Slow Cooker Stuffed Shells
Slow cooker stuffed shells turns store bought frozen filled pasta into an easy, home cooked dinner. This meal is the ultimate in set it and forget it style cooking and gives you the flavors of lasagna without all of the work!
We keep a few things in our freezer so we have easy dinners ready to make when we need them.
Frozen meatballs, chicken tenders and patties, and frozen stuffed shells.
Making homemade stuffed shells is just a project I don’t often want to do.
But heating up some frozen stuffed shells with ground sausage and sauce in my slow cooker?
That I can handle any day!
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Frozen stuffed shells– 2-3 20 ounce frozen stuffed shells. Use your favorite variety.
- Ground Italian sausage– Cooked and drained. You can substitute ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey if you prefer.
- Pasta sauce– Your favorite jarred brand.
- Mozzarella cheese– Shredded
- Fresh basil– Cut into ribbons as a garnish.
How to Make
Making slow cooker stuffed shells is so easy!
To make them, spray the bowl of your slow cooker with nonstick spray.
Then spread one cup of sauce evenly out over the bottom.
Spread the stuffed shells evenly out in the bowl of the slow cooker, doubling them up into a second layer if needed.
If you have two layers of shells, sprinkle a cup of shredded cheese in between.
Otherwise just spread the cheese out overtop.
Top the shells with the cooked sausage and pour the remaining sauce evenly out overtop.
Cover and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours, just until the shells are done.
Turn the slow cooker off and sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly out overtop of the stuffed shells.
Put the cover back on the slow cooker and let the cheese melt.
Serve warm, with fresh basil if desired.
Enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover stuffed shells in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat them in the microwave.
What to Serve with Stuffed Shells
Stuffed shells are a meal in and of themselves, but you can serve them with:
- a good loaf of bread
- garlic bread or breadsticks
- salad
- steamed broccoli
Tips and Tricks
- You can substitute your own homemade stuffed shells recipe for the frozen ones, but I would reduce the cook time by at least one hour.
- There are several different varieties of stuffed shells from cheese stuffed shells to ones that have a combination of spinach and cheese or even meat stuffed. Use whatever variety you like.
- Grated parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes make a nice finishing touch.
Other Easy Slow Cooker Pasta Recipes
Slow cooker stuffed shells give you a cozy Italian dinner on even the busiest of days.
Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other easy slow cooker pasta recipes?
Try these:
- Slow Cooker Chicken Spaghetti
- Quick & Easy Lasagna Soup
- Crockpot Chicken Alfredo With Broccoli
- Slow Cooker Spaghetti & Meatballs
If you’ve tried these SLOW COOKER STUFFED SHELLS, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Slow Cooker Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 2-3 20 oz pkgs frozen stuffed shells pasta
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage cooked & drained of grease
- 32 oz jar pasta sauce
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- fresh basil chiffonade, for garnish
Instructions
- Spray the bowl of your slow cooker with nonstick spray, then spread one cup of sauce evenly out over the bottom.32 oz jar pasta sauce
- Place the stuffed shells evenly out in the bowl of the slow cooker, doubling them up into a second layer- if desired. If using a second layer, sprinkle a cup of shredded cheese in between- otherwise spread it overtop.2-3 20 oz pkgs frozen stuffed shells pasta, 1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Spread the sausage evenly out overtop of the stuffed shells, then pour the remaining sauce evenly out overtop.1 lb ground Italian sausage
- Cover and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours, just until the shells are done.
- Turn the slow cooker off and sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly out overtop of the stuffed shells. Return the lid to cover and let the cheese melt.
- Serve warm, with fresh basil- if desired.fresh basil
Notes
- You can substitute your own homemade stuffed shells recipe for the frozen ones, but I would reduce the cook time by at least one hour.
- There are several different varieties of stuffed shells from cheese stuffed shells to ones that have a combination of spinach and cheese or even meat stuffed. Use whatever variety you like.
- Grated parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes make a nice finishing touch.
Nutrition
