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Stuffed Shells Fra Diavolo
5 from 6 votes

Stuffed Shells Fra Diavolo

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.

Prep Time
35 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Additional Time
10 mins
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian

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 more if desired
  • 4 cups tomato puree
  • 1/2 cup basil fresh leaves, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup mint leaves fresh; roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup parsley fresh, roughly chopped
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For the Shells and Filling:
  • 12 ounces pasta shells jumbo
  • 2 cups ricotta cheese fresh whole milk
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese grated
  • 8 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded; about 1 3/4 cups; divided
  • 1/4 cup parsley fresh; chopped; divided
  • 1/4 cup basil fresh; chopped; divided
  • 2 tablespoons mint fresh, chopped
  • black pepper to taste
  • salt to taste
  • 2 egg large, lightly beaten

Instructions

For the Fra Diavolo Sauce:
    Cup of Yum
  1. 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:
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Pour 1 1/2 cups of the sauce into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; set aside.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.