Instant Pot Stuffed Shells

Instant Pot Stuffed Shells - Uncooked shells stuffed with a ricotta-mozzarella mixture and topped with marinara sauce. Cooked for 8 minutes in the Instant pot and these Jumbo Pasta shells are absolutely ready. Top with more cheese and what you have is a total crowd-pleaser.

The tanginess of Marinara Sauce, the Cheesy filling, the creamy texture, and the wholesome Jumbo Pasta shells leaves you craving for more. I bet you'll be licking off your fingertips. The cheesy sauce coating the shells is super good and makes the experience super awesome.

Instant Pot Stuffed Shells

Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Shells in Alfredo Sauce which is traditionally baked in the oven takes a LOT of time. I remember it took me like 2 hours to make this from scratch.

But, this Instant Pot Stuffed Shells recipe was a total game-changer. 

If I can calculate - it took me like 10-15-minutes to make and pipe the filling into each shell.

And, then I had no work to do. They were ready in another 15-minutes.

So, basically, I had dinner served on the table in less than 30-minutes. isn't that amazing?

Ingredients you'll need

In this recipe, you will need these 7 basic ingredients.

1. Uncooked Jumbo Shells - I always use Barilla Jumbo Shells for best taste and fool-proof cooking.
2. Ricotta - Use a good quality ricotta cheese.
3. Mozzarella - Shred your Mozzarella Cheese at home. Try and avoid pre-shredded Mozzarella Cheese.
4. Garlic Powder - A good spoonful of Garlic powder adds a kick to the filling.
5. Salt and Pepper - Basic Seasoning without which this recipe is incomplete.
6. Marinara Sauce - I use Rao's Marinara Sauce. It's so good.
7. Parmesan cheese - Lastly some Parmesan Cheese adds a milky, salty, cheesy touch to the Stuffed Shells.

How to Make Instant Pot Stuffed Shells

To make Instant Pot Shells all you need are some jumbo shells.

If you were to bake this, then you would have to cook the shells until al dente, then drain the liquid and then pipe the filling into it.

But, since we are making this in our Instant Pot, we can easily skip all of that.

Step 1- Make the filling

Generally, we add spinach along with ricotta while we are making the filling. But, in my home, we don't like a LOT of spinach.

So, what I did was - skipped Spinach - and added lots of Mozzarella Cheese instead. who doesn't like cheese, right?

Next, I added some Garlic powder for that Garlicky kick in the filling along with Salt and Pepper as per taste.

Then, all I did was combine them well. So, that is how I made my filling. wasn't that easy? Taste the filling. If you feel it needs anything else, feel free to add. (Head over to the "other possible variations" section and see what you can add)

Step 2: Pipe the filling

Take out your filling into a piping bag or a gallon baggie. Snip the edge and pipe them into my uncooked jumbo pasta shells.

Step 3: Place Shells in Instant Pot

Now, pour some water into the Instant Pot. Place the shells in the pot. If you have a lot, you can place them on top of each other. But, make sure they are kept upright.

Step 4: Add Marinara Sauce

Pour Marinara Sauce (homemade or store-bought) and spread it out. Do not mix. Just Spead. Then just cook for 8-minutes.

Release pressure manually by positioning the valve from the steaming position to the venting position.

And, voila! your Instant Pot Stuffed Shells is absolutely ready!

Step 5: Add More Cheese

To make it more cheesy, I just added some more Mozzarella Cheese and Parmesan Cheese and then closed the lid for 2-3 minutes.

When I opened the lid, the cheese had melted and it looked so delicious.

And, that was it! My Instant Pot Stuffed Shells was absolutely ready.

Extra Tips:

1. Brush the Instant Pot Liner with oil or spray non-stick cooking spray before you start off with the recipe. This helps in easy clean-up.
2. I highly recommend Barilla Jumbo Shells for the best flavors and texture.
3. Just spread the Marinara Sauce on the shells. Do not toss.
4. You can make a meat sauce and use that instead of Marinara Sauce.
5. For the best flavors, I recommend Rao's Marinara Sauce. The flavors are so comforting and taste just like homemade Marinara sauce.

Other Possible Variations

1. Meat sauce: Instead of Marinara Sauce you can make meat sauce at home.
   • Cook Italian Sausages or Ground Beef until it turns Completely brown.
   • Add onion and cook until it becomes translucent.
   • Add minced garlic and cook for another 30-seconds.
   • Scoop out some meat and keep it aside.
   • Pour Chicken Broth and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
   • Place the uncooked jumbo shells in the instant pot.
   • Top with reserved meat. Add some fresh chopped basil.
   • Cook for 8-minutes. Release pressure manually, and top with more cheese.
   • Cover the lid for 2-3 minutes and your Instant Pot Stuffed Shells in Meat Sauce is ready. See the video for a better understanding.
2. Add Egg to the filling: In the filling, add Egg if you want. Although it is totally optional.
3. Add Italian Seasoning: You can add Italian Seasoning into the filling.

Can I Make these Ahead of Time?

Yes, I don't see why you can't. To make your Stuffed Shells ahead of time, you can prepare the filling and keep it in an air-tight container. Freeze the filling for up to 1-month. Do not store it longer than that.

When you want to cook, you can simply thaw it out in the refrigerator overnight. Then just pipe the filling in your uncooked shells and cook as per the directions in the recipe.

How do I Store any Leftovers?

Once they have cooled down completely, transfer them to a shallow air-tight container.

Place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Once you are ready to eat, make sure you warm it in the oven at 350 degrees F for 5-6 minutes.

Other Recipes you might like:

• Baked Shells and Cauliflower
• Unstuffed Shells Casserole
• Lemon Zucchini Pasta Recipe
• Chicken Enchilada Pasta

If you are making this recipe, then please leave a rating below. Also, take a snap and share it on Instagram with #recipemagik. Tag me @recipemagik and let me know how it turned out.