Stuffed Shells Meets Lasagna
Rich, comforting, and irresistibly cheesy, this Stuffed Shells Lasagna is the kind of dish that makes you feel at home with the very first bite. Large pasta shells are coated in a slow-simmered meat sauce layered with creamy béchamel, fresh basil, and plenty of mozzarella before being baked until golden and bubbling. It’s hearty enough for Sunday dinner, yet elegant enough to serve at a gathering. Each forkful is a balance of savory beef and sausage, velvety sauce, and gooey cheese—a true Italian-inspired classic that’s worth savoring.
Why You’re Going to Love This Recipe
- Classic comfort food – It’s warm, cheesy, and soul-satisfying.
- Layers of flavor – A rich meat sauce, creamy béchamel, and gooey mozzarella all baked together.
- Perfect for gatherings – Makes a beautiful dish for family dinners or entertaining.
- Customizable – Swap the meat or adjust the herbs to fit your taste.
- Leftovers reheat beautifully – Enjoy it just as much the next day.
Ingredients
Pasta
- Large pasta shells or lumaconi
- Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Meat Sauce
- Ground beef
- Italian sausage
- Whole tomatoes
- Fresh basil
- Dry red wine
- Onion, diced
- Celery, diced
- Carrots, diced
- Tomato, chopped
- Water
- Garlic, paste or minced
- Bay leaves
- Dried oregano
- Salt
- Black pepper
Béchamel
- Butter
- Flour
- Heavy cream
- Nutmeg
- Salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
Meat Sauce
In a pan over medium heat add the ground beef and sausage and cook until browned. Add the diced onions, celery, and carrots, cooking until the vegetables begin to soften. Stir in garlic, salt, and pepper. Deglaze with red wine, cooking a few minutes to reduce. Add the chopped tomatoes, whole tomatoes, and water. Season with oregano, bay leaves, and some fresh basil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes over medium low heat.
Pasta
Cook the large pasta shells according to package directions.
Béchamel
In a pan over medium low heat, melt butter and whisk in flour. Cook until lightly golden, then slowly whisk in heavy cream. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Continue whisking until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and set aside.
Assemble
Heat oven to 375°F. Remove the bay leaves from the meat sauce and gently stir in the cooked shells. Add half the pasta to a baking dish, followed by dollops of béchamel, fresh basil, and mozzarella. Repeat with the remaining pasta, mozzarella, basil, and more béchamel. Drizzle with olive oil and bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbling. Let cool for 10–15 minutes before serving.
Storage Suggestions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheating Instructions
Reheat in the oven at 350°F covered with foil until warmed through, about 15–20 minutes. For a quicker option, microwave individual portions, though the oven method helps maintain the best texture.
Stuff Shells Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 lb large pasta shells or lumaconi dried
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
Meat Sauce
- 1 lbs ground beef
- 1/2 lbs Italian sausage
- 1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes
- 1 cup basil fresh
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 1/2 cup celery diced
- 1/2 cup carrots diced
- 1 cup tomato chopped
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp garlic paste or minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Béchamel
- 5 tbsp butter
- 5 tbsp flour
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
Meat Sauce
- In a pan over medium heat add the ground beef and sausage and cook until browned.
- Then, added the diced onions, celery and carrots and allow to cook until the vegetables start to soften.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes then add the minced garlic and season with salt and pepper.
- Follow that with a cup of dry red wine. Cook for 3-4 minutes to eliminate the alcohol.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and a can of whole tomatoes and 1/4 cup of water.
- Stir and season with dried oregano, the bay leaves and 1/4 of the fresh basil.
- Mix until thoroughly combined, cover and allow to cook for 30 minutes over medium low heat.
- Cook the large pasta shells according to the package instructions.
Béchamel
- In a pan over medium low heat add butter and flour.
- Whisk and allow to cook until lightly golden.
- Then, create a steady stream of heavy cream and continue to whisk until everything is incorporated.
- Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Whisk for another minute or two and once the sauce is thick enough to cover the back of a spoon remove from heat and set aside. As it cools it will thicken even more.
- It comes together fairly quickly so don’t leave unattended.
Assemble
- Heat oven to 375F.
- Removed the bay leaves from the meat sauce and add the cooked large shells. Stir until well combined becoming carefully not to break up the shells.
- Add half the sauced shells into a baking dish, followed by dollops of the béchamel, 1/2 of the remaining basil and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella.
- Complete with the remaining pasta, mozzarella cheese, basil and more of the béchamel.
- Drizzle with olive oil and place in the oven uncovered for 25-30 minutes.
- Allow to cook until the cheese is melted and bubbling around the edges.
- Once cooked, let cool for 10-15 minutes and enjoy!