Stuffed Shells Fra Diavolo is quick, easy, and so delicious! The large shell shaped pasta is stuffed with ricotta, Parmesan, and fresh herbs, covered in a spicy fra diavolo sauce, and then topped with lots of gooey mozzarella cheese! These stuffed shells bake up perfect every time.

Spicy Stuffed Shells Recipe

It’s no secret I’m a sucker for a saucy pan of stuffed shells. Add a spicy fra diavolo sauce and gooey cheese and it’s basically heaven on earth. I made this easy recipe for some new friends we had over for dinner last weekend, and I was equal parts happy and sad that there were NO LEFTOVERS at the end of the evening. Happy because a clean plate is pretty solid sign everyone enjoyed the meal; sad because I really enjoyed the meal too… and I wanted more!

Lucky for us, more is just what I made 😉

How to make Fra Diavolo Sauce

Let’s talk about the first step in this recipe: the sauce. You’re going to make a fra diavolo sauce from scratch – but don’t let this scare you off! Making this sauce couldn’t be easier, and the delicious results are worth their weight in gold.

Fra diavolo sauce is simple and spicy. You’ll begin by warming some olive oil in a skillet; once it’s warm you’ll add crushed red pepper flakes, a whole lot of garlic, and crushed tomatoes. These ingredients will cook down for about 10 minutes, then you’ll add your fresh herbs and be done!

How to make Stuffed Shells

Next up, you’ll grab a box of dried jumbo pasta shells. You’ll want to boil these shells until they’re al dente, then drain them and pat them dry. Once this is done, you’ll stuff them!

The cheesy stuffing consists of ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, eggs, fresh herbs (basil, parsley, and mint), salt, and pepper. You’ll mix this together in a bowl, then use a spoon to generously stuff each shell.

Once all of the shells are stuffed, you’ll add a little sauce to a baking dish, add in the stuffed shells, then top the stuffed shells with more sauce… Can you say yum?!

And cheese!

And bake to warm, gooey, pasta perfection. Pasta lovers, make these spicy stuffed shells asap! xoxo

Pasta lovers, make these spicy stuffed shells asap! xoxo

More Pasta Recipes:

• Caprese Stuffed Shells 

Stuffed Shells Fra Diavolo

Ashley Manila

Stuffed Shells Fra Diavolo is quick, easy, and so delicious! The large shell shaped pasta is stuffed with ricotta, Parmesan, and fresh herbs, covered in a spicy fra diavolo sauce, and then topped with lots of gooey mozzarella cheese! These stuffed shells bake up perfect every time.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Inactive Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

 

For the Fra Diavolo Sauce:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 10 cloves garlic, sliced very thin or minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (add a little more if you really like the spice!)
• 4 cups tomato puree
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the Shells and Filling:

• 12 ounces jumbo shells
• 2 cups fresh whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 8 ounces mozzarella, shredded (about 1 3/4 cups), divided
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, divided
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped, divided
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Instructions

 

For the Fra Diavolo Sauce:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium flame. Add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until garlic is fragrant and just starting to turn golden. Add crushed red pepper, and stir. Add tomato puree, stir, and reduce heat to medium. Let cook for 8 minutes – stirring occasionally – or until the oil beings to rise and separate from the tomato puree. Mix in fresh herbs, salt, and pepper; taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Set aside.

For the Shells and Filling:

• Preheat the oven to 375°.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add the pasta shells and cook until al dente. Drain and cool under running water. Pat the shells dry; set aside.
• In a medium-sized bowl combine the ricotta, Parmesan, 1 cup of the mozzarella, half of the parsley ,basil, and all of the mint. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the eggs - mix well to combine; set aside.
• Pour 1 1/2 cups of the sauce into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; set aside.
• Stuff each shell with a heaping tablespoon or two of the filling and nestle the shells in the sauce as close together as possible. Drizzle 1 1/2 cups of the remaining sauce on top of the shells, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
• Bake the shells for about 35 minutes, or until golden. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Before serving sprinkle the reserved herbs on top of the shells; serve warm, with additional sauce and cheese if desired.

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