Bacon, Beef and Beer Stuffed Shells are a tasty comfort food bursting with flavors that will definitely be an instant favorite for everyone.
Easy, cheesy Stuffed Ricotta Shells are always a tasty weeknight Dinner. For another similar Pasta dish give my Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells a try out too!
Sabrina’s Bacon, Beef, and Beer Stuffed Shells Recipe
When it comes to rich and hearty comfort food, cheesy beefy shells with meat sauce are hard to beat. This new, fun and delicious recipe swaps out the traditional cheese filling for a stuffing inspired by my Bacon, Beer and Cheese Sloppy Joes. It’s the ultimate comfort food dinner. Lots of your family favorite meals are even more delicious made into stuffed pasta shells. If you love this twist, be sure to try Cheesy Taco Stuffed Shells, and Chicken Parmesan Shells! No matter what dish you choose, it’s a meal in an hour that the entire family will be asking you to make over and over again.
Recipe Card
IngredientsÂ
- 12 ounces jumbo pasta shells
- 8 ounces bacon
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 cup yellow onion , chopped
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 12 ounces beer
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cook pasta two minutes shy of the instructions, then drain and rinse.
- To the pasta pot add the bacon, cook and chop.
- Discard all but one tablespoon of bacon grease.
- Add ground beef, salt, pepper, and onions on medium-high heat and cook, breaking apart, until well browned.
- Drain grease, add bacon back into the pot.
- Add in the tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, beer, and beef broth.
- Stir well and bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat.
- Add 1 cup of cheese to the pot, stir gently, then scoop the beef into the pasta shells.
- Top with remaining ½ cup of cheese.
- Pour remaining beef broth around the shells.
- Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.
Nutrition
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Sabrina’s Tips
If you prefer not to use beer, you can replace it with an equal amount of beef broth or even chicken broth for a milder flavor. You can also use non-alcoholic beer without changing the overall flavor.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
Bacon, Beef, and Beer Stuffed Shells are a comforting dish bursting with flavor. The tasty meat sauce is flavored with your favorite beer then mixed with melty cheese and crispy bacon before being stuffed into jumbo pasta shells and baked. It takes about 15 minutes of prep time, then about 30 minutes to bake it until bubbling and melty, for a hearty, delicious meal in less than an hour. Along with the rich marinara sauce, cheese, and bacon goodness, the beef mixture gets an extra hit of flavor from the beer. Cooking with beer gives the entire dish a more rich, warm, and slightly earthy flavor. You can use most kinds of dark beer for this recipe. A stout, dark lager, or dark ale will all flavor the meat mixture nicely.
Ingredients
- Jumbo Shells: The jumbo shells are a perfect vessel to hold the flavorful filling. Cook them until they are slightly underdone to prevent them from becoming mushy during baking.
- Beef: The ground beef is the bulk of the filling for these tasty shells versus the normal creamy ricotta cheese stuffed shells. It’s best to use 85/15 fat ratio so that the meat is extra moist, but it is cooked in bacon grease so you can use lean ground beef if you want to cut some fat.
- Bacon: The crispy, smoky flavor of bacon grease adds depth to the beef filling, making it irresistibly delicious. Meanwhile, the crispy bacon adds some extra texture and flavor.
- Cheese: Cheddar cheese is the perfect shredded cheese for melting in this recipe. It has a sharp flavor that pairs perfectly with the beer and bacon and melts perfectly for a gooey, cheesy filling.
- Beer: The alcohol in the beer bakes out, so this dinner is completely family-friendly. The beer infuses the sauce with a subtle bitterness that makes the meat more savory. Use a beer you like to drink that isn’t heavily flavored.
- Sauce: The beef filling is cooked in rich and robust tomato sauce full of savory ingredients like Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, beef broth, and yellow onions along with the beer.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Absolutely! The beauty of this recipe is that you can prepare the stuffed shells in advance and keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake them. Simply follow the recipe until you’ve filled the pasta shells and topped them with cheese. Then, cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to serve, bake the shells as directed in the recipe.
Pairing Suggestion
This dish would go great with quick easy sides like fresh salad with an Italian Dressing and Garlic Bread. Some Roasted Broccoli or Sauteed Green Beans are a great fast, tasty veggie side without a lot of work too.
How to Store
- Store: After cooking the pasta, don’t leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Seal any leftovers in an airtight container or carefully wrap them in plastic wrap to store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat: To reheat the stuffed shells, place them in a baking dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
- Freeze: If you want to freeze the baked stuffed shells for future meals, wrap the dish securely in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Store in the freezer for up to 2-3 months and reheat from frozen covered in foil until hot.
Frequent Questions
Adding beer to beef dishes imparts a subtle savory bitterness to the meat. The beer helps tenderize the beef and adds flavor, enhancing the overall taste of the dish.
The issue of stuffed shells turning out watery is usually excess moisture in the filling. To avoid this, make sure that the cooked beef, bacon, and onions are drained well before filling the pasta shells. Additionally, using the right amount of sauce and cheese can help bind the filling together, preventing any unwanted wateriness.
Variations
- Vegetables: For more texture and flavor add your favorite veggies to the filling like green onions, bell pepper, carrots, frozen spinach, or peas.
- Meat: If you want to make a slightly healthier version, you could use lean ground beef in the filling. You could also try ground chicken, or turkey, though that would change the flavor a lot more.
- Cheese: Cheddar cheese tastes absolutely amazing in this recipe, but there’s no reason you can’t add even more cheesy goodness with a second kind of cheese in the mix. Try pairing the cheddar with Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, or mozzarella cheese
- Mexican: Replace the beer with a Mexican lager, and add a blend of chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika to the beef mixture. Top with a dollop of sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro before serving.
- BBQ: Instead of the tomato-based sauce, use your favorite BBQ Sauce for the filling. The smoky and tangy notes will complement the bacon and beef beautifully. Top with crunchy fried onions!
- Italian-Inspired: Add some Italian sausage to the beef mixture and swap the beer with red wine for a robust Italian twist. Top with a blend of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese for a classic finish.
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Photos used in previous post.
