Home / Recipes / Savory Recipes / Pasta Recipes / Ground Turkey Stuffed Shells

Ground Turkey Stuffed Shells

This post contains links to affiliate websites, such as Amazon, and we receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you using these links. We appreciate your support!

These ground turkey stuffed shells are one of my most popular recipes of all time! Large pasta shells stuffed to the brim with ground turkey and cheese and covered with tomato sauce and yes, even more cheese.

A baking dish of golden cheesy stuffed shells topped with parsley

Serve with a basket of rosemary sea salt dinner rolls or addictive cheddar bay biscuits!

The best thing about stuffed shells (besides how freaking delicious they are) is that with 20 minutes of prep work you can feed a crowd, or you can equip yourself with plenty of leftovers to save time during the week!

Sykes said: “I prepared this dish tonight, and my picky daughter devoured her dinner. I get anxious when preparing a new meal for my daughter because she is selective about what she eats. I thank god the ground turkey stuffed shells passed the test. Thanks for posting this recipe. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bowls of ingredients in preparation for making ground turkey stuffed shells

Stuffed shell recipe ingredients

  • Jumbo pasta shells: The star of the show! Jumbo shells are large and concave, and perfect for filling with deliciousness. You'll boil them to al dente before stuffing and baking them.
  • Ground turkey: You're going to combine this meat with the rest of the ingredients to fill each shell, but this can easily be substituted for ground beef, ground pork, chicken sausage, Italian sausage, shredded chicken, or your favorite meat substitute. Or you can swap it for spinach!
  • Spaghetti sauce: To make things easy, I call for a jar of your favorite spaghetti/marinara sauce – but your favorite homemade spaghetti sauce recipe is more than welcome! You'll want 24 ounces worth.
  • Garlic: I call for one clove of garlic, but if you're like me and believe the limit of too much garlic doesn't exist, feel free to use (much) more ;)
  • Egg: The egg is going to get lightly beaten and used to help all the ingredients adhere together and provide moisture.
  • Parsley: Make sure you grab flat-leaf parsley and not curly-leaf parsley. In my opinion, flat-leaf parsley has a more pleasant flavor – I find curly to be a tad bitter.
  • Ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese: We're doing a mix of three cheeses for this mixture much like you'd find in lasagna. I also enjoy adding some Asiago cheese, or swapping the parmesan for it.

How to make stuffed shells

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray an 9×12″ baking dish with nonstick spray – set aside.
  2. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with half the spaghetti sauce (12 ounces' worth). Set aside.
  3. While the oven is warming up, cook pasta al dente according to the directions on the box (typically around 9 minutes). Once cooked, drain and set aside to cool.
  4. In a large pan, cook ground turkey until browned, stirring frequently. Add garlic and stir for a minute or two until fragrant. Remove from heat.
Ground turkey mixture for stuffed shells in a beige bowl

Step 5: In a medium bowl, lightly beat one egg. Add the cooked ground turkey, ricotta cheese, half the mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and parsley. Add a little salt and pepper if you’d like, and mix well.

A baking dish full of stuffed shells prior to baking

Step 6: Using a large spoon, stuff each shell with the ground turkey mixture. It can be kind of tricky, depending on how “curly” your noodles are, but I promise it’s worth it! As you’re stuffing the shells, place each shell in the glass baking dish. Place them closely together so they don’t tip over.

A baking dish of golden cheesy stuffed shells topped with parsley

Step 7: Pour the remaining 12 ounces spaghetti sauce over the shells, then cover in the remaining half of mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes (or until the cheese is bubbling on the top).

Golden cheesy stuffed shells topped with parsley

Step 8: Serve immediately with a side of garlic bread or cheesy biscuits and enjoy!

Golden cheesy stuffed shells topped with parsley

Substitutions and variations

  • Feel free to substitute the ground turkey for ground beef, ground pork, Italian sausage, or shredded chicken. You could also swap in your favorite meat substitute. Or you can remove the meat altogether and add spinach instead! Not gonna lie, sometimes I like the vegetarian way even better.
  • If you don’t have garlic cloves, you can substitute any of the below:
    • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
    • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  • You can use reduced fat ricotta or 2% mozzarella to help cut down on the calorie count a little.
  • You can also add Asiago cheese, or substitute the parmesan cheese with it.
  • Want to add a little spice? Add some red pepper flakes to the ground turkey mixture!

How to store stuffed shells

Cover your baking dish tightly with plastic wrap or put in an airtight container to store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

How to reheat stuffed shells

You'll reheat them the same way you initially baked them – in the oven at 350°F for 20 minutes or until heated through. But this time, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.

Can you freeze stuffed shells?

You can! After you've done all the prep and assembly in your baking dish, cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and foil and place in the freezer.

To thaw, put the dish in the fridge the night before (or the morning of). Then let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes, and then bake according to the recipe instructions.

Golden cheesy stuffed shells topped with parsley

Serving suggestions

FAQs

How to store stuffed shells

Cover your baking dish tightly with plastic wrap or put in an airtight container to store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

How to reheat stuffed shells

You'll reheat them the same way you initially baked them – in the oven at 350°F for 20 minutes or until heated through. But this time, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.

Can you freeze stuffed shells?

You can! After you've done all the prep and assembly in your baking dish, cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and foil and place in the freezer. To thaw, put the dish in the fridge the night before (or the morning of). Then let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes, and then bake according to the recipe instructions.

Leaving a comment and star rating is a great (and free) way to support Stress Baking. After you've enjoyed this recipe, click on the stars below and leave a comment to share your experience – thank you!

Ground Turkey Stuffed Shells

4.96 from 24 votes
Large pasta shells stuffed to the brim with ground turkey and cheese and covered with tomato sauce and yes, even more cheese! Serve with a basket of addictive cheddar bay biscuits!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 16 large shells

Ingredients
 

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray an 9×12" baking dish with nonstick spray – set aside.
  • Cover the bottom of the baking dish with half the spaghetti sauce (12 ounces' worth). Set aside.
    1 24 ounce (28 ⅓ ml) jar spaghetti sauce
  • While the oven is warming up, cook pasta al dente according to the directions on the box (typically around 9 minutes). Once cooked, drain and set aside to cool.
    16 jumbo pasta shells
  • In a large pan, cook ground turkey until browned, stirring frequently. Add garlic and stir for a minute or two until fragrant. Remove from heat.
    Note: If you don’t have garlic cloves, you can substitute: 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic,1/8 teaspoon garlic powder, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt.
    1 pound (453 ⅗ g) lean ground turkey
    1 clove garlic
  • In a medium bowl, lightly beat one egg. Add the cooked ground turkey, ricotta cheese, half the mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and parsley. Add a little salt and pepper if you’d like, and mix well.
    1 large (1) egg
    1/4 cup (15 g) parsley
    8 ounces (226 ⅘ g) ricotta cheese
    8 ounces (226 ⅘ g) shredded mozzarella cheese
    1/2 cup (50 g) parmesan cheese
    Salt and pepper
  • Using a large spoon, stuff each shell with the ground turkey mixture. It can be kind of tricky, depending on how “curly” your noodles are, but I promise it’s worth it! I usually spoon mixture up under one of the curves and then fill the rest – it seems to be the easiest.
  • As you’re stuffing the shells, place each shell in the glass baking dish. Place them closely together so they don’t tip over.
  • Pour the remaining 12 ounces spaghetti sauce over the shells, then cover in the remaining half of mozzarella cheese.
    1 24 ounce (28 ⅓ ml) jar spaghetti sauce
    8 ounces (226 ⅘ g) shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes (or until the cheese is bubbling on the top).
  • Serve immediately with a side of garlic bread or cheesy biscuits and enjoy!

Video

Notes

  • Feel free to substitute the ground turkey for ground beef, ground pork, Italian sausage, or shredded chicken. You could also swap in your favorite meat substitute. Or you can remove the meat altogether and add spinach instead! Not gonna lie, sometimes I like the vegetarian way even better.
  • If you don’t have garlic cloves, you can substitute any of the below:
    • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
    • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  • You can use reduced fat ricotta or 2% mozzarella to help cut down on the calorie count a little.
  • You can also add Asiago cheese, or substitute the parmesan cheese with it.
  • Want to add a little spice? Add some red pepper flakes to the ground turkey mixture!
  • Storage: Cover your baking dish tightly with plastic wrap or put in an airtight container to store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
  • Reheat: You'll reheat them the same way you initially baked them – in the oven at 350°F for 20 minutes or until heated through. But this time, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.
  • Freezing: After you've done all the prep and assembly in your baking dish, cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and foil and place in the freezer. To thaw, put the dish in the fridge the night before (or the morning of). Then let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes, and then bake according to the recipe instructions.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 171mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 285IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

The provided nutrition information is generated by an automatic API and does not take variations across specific brands into account. This information is provided as a general guideline and should not be treated as official calculations. Learn more here.

Recipe created by Leslie Kiszka

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




33 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Yea! One of the very few recipes I’ve tried that came out beautifully on my first try. Looking for a great recipe for ground Turkey and found this gem. Served with a fresh garden salad and garlic bread and had a lot of left overs for another meal. My family love it.

  2. 5 stars
    This turned out wonderful.i thought next time i will add a few mushrooms. So easy to make. I decided to pipe fill the shells. I cut a third inch from a baggie and it was so much better than using a spoon.

  3. 5 stars
    I made this for dinner the other night, followed the entire recipe as-is except I used ground beef instead of ground turkey (maybe a bit more garlic too!) It was delicious! It was a nice weeknight meal to make while enjoying a glass of wine! It kept nice for leftovers as well! Definitely will make a again!

  4. 5 stars
    I prepared this dish tonight, and my picky daughter devoured her dinner. I get anxious when preparing a new meal for my daughter because she is selective about what she eats. I thank God the ground turkey stuffed shells passed the test. Thanks for posting this receipe.

  5. I didn’t have fresh parsley and used 2 1/2 tablespoon of dried instead and work fine with the recipe.

  6. Used 3 cloves garlic and 1/4 of an onion in with the turkey while browning.
    Also fished into the shells using tongs. Was very easy to get under both sides of the shell, even on the curlier ones!

  7. Made this tonight but didn’t have ricotta and was low on mozzarella. Melted cream cheese, 1/4 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup Romano, some milk, and added red pepper flakes and garlic to make a cheese sauce. Mixed that with the turkey before stuffing and it was amazing! Thanks for this recipe!

  8. I added fresh spinach to a pan with diced onions and minced garlic. Added that mixture to thw cheese and ground turkey. Got a store brought sauce that was tomatoe basil. Everything was delish! I would have never thought to add an egg …actually made stuff shells a couple of times before and never added an egg oops. I will be making this here recipe from now on. Thanks!

  9. Made it for the family tonightcand they loved it. Used ground turkey instead of ground beef use shredded mozzarella cheese and ricotta cheese and shredded parmesan cheese and fresh spinach. Mmmm good????????????????????????

  10. Just made this for dinner. I used 2% small curd cottage cheese instead of the ricotta and sliced parmesan instead of grated. I also added chopped fresh spinach to the mixture. Very delicious! Will be adding this to the recipe book for sure!

  11. Wow! I just made these with only mozzarella, but I added three carrots to the sauce and four cloves of garlic mixed in with the turkey. It was life changing! I’ll make this weekly. Thanks :)

  12. Yum did this tonight except with ground beef really good!! Used nice Italian shredded cheese and broiled till it was golden brown and bubbly! Hubby loved it :> thank you

  13. Yum did this tonight except with ground beef really good!! Used nice Italian shredded cheese and broiled till it was golden brown and bubbly! Hubby loved it :> thank you

  14. Thank you for the recipe! Will definitely make this again! Made this tonight, and it was delicious! The hubby loved it too which is always a plus. I did make a couple of small changes though – I added chopped fresh spinach, and I substituted cottage cheese for the ricotta. It turned out really well.

  15. They actually were, but I ran out of sauce so I only had about 1/4 of what I needed and you can barely see it in the pictures :) It’s just to keep the shells from sticking to the pan, while adding a bit more flavor than if you were to just spray the pan with non-stick spray. You could also use butter instead!

  16. 3) Cover the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish with half the spaghetti sauce. Set aside (read: put it in a timeout).

    What was this sauce used for? It doesn’t appear that the shells were baked in this dish…thanks!