It doesn’t get much better than cheesy pasta, and these Crockpot stuffed shells are so effortless to make! Jumbo shells are filled with cheese and spinach before being slow cooked to perfection.
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Easy Slow Cooker Stuffed Shells Recipe
I love stuffed shells, but they aren’t as regular on my menu as I’d like them to be. Well, that’s just changed now I know how to make them in a Crockpot!
Deliciously rich and cheesy, these Crockpot stuffed shells are so easy to prep, and you have one delicious meal waiting for you at the end of the day.
Comfort food doesn’t get much better than this!
Be sure to try my Mexican Stuffed Shells and Meat and Cheese Stuffed Shells.
Why you’ll love this Crockpot Stuffed Shells recipe:
- ONE POT: I love this recipe because everything is cooked right in the slow cooker, you don’t even have to boil the pasta shells first!
- MAKE AHEAD: Dump everything in your slow cooker at the start of the day and have a delicious dinner waiting for you!
- VEGETARIAN: This is a great recipe for meat-free Monday, and your picky eaters will love it too!
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How to make Crockpot Stuffed Shells
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Combine the filling for the shells.
- Pipe or spoon the filling into the shells.
- Place some of the sauce into the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add shells on top of the sauce, top with pasta sauce and repeat the layer.
- Sprinkle with cheese, cover, cook and enjoy!
Can you make it ahead of time?
Once your pasta shells are cooked, they can be kept warm in the Crockpot safely for up to 2 hours. Leftover pasta should be cooled before storing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
The shells can be reheated in the slow cooker or in the oven at 350F, covered with foil for 15 minutes to heat through.
What are the shells stuffed with?
The jumbo pasta shells are stuffed with a mix of ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, spinach and seasonings. Super cheesy and the creaminess sits so well with the rich tomato sauce.
Because these filled pasta shells are cooked in the slow cooker, there’s no need to boil the shells before filling them. This is such and effortless method!
What do you serve it with?
These Crockpot pasta shells can totally be enjoyed on their own if you want a big bowl of comfort. They easily pair with garlic bread, veggies or a side salad too. Try them with:
Tips!
- I found that piping the filling into the shells was the easiest way. You can spoon it in, but be careful not to crack the shells.
- Make these Crockpot stuffed shells spicy by adding some chili flakes into the filling or mix some into the sauce.
- Use your favorite tomato based pasta sauce for this recipe. Marinara, herb and garlic or even rose all work well.
More Pasta Recipes We Love
These Crockpot stuffed shells are the definition of comfort food! So easy to make with simple ingredients, but the results are out of this world. Grab your slow cooker and let’s go!
More Italian Recipes we Love
- Alfredo Sauce
- Chicken Stuffed Shells
- Italian Stuffed Meatloaf
- Cacio e Pepe
- Chicken Florentine
- Italian Beef Sandwiches
- All Italian Recipes
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Crockpot Stuffed Shells Recipe
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Ingredients
- 3 cups ricotta cheese
- 6 ounces baby spinach steamed, drained, and squeezed dry
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded & divided
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated, divided
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 28 jumbo pasta shells
- 26 ounces pasta sauce
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Combine ricotta cheese, spinach, ½ cup mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, eggs, and seasonings in a small bowl. Spoon or pipe mixture into raw pasta shells.
- Place ½ cup sauce in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Line the bottom with stuffed shells and top with 1 cup of pasta sauce. Layer on the rest of the shells, then top with the rest of the sauce.
- Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese, cover, and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low 5-6 hours. Remove lid, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan, serve garnished with parsley, if desired.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- I found that piping the filling into the shells was the easiest way. You can spoon it in, but be careful not to crack the shells.
- Make these Crockpot stuffed shells spicy by adding some chili flakes into the filling or mix some into the sauce.
- Use your favorite tomato based pasta sauce for this recipe. Marinara, herb and garlic or even rose all work well.
Nutrition Information
Does it have to be steamed spinach? Can I use fresh instead? (Dont have a microwave or stove) or can I omit the spinach altogether?
You can try with fresh, but it reduces down a lot once steamed which is part of how it fits neatly into the filling. You can also leave it out if you prefer.
Can I double the recipe? How long would the cook be? Feeding 10
To double this recipe, we suggest using a larger crockpot and the same cooking time. Overfilling a standard-sized crockpot can lead to unevenly cooked stuffed shells.
Hi! I wanted to make this recipe, looks delicious. If I wanted to add ground beef to it, would I cook the beef before or keep it raw? Also, would I season the beef? Not sure how it would work. Lastly, would I combine it with the cheese mixture or add it to the shells separately? Thanks!
Hi Amber, we recommend cooking the beef separately (seasoned with salt and pepper), then folding it into the cheese mixture before piping!
My hubby accidentally bought a package of jumbo shells, and we recently acquired a slow cooker. So I found this recipe, and made it the other day. It turned out so delicious! If I had to do it over again, I’d probably slice the spinach; it tended to clog up the works when piping it in. Stuffing the shells was a bit of a pain in the tookus, but this recipe is so good, I’ll simply use manicotti next time.
Thanks for sharing, Alley!
I pulsed the fresh baby spinach in the blender first and it was much easier to blend into the cheese mixture. Thanks for the tip
Great recipe, definitely use the piping method to fill the shells however if any of your shells are in the closed tightly position than piping won’t work. Someone else recommended par-boiling the shells, I would only use that method if half of the shells are closed too tightly to pipe. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Thanks for sharing, Debbie!
If I wanted to add sausage, what amount would you suggest?
A pound is good!
Sorry one more question. I’m running into an issue of finding jumbo shells, would manicotti work just as well?
Yes!
I made this recipe and it was so good! I added a lb of sausage and was luckily able to find the shells. I found it to make more shells than what it called for. I added more sauce and would add more next time, but I like things really saucy. Definitely will make again, it was perfect for the snow day!
Thanks for sharing!
I found the piping to be quick & easy… when you have to feed 8 people I don’t want to have to take extra steps!!! I do deviled eggs the same way. I plan on making this wonderful meal again, thank you Becky!!!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing, Deb!
I was wondering would cream cheese work because I don’t like ricotta cheese?
I don’t see an issue with that subsitution!
I am sorry to hear you do not like the method on the recipe, definitely modify it to your liking, Joe.
Serving size ??
28 is not evenly divisible by 8 ????
The shells can be cut in half!