cooker and place the filled shells on top of it. Spread meat over shells and remaining sauce over top of that.
⭐ Then, cover and cook until bubbly. Add remaining shredded cheese, cover, and continue cookung until cheese is melted.
⭐ Finally, serve and finish with parmesan and parsley.
Scroll down to the printable recipe card toward the bottom of this article for ingredient measurements and detailed cooking instructions.
Preparation
Do you cook the shells ahead of time?
Yes, you’ll want the shells to be just soft enough to stuff, still too hard to eat. If you fully cook them, they will be very mushy when the dish is finished as they will continue to cook in the crockpot.
What kind of meat for stuffed shells?
We’re partial to ground Italian sausage, but any kind of cooked ground meat will work. We’ve definitely used regular ground beef and ground turkey before!
Storage and leftovers
How long do slow cooker stuffed shells last?
Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days. Store in an air tight container for best results.
Can you freeze it?
We do not recommend freezing this recipe.
Tips, tricks, and frequently asked questions
✅ Make it spicy with red pepper flakes or spicy Italian sausage.
✅ Add extra veggies like bell pepper, eggplant, olives, and zucchini.
✅ Don’t overcook your shells. They should be just barely soft enough to stuff.
What to eat with slow cooker stuffed shells
This delicious dish goes great with an antipasto platter or antipasto salad. Make some easy garlic knots on the side and finish with melt in your mouth butter cookies!
More delicious Italian recipes
- Caprese pasta salad
- Spaghetti carbonara
- Caprese chicken recipe
- Toasted ravioli
- Air fryer mozzarella sticks
- See all our Italian recipes!
Other awesome slow cooker recipes
- Pork and sauerkraut
- Crockpot breakfast casserole
- Slow Cooker Marry Me Chicken Recipe
- Hawaiian chicken recipe
- Dill pickle soup
- See all our crockpot recipes!
Tools we love
- 7 Quart Slow Cooker (Crockpot) – I’ve had this slow cooker since my husband and I were married in 2003!
- Metal spatula – These come in handy for getting your shells out.
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How to Make Crockpot Stuffed Shells
Crockpot Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 3 cups ricotta cheese
- 1½ cups frozen spinach drained and chopped
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided in halves
- 1 large egg
- 12 ounces jumbo pasta shells cooked to just barely soft
- 1 pound ground beef or sausage browned and drained
- 24 ounces spaghetti sauce
- optional toppings/garnish Italian parsley, parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix together the ricotta cheese, spinach, 1½ cups mozzarella cheese and egg. Spoon the cheese mixture into your shells.
- Spread a layer of sauce on the bottom of the slow cooker and place stuffed shells on top. It's okay to stack the shells.
- Pour layer the cooked ground meat over the shells, then spread the remaining sauce on top. Cover and cook on low for 3 - 4 hours, until bubbly and heated though.
- About 30 minutes before you're ready to eat, top with the remaining shredded mozzarella. Cover and continue cooking until cheese is melted.
- Serve with Italian parsley and parmesan cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
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Stuffed shells is one of our favorite meals in the fall & winter when I don’t mind turning on the oven but I never thought to make them in the crock pot! This is a game changer for my meal planning! Thanks for this delicious recipe!
We love this easy recipe! It’s super esy comfort food that my family always loves!
I seriously love how comforting this is!! Everyone at my house enjoyed it! Thanks for the recipe!
Can you stuff these the night before and place them in the refrig . In your crock pot than cook them the next day?
That should work! 🙂