Mediterranean Stuffed Shells with Sausage
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In this recipe for Stuffed Shells with Sausage, take a trip to the Mediterranean with flavors like sun dried tomatoes, capers and feta cheese. These delicious shells are incredibly flavorful and topped off with a delectable red wine tomato sauce!
Stuffed shells are fun to make, delicious to eat and easy to make ahead of time. Since 2011, I’ve posted several stuffed shell recipes on the blog, including Mexican Stuffed Shells and Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells. But today, I’m super excited to introduce this new recipe for Mediterranean Stuffed Shells with Sausage.
There’s so much flavor stuffed inside the shells, then they’re topped off with even more flavor from the homemade red wine tomato sauce. These scrumptious shells can be on the table in less than an hour, and also make great leftovers, if you can manage not to eat them all the first time around!
Table of contents
Ingredients
- Jumbo pasta shells – these will be found on the pasta aisle at the grocery store, near the other shells.
- Sun dried tomato chicken sausage – or the sausage flavor of your choice. I do recommend something that has a Mediterranean or Italian flavor.
- Red onion
- Crimini mushrooms – also known as baby bella mushrooms. You can also use white button mushrooms, if you prefer.
- Kale – for this recipe I used common curly kale, but you could use another type of kale, or spinach instead.
- Feta cheese
- Capers
- Sun dried tomatoes – if you purchase tomatoes packed in oil, you’ll want to drain them from the oil and pat them dry.
- Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil
- Garlic cloves
- Diced tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Red wine
- Seasonings – basil, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt and pepper.
Step by step instructions
Cook the pasta shells. Bring a large pot of water to boil, add the shells and cook until al dente.
Prepare the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine, basil, peppers, oregano and salt. Reduce the heat to low and simmer.
Brown the sausage. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, remove the sausage from the casing and add it to the skillet. Crumble and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Cook the veggies. Add in the red onions and mushrooms, cook for 3-4 minutes, then add in the kale. Cook for another 3-5 minutes.
Mix the filling. Place the sausage and veggies in a large bowl with the feta, capers and sun dried tomatoes. Stir to combine.
Lay out the shells. Drain and separate the al dente shells. Set aside and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Stuff the pasta. Spoon the sausage, kale, and mushroom mixture into the shells.
Create a base. Pour half of the sauce in the bottom of an oven safe dish.
Add the shells. Place the shells on top with the openings facing up.
Top and bake. Cover the shells with the remaining sauce, then top with the parmesan cheese. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes.
Garnish and Serve. Sprinkle on fresh basil and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
- What are the large pasta shells called? The official name for the largest size of pasta shells is conchiglioni, but most of the time, you’ll see them labeled as “jumbo shells” at grocery stores in the US.
- Can I make this recipe vegetarian? Yes, you can! Leave out the sausage and double the amount of mushrooms instead.
- How do I make the sauce smooth? If you like a less chunky, smoother sauce, you can remove the sauce from the stove and purée it in a blender or food processor. You can also use an immersion blender, to blend the sauce right in the pot.
What to serve with it
While this dish can serve as a complete meal, it also tastes fantastic along with any of these delicious recipes.
- Classic Panzanella Salad with Basil & Artichokes
- Easy Roasted Garlic Parmesan Broccolini
- Rosemary Focaccia Bread
- Crispy Eggplant Caprese Salad with Prosciutto
- Greek Orzo Salad
More baked pasta recipes to try
Keep your oven hot and make these other delicious and comforting pasta dishes!
- Buffalo Chicken Baked Pasta
- Taco Pasta Bake with Creamy Avocado Sauce
- Three Cheese Baked Ziti
- Pizza Baked Spaghetti
- Baked Spaghetti with BBQ Chicken & Bacon
Mediterranean Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
Mediterranean Stuffed Shells
- 6 oz jumbo pasta shells, app 24 shells
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ lb Italian chicken sausage, crumbled
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- 8 oz crimini mushrooms, diced
- 2 cups kale
- 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup capers
- ½ cup sun dried tomatoes
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
Red Wine Tomato Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- ¼ cup red wine
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Cook the pasta until al dente.
- While the pasta is boiling, prepare the sauce.
- Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and red wine.
- Add the basil, black pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano and salt.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer while preparing the sausage mixture for stuffing in the shells.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the sausage and cook 3-4 minutes.
- Add the red onions and mushrooms, cook 3-4 minutes, then add the kale.
- Cook for another 3-5 minutes.
- Place in a large bowl with the feta, capers and sun dried tomatoes.
- Combine the mixture.
- By this time the pasta should be cooked to al dente, drain and separate the shells.
- Set aside and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Spoon the sausage, kale, mushroom mixture into the shells.
- Pour half of the sauce in the bottom of an oven safe dish.
- Place the shells on top with the openings of the shells facing up.
- Cover with the remaining sauce, then top with the parmesan cheese.
- Bake 25-30 minutes.
Notes
to make this recipe gluten-free.Nutrition Facts
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