This Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells Olive Garden Copycat Recipe is so simple to make (and delicious) you’ll wonder why you have been going to the restaurant! We make giant cheese-stuffed shells with an Italian cheese blend, bake them on top of marinara, and drizzle them with creamy alfredo sauce. Sounds fancy? This Italian meal is ready in less than 1 hour!
When you bake a batch of Olive Garden’s favorite stuffed shells, you get the best of both worlds because of the rich marinara and alfredo sauce. While I love all of their pasta dishes, grilled chicken alfredo is another one that I am a real sucker for. They also have the best fried mozzarella which I recreated into fried raviolis that are so good!
If you want the full experience of Olive Garden pasta night, start with Italian salad and garlic knots, and finish the dinner with this cannoli recipe or a slice of the best no-bake cheesecake you’ve ever tried! Side note: once you taste jumbo stuffed shells, there’s no turning back. We also like to use them to make chipotle stuffed chicken pasta and taco stuffed shells!
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Why You’ll Love This Olive Garden Cheese Stuffed Shells Copycat Recipe
- Super simple delicious Italian dish, but tastes just like the restaurant!
- Easy recipe, ready in under an hour with simple ingredients.
- Can be made in a variety of ways.
- Very filling even when you don’t serve them with side dishes.
🍝 Ingredients:
- Jumbo pasta shells – choose your favorite brand at your local grocery store, cook a few extra because sometimes they break apart while cooking or assembling.
- Panko breadcrumbs – you can get Italian seasoning herbed or plain
- Unsalted butter – brought to room temperature
- Marinara sauce – using store-bought is easiest, but so is my homemade marinara and it tastes better
- Ricotta – we used full-fat ricotta cheese, but you can use low-fat as well for the same taste
- Italian Cheeses – Parmesan cheese, Provolone Cheese and Mozzarella Cheese
- Egg – helps thicken the filling mixture
- Garlic cloves – you can also use store-bought minced garlic or swap for a couple of dashes of garlic powder.
- Cream cheese – allow time for it to soften up before using.
- Half ‘n’ half or light cream – adds the richness to the mixture
- Salt and pepper (to taste) – coarse black pepper is best
- Fresh parsley (for garnish)
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Substitutions and Variations
- Top with meat sauce or vodka cream pasta sauce instead of alfredo.
- Stuff the shells with ground beef or Italian sausage, along with the cheese blend.
- If you choose to use meat, be sure to brown it fully in a large skillet before adding it to the cheese mixture.
- Go meatless and add vegetables. Simply sauté them, then mix them in with the cheese.
- Swap out the ricotta cheese with cottage cheese.
- We’ve swapped out the panko breadcrumbs for regular crunchy breadcrumbs and it was just as delicious.
🔪 Instructions:
PREP: Preheat the oven and boil the giant shells per package directions. Drain and set aside.
Step 1: Melt the butter and stir it in with the breadcrumbs, then toast so they are golden brown.
Step 2: Mix the cheese, egg, and pepper in a medium bowl, then set aside.
Pro Tip: Avoid overcooking the pasta shells. They are best when they are al dente because we are going to bake them as well, plus they are easier to stuff.
Step 3: Melt the rest of the butter in a skillet, then add the garlic. Stir in the cream cheese and whisk. While whisking, add the half and half.
Step 4: Mix in the rest of the parmesan. Stir until smooth.
Step 5: Pour the marinara into the bottom of the baking dish. Spoon the cheese filling into each shell and place on top of the sauce in a single layer.
Step 6: Drizzle the alfredo sauce over the shells.
Step 7: Bake until the cheese is warm and top with the buttery bread crumbs and parsley.
GARNISH/SLICE/SERVE: Serve with a side salad and fresh garlic bread!
Recipe Tips for Olive Garden Stuffed Shells
- These shells are nice and full, so the serving size is three per person. To make it go further, use more shells and less cheesy filling in each one. Also, check out the variations below for adding protein and veggies.
- Cut down on time by using store-bought alfredo instead of homemade alfredo sauce.
Fun Fact
The dinner mints that you get at Olive Garden are custom-made by the company that produces Andes mints.
Recipe FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days. Make a few days in advance for those busy weeknights.
While there may be a few technicalities on the difference long ago, now the main difference is the shape of the pasta. You can stuff both with whatever you would like!
About 1-2 minutes using the microwave. Before you reheat, add a little water or additional sauce on the top so they aren’t dry. You can also reheat them in the oven (covered with aluminum foil) until they are warmed through.
More Easy and Delicious Pasta Recipes
If you tried this Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells Olive Garden copycat Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
Copycat Olive Garden Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 12 jumbo pasta shells about ⅓ of a standard package
- ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 12 oz. marinara sauce ½ of a standard jar
- 16 oz. ricotta
- ⅔ cup parmesan cheese divided
- ⅓ cup grated provolone
- ½ cup grated mozzarella
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 large egg
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese sliced and softened
- 1 cup half ‘n’ half or light cream
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil on the stovetop and cook the jumbo pasta shells according to package instructions.
- Melt one tablespoon of butter and stir it into the breadcrumbs until they are evenly moistened. Spread breadcrumbs on a small baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes until toasted.
- In a bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, ⅓ cup provolone, ½ cup mozzarella, ½ teaspoon black pepper and the egg. Mix until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the remaining butter (4 tablespoons). Saute the minced garlic in the butter 1–2 minutes until fragrant and slightly golden. Add the cream cheese to the skillet and whisk until combined (mixture will be lumpy).
- While whisking, add the cream to the skillet, cooking and whisking until smooth. Add in the remaining parmesan cheese, whisking until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Remove from heat.
- Assemble shells by pouring the marinara sauce into a baking dish. Stuff each pasta shell with the ricotta mixture then arrange stuffed shells on top of the marinara sauce.
- Drizzle the Alfredo sauce over the shells. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese filling is heated through.
- Garnish with toasted breadcrumbs and finely minced parsley.
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Notes
Serving size is 3 stuffed shells per person. These are stuffed nice and full. You could use additional shells and spread the stuffing mixture between them to make the ingredients go further. Substitute store bought alfredo sauce if you wish. The buttery toasted panko breadcrumbs add nice crunch and flavor to the finished dish.
Nutrition
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