Philly cheesesteak stuffed shells are loaded with a creamy, beefy, and cheesy filling, smothered in a homemade Alfredo sauce, and baked until bubbly. Made with simple ingredients, it’s the perfect family-style dinner idea for any night of the week!
Table of contents
Philly Steak Stuffed Shells
Philly cheesesteak stuffed shells are an easy, comfort food recipe that puts a fun spin on your classic Philly cheesesteak sandwiches in pasta form! It’s a fun dish where Philly cheesesteak meets baked macaroni and cheese. A two in one meal that the whole family will love!
We’re taking large pasta shells and stuffing them with seasoned hamburger and a delicious cheese sauce, then smothering them with creamy alfredo sauce made from scratch and then baking the entire thing until melted, cheesy, bubbly and so yummy.
This entire meal is ready in 45 minutes and all you need is a side salad and dinner is served! It’s a budget-friendly and kid-friendly meal that can be made ahead of time and baked just before serving. It can also be customized to your tastes and the options for filling are endless!
Ingredients/shopping list
For the Stuffed Shells
- Jumbo pasta shells. Cooked according to package directions minus 3 minutes so they are al dente. They will continue to cook in the oven with all the sauce.
- Olive oil. A neutral oil perfect for sautéing the onions, bell peppers, and garlic.
- Philly cheesesteak filling. Lean ground beef, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, green bell peppers, and onion.
- Salt & pepper. A bit of extra seasoning to add to the above mixture.
- Ricotta cheese & Provolone cheese. Puts the cheese in the cheesesteak. They’re added to the beefy saucy mixture making it rich, creamy, and perfectly gooey.
For the Creamy Alfredo Sauce
- Sliced mushrooms. I love a creamy mushroom sauce, but feel free to leave them out if you or your kids don’t love them.
- Minced garlic. This aromatic is a delicious base for Alfredo sauce. I love garlic, but like many of these ingredients, you can leave it out or adjust the amount if preferred.
- Butter. Used to cook the garlic and mushrooms. Is there anything more mouthwatering than the smell of mushrooms and garlic cooked in butter?
- Half and half. You can use heavy cream or whole milk as well. You want something with enough fat to add richness to the cream sauce.
- Parmesan cheese & cream cheese. The Parmesan gets added as part of the Alfredo sauce and the remaining provolone slices get melted on top of the entire assembled dish!
- Italian seasoning. A herbed seasoning that brightens up the heaviness of a cream sauce.
How to Make this Stuffed Shells Recipe
First, we make the filling for the shells, then we make the alfredo sauce before we combine the two right before we bake it. See the recipe card for detailed instructions.
Step 1. Cook the beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink and drain the excess grease into a colander and collect it in a bowl. Once cooled discard the oil in the garbage.
Step 2. Sauté the green pepper and onion, followed by the garlic. Return the beef to the skillet and add the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper. Stir to combine. While cooking the meat, cook the jumbo shells to al dente per the package directions.
Step 3. Combine the cooked ground beef mixture with ricotta and provolone to make the filling. Spoon the meat filling evenly into each cooked pasta shell and place it into a baking dish.
Step 4. To make the Alfredo sauce, sauté mushrooms and garlic and set aside. In a medium pot melt, butter and cream cheese over medium heat and slowly stir in half and a half, and continuously stir until creamy.
Step 5. Stir in the Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese to combine. Follow that by tossing in the cooked mushrooms. Pour this all over the stuffed shells, top with remaining provolone, and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes until the cheese has melted.
Variations/ Substitutions
- Use thin shaved strips of ribeye steak, sirloin steak or flank steak instead of the ground beef. It gives it a bit more of an authentic Philly cheesesteak feel!
- Switch up the types of cheese to use your favorite. Cheddar, Swiss, Mozzarella, white American cheese, or Gruyere can be substituted for the provolone. All of them melt nicely and each has a different flavor.
- Don’t like peppers or mushrooms? Leave them out. Prefer red peppers to green? Add those in.
- For a bit of heat, throw in some diced jalapenos to the beef mixture.
Tips
- Store-bought Alfredo Sauce. I do love this homemade version, and will always champion it, it is possible to use a store-bought jar if you’re short on time or looking for a shortcut.
- Don’t overcook the shells. It’s important to remember to cook the pasta shells for 3 minutes less. This way you won’t end up with soggy mushy shells when they come out of the oven. You want them to hold up to the filling.
- Mushrooms hold a lot of water. When you’re cooking them down be sure that you cook off the water, leaving little to no liquid behind. This will cause your baked shells to be runny.
- Limitless filling options. Use this recipe as a guide for other ingredient options. Stuff your shells with shredded chicken and alfredo sauce, or a buffalo chicken and blue cheese. Tuna, Italian sausage, taco meat, and more!
FAQ’s
Keep any leftovers stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy them for up to 3-4 days.
Reheat them in the microwave. If you have a lot or you’ve made a double batch, you can also reheat them in the oven at 350 degrees.
On their own, these baked stuffed shells are hearty enough to be filling and satisfying. However, a side salad is always a good idea! Try this spinach asparagus and tomato salad, or a tossed green salad. A side of roasted balsamic cauliflower would be easy and tasty, followed by fruit pizza cookies for dessert!
Other Comfort Food Recipes
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Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
For the Stuffed Shells
- 20 jumbo shells
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 Tablespoon ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 onion sliced thin
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup provolone cheese diced
For the Creamy Alfredo Sauce
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup half and half
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F
Cook the Shells
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.
- Add the shells and cook for 3 minutes less time than package directions indicate.
Cook the Meat Mixture
- Add the ground beef to large skillet and brown until no longer pink.
- Pour into a colander to drain grease.
- Add olive oil, green peppers and onions to the same skillet and saute until the onions are tender and the peppers are softened.
- Then add the minced garlic and for 1 additional minute.
- Add the ground beef back into the skillet.
- Add in the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and stir to combine well.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and ½ cup diced provolone cheese.
- Add the cooked meat mixture into the cheese mixture and stir to combine.
- Spoon the mixture into each cooked shell with meat/ cheese mixture and into a 13×9 baking dish.
Make the Alfredo sauce.
- Add 1 tablespoon butter and mushrooms to a skillet and saute for approximately 3-4 minutes stirring continuously.
- Add 2 cloves minced garlic and saute for an additional minute then set aside.
- In a medium pot, add the remaining butter and cream cheese melt together over medium heat.
- Slowly stir in the half and half and continually stir until creamy.
- Add the Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
- Add the cooked mushrooms into the sauce and stir then pour the alfredo sauce all over the top of the stuffed shells.
- Top with remaining ¼ cup of provolone cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
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