Puerto Rican stuffed shells or caracoles rellenos are pasta shells filled with ricotta cheese, savory ground beef, and topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella. The ground beef is seasoned with adobo and sazón and cooked in a sofrito sauce. This adds a ton of flavor to this dish. I love making this for dinner on busy weeknights as it comes together in 45 minutes or less. PLUS, it’s a no-bake recipe which makes it even more simple to make. It also freezes well so you can make ahead and keep a stash for later use!
What are Puerto Rican stuffed shells?
Puerto Rican stuffed shells are prepared like the traditional dish but the difference is in the ground beef. Traditional stuffed shells are stuffed with only ricotta cheese. This version adds a layer of savory ground beef over the ricotta for an explosion of delicious Caribbean flavor! I prepare the ground beef in the same way as picadillo, only I don’t add onions, peppers, potatoes, olives, or raisins. If you want to add those ingredients, that’s completely up to you but I prefer to keep it simple for this recipe. The adobo, sazón and sofrito will add tons of flavor to the beef.
Stuffed shells ingredients:
- Jumbo pasta shells
- Ricotta cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Garlic powder
- Oregano
- Salt
- Pepper
- Parsley
How to make stuffed shells?
Pasta shells
Place a large pot of water over high heat. Add salt, to taste. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta shells and cook for 10 minutes, until al dente. Drain the pasta and drizzle with olive oil to keep them from sticking together. Set aside.
Cheese
In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, parsley, parmesan, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Ground beef
Brown the ground beef and remove any excess fat from the skillet. Add sofrito and bouillon and sauté until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add tomato sauce (about half of one 24-oz jar), seasonings, cover and cook for a few minutes on low heat.
Place a large pan over low heat. Spread some marinara sauce at the bottom of the pan. Stuff each shell with the ricotta mixture followed by the ground beef on top. This is a no-bake recipe so we’re going to cook the shells in a pan, on the stove until the cheese melts. This is an easy peasy, no fuss type of meal.
Place the shells in the pan and top with a drizzle of marinara and shredded mozzarella cheese. Drizzle about 1 tbsp of water over the shells, to help the cheese melt faster and keep the shells moist, cover the pan and cook on very low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the mozzarella cheese has melted. Garnish with parmesan cheese, a sprinkle of parsley, and serve. ¡Buen provecho!
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Puerto Rican Stuffed Shells (Caracoles Rellenos)
Equipment
- 1 large pot see notes for links
- 1 large pan with lid see notes for links
Ingredients
Pasta
- 20-24 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 tbsp olive oil for drizzling
Cheese
- 2 cups ricotta cheese 16 oz
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh or dried parsley plus more for garnish
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese for sprinkling
Ground beef
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/4 cup sofrito
- 1 tbsp chicken or beef bouillon paste Better than Bouillon
- 12 oz marinara sauce half of one 24-oz jar
- 1/2 tbsp adobo
- 1 tsp sazón
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ground oregano
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
Pasta
- Once the water is boiling, add the pasta shells and cook for 10 minutes, until al dente. Drain the pasta and drizzle with olive oil to keep them from sticking together. Set aside.
Cheese
Ground beef
- Brown the ground beef and remove any excess fat from the skillet.
- Add sofrito and bouillon and sauté until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add tomato sauce (about half of one 24-oz jar), seasonings, cover and cook for a few minutes on low heat.
- Place a large pan over low heat. Spread some marinara sauce at the bottom of the pan. Stuff each shell with the ricotta mixture followed by the ground beef on top. Place the shells in the pan and top with a drizzle of marinara and shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Drizzle about 1 tbsp of water over the shells, cover the pan and cook on very low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the mozzarella cheese has melted.
- Garnish with parmesan cheese, a sprinkle of parsley, and serve. ¡Buen provecho!
Notes
Tips:
Some of my favorite store-bought marinara sauces are Victoria and Rao’s Homemade Marinara.Can I freeze stuffed shells?
Yes, this recipe freezes well! Assemble the shells in a baking dish, cover with foil or plastic wrap and freeze. To thaw, transfer the dish to the refrigerator about 10 hours before you plan to serve. Remove from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temp for about 30 minutes, while the oven preheats. For best results, bake in the oven, covered, for 30 minutes, or until warmed through.Amazon faves:
I use Hexclad cookware, which is great quality. Shop using my affiliate link for 10% off your order! You can also shop my favorite cookware on Amazon.
Check out more Caribbean recipes!
Churrasco with Chimichurri Sauce
Arroz con Gandules (Rice with Pigeon Peas)
Bacalaitos (Cod Fish Fritters)
English 
Spanish 
Delicious and easy to make! Everyone loved it at home 🙂