These Cheese Stuffed Shells with Creamy White Sauce are a nice change from the usually marinara stuffed shells.
The Perfect Cheese Lover’s Dinner:
If it weren’t for cheese, there’s no doubt in my mind that this food blog would be called Skinny Girl instead of RecipeGirl. Pasta is welcome in my life any old time, but cheese is something that I seriously couldn’t live without. There is nothing like the tang of a fantastic hunk of aged sharp cheddar, the flavor of a soft, fresh goat cheese, or the creaminess of a wedge of French brie. I love them all. That’s okay though. I enjoy cheese much more than I’d enjoy being a skinny girl. I suppose I could learn to live in moderation of this delicious evil, (and I do most of the time) but that’s not always terribly easy to do. My family is into cheese too, and they’re really into pasta, so that’s how these Three Cheese Stuffed Shells came about!
How to make Three Cheese Stuffed Shells:
Large shells are stuffed with a mixture of ricotta, shredded cheese (I used white sharp cheddar) and feta cheese.
They’re topped with a simple homemade cream sauce (Bechamel base minus the nutmeg… with the addition of feta cheese). A sprinkle of fresh basil and chives goes on top, and then into the oven for 30 minutes. Note: You could certainly use marinara sauce instead of cream sauce, if you’d like.
It’s a great dinner- both husband and kid- friendly. The melty cheese- stuffed pasta shells are delicious dunked in that creamy, cheesy sauce. We eat them with a big green salad to help balance things out.
Here are a few more pasta dinner recipes you might like to try:
- Burrata Baked Ziti
- Classic Beef Lasagna
- Chicken Bacon Spinach Pasta
- Rigatoni in Vodka Sauce
- Cheesy Baked Penne
- Spaghetti Carbonara
Three Cheese Stuffed Shells with Creamy White Sauce
Recipe Details
Ingredients
PASTA:
- 24 large pasta shells, (prepared according to instructions), rinsed and cooled
FILLING:
- 30 ounces ricotta cheese
- 4 ounces feta or goat cheese (chopped finely)
- ¾ cup shredded cheese (mozzarella, sharp white cheddar, gouda, fontina)
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil
- 2 large eggs
- salt and pepper
SAUCE:
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups half and half cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces feta or goat cheese, chopped finely
TOPPING:
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- salt and pepper
Instructions
PREPARE THE FILLING:
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the filling. In a large bowl, mix all of the filling ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper.
PREPARE THE SAUCE:
- In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Whisk in the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the half and half and milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking constantly until very smooth. Bring to a boil- stir and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in the salt and cheese. Set aside until ready to use.
ASSEMBLE THE SHELLS:
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray. Pour about 1½ cups sauce into the bottom of the pan. Fill the shells with the cheese mixture and set them in the pan (6 rows x 4 rows). Drizzle the remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle basil and chives (if using) on top, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake 30 minutes, or until the shells are hot and bubbling and heated through. Leftovers keep well (and my husband says they're even better the next day!)
Notes
- *I always make a few extra shells since some of them inevitably tend to break apart while boiling.
- *Substitute marinara sauce for the white sauce, if you'd like
you had me at “3 Cheese”… 🙂
Loving the idea of goat cheese in stuffed shells
Lori, it’s been years since I made shells and it used a red sauce. But this deliciousness with the bechamel and CHEESE has prompted me to revisit the dish with this recipe. Thank you for sharing and the inspiration!
amazing! love the stuffed shells in white wine instead of marinara!
Oh I would eat this whole pan. Dangerous! Love that you threw feta into the mix.
My family would devour this! Pinning!
I definitely can’t live without cheese either! These shells are awesome – love that they’re filling with a combo of 3 types of cheeses – that’s just my style! 🙂
Oh, yes. I could eat that whole pan full of stuffed shells!
Thanks for linking me up! 🙂
Heck yes!
Such a hearty + delicious looking meal!
I have some of those jumbo shells at home and I’ve been trying to work out what to make with them. This looks like perfect cheesy comfort food goodness!
Oh my goodness. This looks incredible! And Skinny Girl? That wouldn’t be any fun now, would it? And what would life be like without cheese? A very sad one, I can tell you. I have some ricotta in the fridge now. If only I weren’t trying to eat gluten-free for a few more weeks. But when it’s over, and it had no effect on me, I am going to make these and DESTROY them. 😀