Crock Pot Stuffed Shells With Ground Beef

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 01/23/23
Stuffed pasta shells with beef
Lauri Patterson/Getty Images
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 5 hrs
Total: 5 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 6 servings

​​These crowd-pleasing stuffed shells are easy to prepare and cook in the slow cooker. The shells are filled with a delicious mixture of browned ground beef, mozzarella cheese, and breadcrumbs, then they're slow-cooked with your favorite spaghetti sauce and Parmesan cheese.

The ground beef filling makes this a hearty meal and a favorite of meat lovers. Feel free to use ground turkey for a lighter filling, however. Italian sausage is another great option for the filling—just make sure to brown the sausage with the garlic and onion and then continue with the recipe as listed.

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Ingredients

  • 18 to 20 jumbo pasta shells (about 6 to 8 ounces)

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 pound lean ground beef

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

  • 1/2 cup Italian, Parmesan, or garlic-seasoned breadcrumbs

  • 1 tablespoon parsley flakes

  • 1 large egg, beaten

  • 32 ounces spaghetti sauce, or marinara

  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Steps to Make It

  1. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water following the package directions, just until tender and still firm; drain and set aside.

  2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. When the skillet is hot, add the ground beef making sure to break it up into smaller chunks with a spatula or wooden spoon as it cooks. Add the onion to the skillet and continue to cook until the beef is no longer pink. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute longer; drain mixture well.

  3. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the mozzarella cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley, and egg. Mix together thoroughly.

  4. Stuff the meat and cheese mixture into the drained pasta shells set aside.

  5. Pour about half of the spaghetti sauce or marinara into the slow cooker insert.

  6. Arrange stuffed shells in the sauce.

  7. Spoon the remaining sauce over the stuffed shells and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

  8. Cover the pot and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.

Tips

  • Make sure you cook the pasta just until it's al dente. The shells will be much easier to fill and arrange in the slow cooker that way, plus they'll soften even more when they're cooked with the filling and could be mushy if they're overcooked initially.
  • Drain the fat from the beef into a container and discard it in the trash. Fats can cause clogged drains and damaged pipes—never pour fats down the drain.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
963 Calories
26g Fat
123g Carbs
54g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 963
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 26g 34%
Saturated Fat 10g 49%
Cholesterol 128mg 43%
Sodium 1263mg 55%
Total Carbohydrate 123g 45%
Dietary Fiber 10g 34%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 54g
Vitamin C 5mg 27%
Calcium 383mg 29%
Iron 8mg 47%
Potassium 1144mg 24%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)