Dairy-Free Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce
Hearty, filling, and freezer friendly, this recipe for dairy-free stuffed shells with meat sauce is sure to be a family favorite. Serve up this dairy-free stuffed shells recipe with a side salad or crispy garlic bread for a satisfying dinner any night of the week.
With the start of the school year quickly approaching and the temperatures slowly starting to drop (Yes, I would consider it being in the 80’s come 10 AM a vast improvement), I have begun looking for dinners that are both delicious and comforting while also possibly being made in advance.
This hearty recipe for stuffed shells with meat sauce ticks all the boxes for a delicious fall dinner. It has various textures from the chunky meat sauce, the soft jumbo shells, and the gooey vegan cheese.
You can also make your weeknights easier by making part or all of this dish in advance and squirreling it away for later in the week when you have less time and energy to make dinner.
Why We Love Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce
I am a huge fan of these stuffed shells because they are a meat-heavy riff on spaghetti. Some other reasons we love making these stuffed shells include:
- Hearty and filling. This dish is pure comfort food. Carbs, sauce, and meat all come together to make this delicious dinner.
- Freezer friendly. It’s a simple dish to pop in the freezer and save for a later date.
- Great for meal prep. There are options to make parts of this dish days in advance or even months ahead of time.
Dairy-Free Changes to Stuffed Shells
Honestly this simple stuffed shells recipe can easily be made dairy-free by omitting any cheese topping. If you are hankering for a little vegan cheesy goodness you can top the stuffed shells with a vegan mozzarella. Some brands I have tried and liked include:
How to Make Dairy-Free Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Olive Oil– Used to cook the aromatics in the meat sauce mixture.
- Onion– Fresh minced yellow onion works great in this recipe.
- Garlic– Fresh garlic minced or grated on a microplane.
- Ground Beef– I like to use ground beef for this recipe but ground turkey would also work well.
- Marinara Sauce– Pick your favorite marinara sauce. I opted for a low sugar option like Rao’s.
- Salt + Pepper– Adds a little more flavor to the meat sauce.
- Jumbo Shells– Cooked until al dente before being stuffed with the meat sauce and baked.
- Toppings– Dairy-free mozzarella, fresh basil, or chopped parsley top these stuffed shells beautifully.
How to Make Meat Sauce
- Heat oil: In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil.
- Cook onion: Add diced onion to the olive oil and cook until tender.
- Add garlic and stir until fragrant (about 1 minute).
- Cook meat: Put the ground beef in the skillet and cook and crumble until cooked through.
- Add sauce: Pour marinara sauce over the cooked ground beef mixture, season with salt and pepper and cook 10-25 minutes to thicken.
Making Dairy-Free Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce
- Boil water: While the sauce is cooking, boil a large pot of water over medium high heat.
- Cook pasta: Once boiling, add the jumbo pasta shells to the water and cook 10 minutes.
- Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 400°F and oil a 9×13-inch baking pan with olive oil.
- Drain cooked shells and place in the prepared baking dish.
- Stuff cooked jumbo shells with 2 Tablespoons of meat sauce until all of the shells are filled. Stuff additional meat sauce into shells looking like they could use some more.
- Cover + bake: Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Garnish with dairy-free mozzarella (optional) and fresh basil.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
When you are ready to dish out a batch of these meat sauce stuffed shells, here are some helpful kitchen tools to get you started.
- 9×13-inch Baking Dish– I like having a dish that also doubles as the refrigerator storage thanks to a secure fitting lid.
- Deep Skillet– Used to cook and simmer the meat sauce.
- Pasta Pot– Perfect for cooking the large shells before they are stuffed and baked to perfection.
How can I Meal Prep Dairy-Free Stuffed Shells?
For this particular recipe of dairy-free stuffed shells with meat sauce I think there are three different ways to meal prep and make your life just a little easier down the road.
- Make the sauce in advance. Simply cook the sauce, up to 5 days in advance, and pull it out later in the week when you are ready to make the stuffed shells.
- Make the full dish in advance. Make the meat sauce, then the jumbo pasta, stuff them and store in the refrigerator up to 5 days in advance. Pull out the pan and bake on the night you are planning to serve them.
- Freeze a pan of stuffed shells for later. Assemble the stuffed shells but instead of baking, cover and store the stuffed shells in the freezer, up to 3 months, until you are ready to bake and enjoy the stuffed shells. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and follow regular baking instructions when you are ready to bake and serve.
Serving Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce
What should you serve with these delicious and filling meat sauce stuffed shells? I’m so glad you asked! Here are some of my favorite sides for stuffed shells:
- Garlic Bread
- Vegan Dinner Rolls
- Pesto Rolls with Garlic Butter
- Garlic Knots
- Fresh French Bread
- Pan con Tomate
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating Stuffed Shells
Whether you are looking to make this in advance to enjoy later or plan to keep and reheat leftovers, here are some tips to keep everything fresh for when you plan to eat it next.
- Storing– Keep the stuffed shells in an air-tight refrigerator safe container in the fridge for up to 5 days after baking.
- Reheating from Fridge– Place your desired number of shells in a microwave safe container and heat in 30 second intervals until heated to your desired level of warm.
- Freezing– After baking, allow the shells to cool completely before storing in a freezer-safe container. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. I would suggest on not putting any dairy-free cheese on your dish if you are planning to freeze and re-bake later.
- Reheating from Frozen– Place the frozen baked pasta in the fridge to thaw overnight before you plan to re-heat and eat.
- Once thawed, bake in the oven at 350°F for about 30 minutes in an oven safe dish.
- If you want to add a vegan cheese sprinkle on the shells for the final 5-10 minutes of baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many jumbo shells is 6 ounces of pasta?
For the jumbo pasta shells half of a 12 ounce box is typically about 24 jumbo shells.
What are jumbo pasta shells called?
When you are looking for the jumbo pasta shells at the store, most brands label them as “jumbo shells”. The largest shell may also be referred to as conchiglioni.
Baked Pasta Dishes to Make Next
If you tried this Dairy-Free Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce recipe please let me know in the comments below!
You can also share a picture of it with me on Instagram by tagging @mylifeafterdairy so I can see all of your life after dairy adventures!
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Dairy-Free Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce
Filling, dairy-free stuffed shells with meat sauce makes a delicious dinner that also doubles as a great freezer meal!
Ingredients
Meat Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Onion minced
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- 32 ounces Pasta Sauce
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
Stuffed Shells
- 6 ounces Jumbo Shells 20-24 shells
- 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- (optional) Dairy-Free Mozzarella for garnish
- (optional) Fresh Basil for garnish
Instructions
Make the Meat Sauce
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In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil.
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Add 1 diced onion to the olive oil and cook until tender.
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Next, add 2 cloves minced garlic and stir until fragrant (about 1 minute).
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Put 1 pound ground beef in the skillet and cook and crumble until cooked through.
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Pour 32 ounces of marinara sauce over the cooked ground beef mixture, season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook 10-25 minutes to thicken.
Make the Stuffed Shells
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While the sauce is cooking, boil a large pot of water over medium high heat.
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Once boiling, add 6 ounces jumbo pasta shells to the water and cook 10 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 400°F and oil a 9×13-inch baking pan with 3-4 Tablespoons olive oil.
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Drain the shells and place in the prepared baking dish.
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Stuff the cooked jumbo shells with 2 Tablespoons of meat sauce until all of the shells are filled. Stuff additional meat sauce into shells looking like they could use some more.
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Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
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Garnish with dairy-free mozzarella (optional) and fresh basil.
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