Baked pasta shells filled with cheese
Tender pasta shells filled with a rich ricotta and mozzarella mixture, wrapped in fresh basil and baked in a fragrant tomato sauce until bubbling and golden. A comforting, flavour-packed dish perfect for a hearty meal.
Updated : 18 July, 2025
Easy
About 30 min.
Ingredients
16
Shell pasta
3 tablespoon
Parmesan
1 package
Mozzarella
For the filling
150 grams
Ricotta
1 package
Mozzarella
2 tablespoon
Parmesan
16 leaf
Basil
to taste
Salt
to taste
Ground black pepper
For the tomato sauce
4 tablespoon
Olive oil
2
Garlic
800 grams
Canned tomatoes
handful
Basil
to taste
Salt
to taste
Ground black pepper
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
Start by making the pasta. Preheat the oven to 200C. Cook the pasta shells in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water until just al dente. Drain thoroughly, ensuring there’s no water trapped inside the shells, and set aside to cool.
Step 2
For the filling, mash the ricotta with a fork and combine it with chopped mozzarella, grated parmesan, and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Shape the mixture into 16 small balls. Wrap each cheese ball in a fresh basil leaf and nestle it inside a cooled pasta shell.
Step 3
Next, prepare the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook gently for about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and fresh basil, season with salt and pepper, and let the sauce simmer gently for 25 minutes until slightly thickened and aromatic.
Step 4
Spoon a layer of the tomato sauce into the base of an ovenproof dish. Arrange the filled pasta shells on top, then cover with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle over some parmesan and lay slices of mozzarella across the surface.
Step 5
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional five minutes, until the top is golden and bubbling.
Step 6
Serve hot, straight from the oven.