Creamy Seafood Stuffed Shells
Indulge in the ultimate comfort food dish with these Seafood Stuffed Shells! Tender pasta shells are filled with a rich and creamy mixture of shrimp, crab, lobster, Parmesan cheese, and Old Bay seasoning, then baked to perfection in a luscious cream sauce. Every bite is packed with buttery seafood flavor, cheesy goodness, and just the right amount of seasoning to make this dish truly irresistible. Perfect for a weeknight dinner, special occasion, or meal prep.
Servings 6 servings
Calories 538kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Pasta Sauce (You can also use 1 cup of your favorite jarred sauce if you don't want to make your own.)
- 1 ½ tablespoons butter Divided in 1 tablespoon and ½ tablespoon.
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk Any milk will work.
- ¼ cup dry white wine I use Pinot Grigio. Wine will provide immense flavor. You can substitute with any broth.
- 3 garlic cloves Minced
- ½ cup grated Parmesan Reggiano Cheese
- ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning You can start with ¼ teaspoon and taste repeatedly. Adjust to taste.
- salt and pepper to taste
Shells and Filling
- 20 jumbo pasta shells A 12oz package will have more than enough shells.
- 8 oz raw shrimp Peeled and deveined. Chopped into ½-1 inch chunks.
- 8 oz lobster meat
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 8 oz lump crab meat
- 2 cups finely chopped fresh spinach You can also use frozen. Be sure to thaw and drain it first.
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese Divided into ½ cup portions.
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan Reggiano Cheese
- 1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning Substitute your favorite seafood seasoning if preferred.
- salt and pepper to taste
- foil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pasta Shells
- Cook the shells in accordance with the instructions on the packaging, but remove them 2 minutes prior to the noted cook time. (When the cook time provides a range of minutes, I remove the shells 1 minute prior to the low end of the recommended cook time.)This will prevent overcooking as the shells will be baked again. Cool the shells in cold water when they have finished cooking. This will prevent sticking.
Cream Sauce
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the flour and stir until thickened.
- Add the heavy cream, almond milk, and white wine. Stir.
- Add in the garlic, Parmesan cheese, Italian Seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Taste the sauce repeatedly. Add spices if needed. Stir until smooth and set aside.
Seafood and Filling
- Heat the skillet on medium-high heat. Add in ½ tablespoon of butter. When melted, add in the shrimp and lobster.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes on both sides until cooked through. Remove the shrimp and lobster from the skillet.
- Add the cream cheese, cooked shrimp, lobster, crab, chopped spinach, ½ cup mozzarella cheese, Parmesan Reggiano cheese, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste to a large bowl. Stir to combine.
Shell Assembly and Bake
- Pour the pasta sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
- Load the seafood mixture into each of the pasta shells. I aim for 1 ½ tablespoons to 2 tablespoons of filling in each shell. Place the filled shells in the baking dish over the pasta sauce. (You may want to keep a moist towel handy for your hands while stuffing the shells).
- Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella throughout.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the cheese is light brown.
- Cool before serving.
Video
Notes
- Substitute the seafood used in the recipe for anything you like. You can use 1 ½ pounds of shrimp and omit the crab and lobster, etc.
- Using 1 ½ tablespoons of seafood filling per shell results in about 18-20 stuffed shells.
- You can add the Old Bay seasoning to the shrimp and lobster as it cooks, or to the seafood filling (when adding the cream cheese, etc). Both options work fine.
- Al dente is the term used to describe perfectly cooked pasta. It means firm to the bite. Most packages of pasta will include instructions on how to get the pasta al dente. Don't overcook the pasta. This will result in pasta that is sticky, flimsy, and difficult to stuff. If your shells are mushy and hard to handle, you overcooked them.
- Be sure to cool the shells completely with cold water immediately after cooking.
- Covering the dish with foil will prevent the shells from drying out and will keep the shells soft. If you cook them uncovered, the shells will harden.
Nutrition
Serving: 3stuffed shells | Calories: 538kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 31g