These beef and vegetable stuffed shells are a delicious and easy way to get more protein and vegetables into your little one’s growing bellies. You might be thinking, "I don’t have time during the day to be stuffing individual shells when I have a little human being attached to my hip!” No problem! You can make this dish ahead of time. AND it freezes beautifully too! I made everything the night before and baked it right before lunch the next day.
Broccoli continues to be my baby’s least favorite vegetable so I snuck it in here along with zucchini and spinach. Feel free to substitute/add whatever vegetables you’d like to the filling! I used grass-fed beef, and boy does it taste rich and flavorful! If you don’t want to add beef, you can swap out with chicken, turkey, tuna, salmon, etc. Want to make it vegetarian? Just leave it out all together and perhaps add beans and/or lentils. Don’t like ricotta cheese? Try using cottage cheese or Greek yogurt instead. All this to say, this recipe is super customizable. All you need is a creamy filling, some shells to stuff them in, and you’re good to go!
As always, I’ve included some suggestions in parentheses for those of you doing baby led weaning and are extra cautious of the sodium content.
Kid-Friendly Beef and Vegetable Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 23 large shells cooked according to package instructions and cooled (make extra as some may break)
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 medium medium onion chopped
- 1 medium bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup frozen chopped broccoli florets thawed
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tbs tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper (can leave out)
- 15 ounce whole milk ricotta cheese
- ½ cup fresh basil roughly chopped
- 2 cups favorite marinara sauce or no salt added tomato sauce
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese , can add more or less
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Heat a large pan. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up chunks, for about 2-3 min. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper, broccoli and saute until softened, about 5 min. or so. add tomato paste and oregano and stir to combine. Turn off the heat. Stir in ricotta and basil.
- Spread some tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Spoon filling into each shell and place them open side up into the dish. Fit them together snuggly. Pour remaining sauce over top, sprinkle with cheese.
- Cover and bake for 20-25 min. Remove foil and bake for additional 10 minutes
Viv says
Hi! When is it best to add in the onions? I don’t see it in the recipe instructions. Thanks!
Min says
So sorry! Just added!
Hillary Rivera says
Such a yummy recipe! the kids also LOVE helping make it! I love how versatile her recipes are to, some times I use fake meat or turkey and still tastes amazing! I have even made this with lasagna noodles as roll up or a lasagna and still amazing.
Min says
Thanks for sharing, mama!