This giant cheese stuffed shells (olive garden copycat) recipe is one you should keep in your back pocket. Giant pasta shells are stuffed with a four-cheese mixture, smothered in a homemade marinara and alfredo sauce, then topped with breadcrumbs. So incredibly delicious.
If you are in the mood for more dishes with pasta, then check out my Short Rib Ragu, ‘Nduja Pasta, Creamy Gochujang Pasta, and Pasta al Limone recipes, next!
If you are a fan of Olive Garden’s Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells, then you’ve come to the right place. Known as one of their most popular dishes, these stuffed shells are packed with rich flavor and two sauces that marry the flavors incredibly well together.
While I do enjoy eating out, nothing beats making cozy and comforting eats in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Stuffed shells with cheese is one of my favorite comfort foods especially during the latter part of the year. While it does take some effort, it is definitely a high-reward kind of meal, the perfect dish to make when entertaining guests, and makes for terrific leftovers.
Why This Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells Recipe Works
- Tastes better than the restaurant version. Trust me when I say this is a home run recipe.
- Great for a crowd. Looking for a dish that will feed plenty and keep their bellies happy? Then this is the recipe for you.
- Great for leftovers. Perfect right out of the oven, but even better the next day. Oh, if you are into meal prepping, these stuffed shells are an exceptional dish for that.
- Comforting. Who doesn’t love a comforting dish that gives you all the cozy feels.
- Satisfying. This dish is made with marinara and alfredo (both homemade!) making it a decadent and filling dish.
Ingredients You Will Need
Don’t be intimidated by the list of ingredients and keep in mind that this recipe goes fast, so you will have stuffed shells in no time.
Stuffed Shells
This four cheese stuffed shells will SWOON your tastebuds:
- Giant Shells – 20 shells are used for this recipe
- Parmesan – ½ cup, freshly grated
- Asiago Cheese – ½ cup, freshly grated
- Mozzarella Cheese – 1½ cup, freshly grated
- Ricotta Cheese – 15 ounces, usually one container’s worth.
Marinara Sauce
Sure, you can go for store-bought, but believe me when I say that you can taste the difference in the homemade version.
- Whole Tomatoes – 1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes. This recipe calls for hand crushing the tomatoes. If you prefer to not do this, use crushed San Marzano tomatoes.
- Garlic – 6 cloves, lightly smashed
- Olive Oil – ¼ cup used to fry the garlic
- Herbs and Spices – Oregano, red chili flakes, kosher salt, sugar (to offset the bitterness from canned tomatoes)
Alfredo Sauce
Same applies to homemade alfredo sauce; it just tastes better when you make it.
- Egg – One large egg
- Heavy Cream – Serves as the creamy base for the sauce.
- Garlic – 3 tablespoons, minced
- Olive Oil – Needed to sauté garlic.
- Cheese – Parmesan and pecorino romano thicken the sauce and aid in flavor.
- Spices– Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Breadcrumbs
Simple to make, these seasoned breadcrumbs add a beautiful hint of texture to the stuffed shells.
- Salted Butter – 1 tablespoons melted to coat breadcrumbs
- Seasonings – Italian seasoning and kosher salt
- Breadcrumbs – ¼ cup is all you need to give the top a nice dusting of crumbs.
How to Make Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells
There are a few steps to making these stuffed shells, but I promise the steps are straightforward:
Cook Giant Shells and Make the Breadcrumbs
- Cook pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the shells and cook according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain the shells and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside in a colander.
- Make breadcrumbs. While shells are cooking, place all ingredients for breadcrumbs in a bowl and mix until combined. Next, spread on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside.
Make Marinara Sauce
- Sauté garlic. Heat oil in a medium saucepan (one with tall sides) over medium heat, then add garlic once oil is hot, and lower heat to low. Sauté garlic for 4 minutes, careful to not the garlic brown too much. Once fragrant, carefully add tomatoes and increase heat to medium.
- Add seasoning. Add dried oregano, red chili flakes, kosher salt, sugar, and reserved water, then stir. Cook until the sauce comes to a low boil.
- Simmer. Lower heat to a simmer, then add basil and stir. Cook until sauce thickens and season to taste with more salt, if necessary. Remove from heat and set aside.
Make Alfredo Sauce
- Make garlic butter. In a separate saucepan, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add garlic once oil is hot and lower heat to low. Sauté garlic for 4 minutes, careful to not the garlic brown as you want to infuse the oil with garlic flavor.
- Add remaining ingredients. Add mixed egg yolk and creamy to garlic butter. Whisk until well combined. Add parmesan and pecorino romano and stir mixture until hot, but do not bring it to a boil. Once sauce is slightly thickened, season to taste with black pepper and salt.
Assemble the Stuffed Shells
- Make stuffed shells filling. Add the egg, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, asiago, parsley, salt, black pepper, and garlic to a medium bowl and mix until well-combined. Transfer the filling to a quart-sized resealable bag and cut a ½-inch opening in the corner.
- Assemble the stuffed shells. Spoon two-thirds of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Pipe the cheese filling into each shell, then place in the baking dish. Top with the remaining marinara sauce, then finish with alfredo sauce. Cover the baking dish with foil.
- Bake. Bake in a preheat 375°F oven.
- Garnish and enjoy. Remove from the oven and top with toasted breadcrumbs and chopped fresh parsley. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
How to Store Leftovers
When stored correctly, giant cheese stuffed shells will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How to Reheat
Simply reheat shells in an oven-safe dish at 350°F for 12-15 minutes or until shells are warmed through.
Tips, Tricks and Customizations
- Short on Time? You can substitute homemade marinara and alfredo sauce for the bottled version, but I highly recommend you make the sauces yourself as they are both incredibly easy to make and taste significantly better than what you can purchase at the store.
- Don’t use pre-shredded cheese – I know you may be tempted to buy the pre-shredded four-cheese bags at the market, but I urge you to shred your own. Pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that prevent cheese from melting, and personally freshly shredded cheese always tastes better.
Looking for More Recipes?
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Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells (Olive Garden Copycat)
This giant cheese stuffed shells olive garden copycat recipe is one your should keep in your back pocket. Giant pasta shells are stuffed with a four cheese mixture, smothered in a homemade marinara and alfredo sauce, then topped with breadcrumbs. So incredibly delicious.
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Servings: 4 people
Equipment
- 9×13 casserole dish
Ingredients
Marinara Sauce
- 7 cloves garlic, lightly smashed
- ¼ cup quality olive oil
- 1 28 ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoons red chili flakes
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
- 1¼ teaspoons sugar
- 2 sprigs fresh basil
Alfredo Sauce
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons garlic
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup parmesan, freshly grated
- ¼ cup pecorino romano, freshly grated
Stuffed Shells
- 20 giant pasta shells
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta
- 1½ cup mozzarella, freshly grated
- ½ cup parmesan, freshly grated
- ½ cup asiago cheese, freshly grated
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
Breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
Garnishment
- 1½ teaspoons Italian parsley, finely chopped
- Parmesan, freshly grated
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F
Cook Stuffed Shells and Breadcrumbs
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the shells and cook according to the package instructions until al dente. Stir every few minutes to keep shells from sticking to the pot and to each other. Drain the shells and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside in a colander.
- While shells are cooking, place all ingredients for breadcrumbs in a bowl and mix until combined. Next, spread on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside.
Marinara Sauce
- Pour tomatoes in a bowl and crush with your hands, Pour ¼ cup water into the can to get as much of the residual tomato. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan (one with tall sides) over medium heat, then add garlic once oil is hot, and lower heat to low. Sauté garlic for 4 minutes, careful to not the garlic brown too much. Once fragrant, carefully add tomatoes and increase heat to medium.
- Add dried oregano, red chili flakes, kosher salt, sugar, and reserved water, then stir. Cook until the sauce comes to a low boil.
- Lower heat to a simmer, then add basil and stir. Cook until sauce thickens, about 12 minutes. Once thickened, remove and discard garlic cloves and basil. Season to taste with more salt, if necessary. Remove from heat and set aside.
Alfredo Sauce
- Add egg yolk and heavy cream to a small mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Set aside.
- In a separate saucepan, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add garlic once oil is hot and lower heat to low. Sauté garlic for 4 minutes, careful to not the garlic brown as you want to infuse the oil with garlic flavor.
- Lower heat to medium-low and slowly pour cream mixture into garlic butter. Whisk until well combined. Add parmesan and pecorino romano and stir mixture until hot, but do not bring it to a boil. Once sauce is slightly thickened, season to taste with freshly cracked black pepper. Season to taste with salt, if necessary. Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
Stuffed Shells
- Increase oven heat to 375°F.
- Add the egg, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, asiago, parsley, salt, black pepper, and garlic to a medium bowl and mix until well-combined. Transfer the filling to a quart-sized resealable bag and cut a ½-inch opening in the corner.
- Assemble the stuffed shells: Spoon two-thirds of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Carefully pipe the cheese filling into each shell, then place in the baking dish. Top with the remaining marinara sauce, then finish with alfredo sauce. Cover the baking dish with foil.
- Bake the stuffed shells for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 8 minutes, or until shells are warmed through and sauce is bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and top with toasted breadcrumbs and chopped fresh parsley.
- Leave to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
2 comments
This was beyond delicious. Definitely worth the time to make both sauces. I also followed your suggestion of shredding the cheeses and I’m now convinced that it’s better than pre shredded cheese. Thanks for another great recipe.
Thank you, Nina!