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Sarah

Cream Cheese Stuffed Shells

These stuffed shells are creamy and delicious with just a tiny bit of spice to them.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings: 4 Servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 369
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz Cream Cheese softened
  • 4 oz jalapeno cream cheese softened
  • ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese plus more for topping
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • Jumbo shell pasta
  • 1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
  • Parmesan cheese shredded (optional, but yummy)

Equipment

  • Sauté pan or baking dish You can make these either on the stove or in the oven. If making a larger batch it will be easier to cook them in the oven.
  • Large pot For boiling your pasta
  • Mixing bowl
  • Strainer

Method
 

  1. Cook the jumbo shells according to package directions. Make sure that you're following the pre-bake instructions-- you don't want to overcook your pasta. There’s typically enough filling to make about 15-20 shells depending on how full you make them.
    Jumbo shell pasta
  2. Place the cream cheese, jalapeno cream cheese, shredded mozzarella, and spices into a bowl. Mix.
    8 oz Cream Cheese, 4 oz jalapeno cream cheese, ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  3. When the shells are done cooking, drain and rinse them in cool water so they aren’t too hot to handle.
  4. Pour the sauce into your saute pan and set it to med-low heat.
    1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
  5. Place one large spoonful of filling into each shell and place into a large sauté pan (see tips if you’d rather bake them in the oven).
  6. Sprinkle a little more mozzarella and some parmesan cheese on top if desired and then cover with a lid.
    Parmesan cheese, ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  7. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10-15 minutes, or until the filling is starting to look gooey and ooze out of the shells. Gently move them around the pan every so often to make sure they don’t stick to the bottom.
  8. Serve warm. I usually like to serve them with some garlic bread.

Notes

These aren’t very spicy. You can adjust the amount of jalapeno cream cheese to make them spicier, or remove it entirely if you’d like. If you can’t find jalapeno cream cheese, add one diced jalapeno and 4 extra ounces of plain cream cheese instead. 
If you’re making a large batch or don’t have a pan that’s large enough, you can also cook them in the oven. Place them in a casserole dish, cover them with sauce and top with more mozzarella if desired, cover the pan with foil, then put them in the oven at 350℉ for around 20 minutes, or until hot.
 
 
If you'd like to add in a little protein you can add rehydrated TVP (or any beef substitute). Just cook according to the package directions and mix it into your sauce. You can also add some sautéed spinach to your cheese mixture if you'd like. Just be sure to drain it so you don't make your filling soggy.