Cheeseburger Stuffed Pasta

Cheesy and meaty with tomato sauce PLUS you can put it all together and have dinner on the table in less than 45 minutes! Comfort food AT ITS FINEST! cheeseburger stuffed pasta!

With this dish you’ll go straight to ROCKSTAR status today! Your family and friends are gonna hollar “MORE!! MORE!!! MORE!!!!” My very own sweet hubby said, “DANG BABY! THESE ARE GOOD!” Then, he didn’t say another word, because his mouth was full. The only thing we heard after that was a fork scraping across a plate.    

Why This Recipe Works

• Easy
• Ground Beef, Cheese, Shells and Pasta Sauce Taste GREAT together! 
• You can make it ahead and then bake it later!

Here’s How It’s Done.

STEP 1. Brown your Ground Beef, add the cheeses and set aside. 

Brown the ground beef

STEP 2. Cook your pasta (do this while you are doing the ground beef)

STEP 3. Stuff the shells, cover with pasta sauce and cheese and Bake! 

Cheeseburger Shellys

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) for Cheeseburger Stuffed Pasta

Is this Like Hamburger Helper? 

In flavor, yes. The good thing is that you KNOW exactly what is in there with this dish! Plus, it isn’t hard to make and it tastes GREAT! 

How Can I Save Time With This Recipe? 

Use jarred spaghetti sauce and preshredded cheese. They work fine for this recipe and it saves you time. 

Can I Make This Recipe Ahead? 

Yes! Of course you can! Make it the day before or 2-3 days before, either is fine. Make sure your shells are not completely cooked to soft. Follow the package instructions and stop cooking the noodles 2 minutes before the time stated on the package. They will cook more in the oven when they are baking. 

If making ahead, put it together, put it in the baking dish and then cover with plastic wrap. Remove the plastic wrap before baking. 

What Kind of Spaghetti Sauce Should I Use?

I used Ragu Homestyle Roasted Garlic Sauce for this recipe, but you can use any jarred sauce you prefer OR you can make your own easily with this recipe. 

Can I Use Different Cheese? 

Yes, use cheese you like to eat. However, the idea is for this to taste like cheeseburger.

Can I Freeze This Cheeseburger Stuffed Pasta? 

Yes, it freezes very well. Either freeze it after putting it together 

OR

freeze it after baking. 

How Do I Reheat this Cheeseburger Stuffed Pasta? 

1. Place it in the oven, covered with aluminum foil and
2. bake at 350 for 20 minutes from refrigerated.
3. Bake for about an hour from frozen

How Long Does This Keep? 

• Will last in the refrigerator for 5 days. 
• Do not leave it out on the counter for longer than 2 hours. 

TIPS AND TRICKS For cheeseburger stuffed pasta

• As always, use the freshest and most local beef that you can find. I mean, you only have to see that stuff about pink slime on You Tube once to convince you.
• I used Ragu Homestyle Roasted Garlic for this recipe and with good reason, check out the label. All good stuff in there! 
• Be careful, the shells might still be hot – test them first!
• This recipe goes VERY FAST – the thing that takes the longest is for the water to boil.
• You will notice that I used real onion, real garlic PLUS garlic powder and onion powder to the hamburger meat- you are a real watcher! That is because we LOVE flavor over here. You will too!
• You might also notice that I salted the pasta water AND the hamburger – again, clever person! Because you want seasoning at all layers of your dinner!
• After you drain the pasta – you COULD toss it with a little oil so that the noodles don’t stick together – however, if you are working quickly – the noodles will be fine in the amount of time it takes to brown the hamburger. If you are going to be even a little longer – hedge your bets and toss with oil.
• This dish is DELISH warmed over too! It’s perfect Cold – right out of the fridge. I snuck a bite- I know.
• You can sprinkle the top with some Parmesan Cheese too – so good.
• Interesting Pasta Information starting with the history of pasta!

Cheeseburger Shellys

Enjoy One Of These Other Pasta Dishes at Loaves and Dishes…

Cowboy Lasagna

Death by Mac and Cheese

Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Shells

Four Cheese Pasta Bake

Chorizo Mouth Party Lasagna Rolls

Asiago Mushroom Chicken

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Cheeseburger Shellys

Perfect recipes for guests or family weeknight dinner. Easy to put together, flavorful and a family favorite, every single time!

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Course: main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: meat stuffed pasta, meat stuffed shells

Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 360kcal

Author: Wendi Spraker

Ingredients

• ½ Box Jumbo Pasta Shells 6 oz - prepared per box instructions
• 2 Tbs Olive Oil
• 1 lb of ground beef
• 3 cloves garlic - minced.
• ½ onion - chopped small
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 block of cream cheese - softened and cut into 1 inch blocks
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 8 oz Triple Cheddar shredded mix
• 23 oz Spaghetti Sauce 1 standard jar
• 1-2 Cups Mozzarella Shredded Cheese

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350. In a medium frying pan over medium heat on the stove top add 2 Tbs Olive Oil. Crumble the ground beef into the pan. Add the minced garlic and chopped onion so that all of them can cook together. Add the salt and pepper.
• When the ground beef is browned, add the softened cream cheese, garlic powder, onion powder and Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir until cream cheese is mostly melted. Stir in the Triple Cheddar Shredded Cheese. Stir in the shredded cheese and then remove from heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
• In a 2 quart baking dish, spread a little bit of the pasta sauce - maybe ¼ cup. Just so shells won’t stick. Using a household teaspoon, fill each shelly with the hamburger cheese mixture. Once the shelly is full place it in the baking pan. Repeat until the baking dish is full with shellys lined up like little soldiers. You may have more meat mix than shells - or all of your shells may not fit- in that case just put your extra hamburger around in the dish - you can see what I did in my movie here. Save the extra shellys for a different cooking project.
• Once shellys are in place, cover with the remaining pasta sauce and spread the sauce around to cover. Sprinkle the Mozzarella Cheese on top. Bake for 30 mins until the pasta sauce is bubbling through and the cheese is melting and starting to brown.

Notes

• As always, use the freshest and most local beef that you can find.  I mean, you only have to see that stuff about pink slime on You Tube once to convince you.  
• I used Ragu Homestyle Roasted Garlic for this recipe and with good reason, check out the label.  All good stuff in there! 
• Be careful, the shells might still be hot - test them first!
• This recipe goes VERY FAST - the thing that takes the longest is for the water to boil.
• You will notice that I used real onion, real garlic PLUS garlic powder and onion powder to the hamburger meat- you are a real watcher!  That is because we LOVE flavor over here.  You will too!
• You might also notice that I salted the pasta water AND the hamburger - again, clever person!  Because you want seasoning at all layers of your dinner!  
• After you drain the pasta - you COULD toss it with a little oil so that the noodles don’t stick together - however, if you are working quickly - the noodles will be fine in the amount of time it takes to brown the hamburger.  If you are going to be even a little longer - hedge your bets and toss with oil.
• This dish is DELISH warmed over too! It’s perfect Cold - right out of the fridge.  I snuck a bite- I know.  
• You can sprinkle the top with some Parmesan Cheese too - so good.
• Garnish with chopped parsley or chives.

Substitutions: 

• 1 tsp minced garlic in oil for the hand chopped garlic
• 1 Tbs Onion Powder for the chopped onion (in addition to what is already called for - take out the fresh onion and substitute the onion powder). 
• Any other type of cheddar cheese for the Triple Cheddar

 

PRO TIP: Extra sauce is always a hit, try adding extra sauce over the noodles,  you won't be sorry.  Sprinkle parmesan over the top and you'll add a ton of flavor.  

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Cheeseburger Shellys

Amount Per Serving

Calories 360 Calories from Fat 252

% Daily Value*

Fat 28g43%

Saturated Fat 13g65%

Cholesterol 81mg27%

Sodium 1021mg43%

Potassium 486mg14%

Carbohydrates 7g2%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 21g42%

Vitamin A 739IU15%

Vitamin C 7mg8%

Calcium 307mg31%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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***This page first appeared on Loaves and Dishes on September 8, 2016 and has been updated with new information including: Why this Recipe works, How It’s Done, step by step photos, Frequently asked questions. Updated recipe card to include: video, equipment, nutrition info, recipe notes and pro tips***

A VERSE TO SHARE

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Here is the end. Powerful.

Matthew 6: 35-40

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.