Sausage and Cheese Stuffed Shells (freezer meal)
Pasta is a classic comfort food that’s perfect for meal prep. That’s because most pasta dish ingredients are also freezer friendly! With this quick and easy sausage and cheese stuffed shells recipe, you can prepare your pasta casserole ahead of time and store it in the freezer until you’re ready to eat it. That makes this hearty meal perfect for a busy weeknight dinner!
Anytime you’re doing a stuffed pasta dish like these sausage and cheese stuffed shells, Mexican manicotti, or manicotti, I suggest doubling the recipe. It takes a bit of work to stuff the pasta, so you might as well make one for today and freeze one for later!
Freezer Sausage and Cheese Stuffed Shells Recipe
Ingredients:
- 21 jumbo shells
- 1 lb. ground Italian sausage, browned
- 1 jar pasta sauce
- 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
- 4 oz. (half an 8 oz. pack) cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 Tbsp or more fresh basil
- dash red pepper flakes
Assembly Instructions:
- Cook the pasta shells according to package directions and drain.
- Brown the sausage in a large skillet, then drain the excess fat from the pan.
- Stir the pasta sauce into the skillet with the cooked sausage.
- Spread half of the meat sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
- Mix together the cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, mozzarella cheese, and basil in a large bowl.
- Stuff the cooked shells with the cheese mixture and place each stuffed shell on top of the meat sauce in the dish. When all the shells are stuffed, use the remaining meat sauce to cover the shells.
- Cover the pan with foil and freeze.
Cooking instructions:
- Allow the frozen stuffed shells to thaw completely.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the cover from the pan and bake for 35 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese mixture is heated through.
Do Stuffed Shells Freeze Well?
Pasta, sauce, and cheese are all freezer-friendly, which means freezer stuffed shells are a great option for a make-ahead meal. The best part about this easy dinner is that you can prepare it ahead of time in two different ways:
- Construct the entire casserole ahead of time. To make mealtime prep even easier, I love to prepare the entire stuffed shells casserole in advance. In addition to stuffing the shells, coat them in meat sauce and freeze the entire casserole dish. When you’re ready to cook your dinner, allow the casserole to thaw and pop it in the oven.
- Freeze the stuffed shells individually. If you’re short on freezer space, you can also freeze your stuffed shells individual without topping them with sauce. To do this, prepare your shells according to the package instruction. Create the cheese mixture and stuff each shell. Place the stuffed shells in a freezer-safe dish and cover the dish tightly. When the shells are frozen solid, remove them from the dish and transfer them to a freezer bag for storage. When you’re ready to bake your stuffed shells, allow them to defrost, then place them in a baking dish and cover them with sauce.
No matter which method you use to freeze your stuffed shells, make sure to label your packaging. Label the package with the name of the recipe, the date you froze it, and reheating instructions. That way, you know exactly how to cook your dinner when you pull it out of the freezer.
How Do You Defrost Stuffed Shells?
Before cooking your freezer stuffed shells, it’s important that you give them time to thaw. This will help ensure even cooking as your shells bake. The safest way to defrost your shells is to transfer them from the freezer to the refrigerator 24 hours before you plan to cook them.
If you don’t have time to thaw your stuffed shells before cooking them, they can be cooked directly from the freezer. When cooking frozen shells, increase the cooking time to between 50 and 60 minutes. Bake the dish, covered, in the preheated oven. After baking the shells for 30 minutes, remove the cover and continue baking until the cheese mixture is cooked through.
How Do You Store Stuffed Shells?
You can store your stuffed shells in the freezer or refrigerator. When frozen, the shells will last up to three months. But if you think you’ll be ready to enjoy your pasta within the next few days, you can also keep your casserole in the refrigerator. You can keep your prepared casserole in the refrigerator for up to three days before baking.
After you’ve cooked your shells, you may be wondering what to do with the leftovers. Keep your pasta stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for best results. Leftover pasta can be enjoyed within five days if it’s properly stored.
When you’re ready to reheat your pasta, it can be warmed in the microwave or oven. If reheating in the microwave, top the shells with extra sauce to keep them from drying out as they cook. Cover the dish and cook on high for around one minute. To reheat the shells in the oven, place the leftovers in an oven-safe dish and cook at 350° until warmed through.
- 21 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 lb. ground Italian sausage browned
- 20 oz. pasta sauce
- 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
- 4 oz. cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 Tbsp+ fresh basil
- dash red pepper flakes
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Cook the pasta shells according to package directions and drain.
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Brown the sausage in a large skillet, then drain the excess fat from the pan.
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Stir the pasta sauce into the skillet with the cooked sausage.
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Spread half of the meat sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
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Mix together the cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, mozzarella cheese, and basil in a large bowl.
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Stuff the cooked shells with the cheese mixture and place each stuffed shell on top of the meat sauce in the dish. When all the shells are stuffed, use the remaining meat sauce to cover the shells.
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Cover the pan with foil and freeze.
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Thaw.
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Preheat the oven to 375°. Remove the cover from the pan and bake for 35 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese mixture is heated through.
