This creamy baked pasta dish has loads of seafood but can be made with any combination of your favourites so it’s up to you whether you make a budget friendly version or a special meal.
You don’t have to break the bank to make a seafood dish. Seafood Stuffed Pasta Shells can contain real lobster and crab. Or, you can use shrimp and Surimi which is a nice way of saying artificial crab. Surimi is made from ground white fish that’s shaped into “legs” so, since fish comes from the sea, it still is technically seafood. I recommend finding a sweet spot somewhere in the middle by choosing some good quality real crab and/or lobster and adding either shrimp or Surimi. This way you have lots of meat in the filling.
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There are so many options when buying lobster and crab meat. If hopping on a lobster boat in Atlantic or joining the crew on a crabber off the coast of Alaska isn’t an option, you can usually find canned or frozen meat in the seafood section of most larger grocery stores. Shrimp is plentiful. But choose wisely. I recommend buying shrimp with the shell on which helps protect the tender flesh from freezer burn. Shells also add to the flavour if you’re cooking the shrimp yourself. And please, take a pass on the really cheap ones. They can be mushy and sometimes their place of origin is suspiciously vague or misleading.
Crab is almost always cooked when you buy it. Lobster and shrimp can be found raw or cooked. You want all the seafood to be cooked before adding it to the filling mixture and then chopped or torn into chunks that aren’t too small. If you’re cooking your own, take care not to overcook the lobster or shrimp. This can result in a rubbery or chewy texture. Remove the meat from the shells when they’re cool enough to handle, then chill and chop before adding to the filling ingredients. Give the chopped seafood a gentle squeeze with paper towel in case there’s a little cooking liquid hanging around.
Ricotta cheese makes the seafood filling super creamy. There’s a bit of fresh lemon juice to cut the richness. Tiny diced sweet red pepper and chopped fresh parsley add some colour and texture. Make sure you season the mixture and taste before adding to the shells. Once they’re stuffed it’s too late. I like to use white pepper in creamy sauces and fillings. It has a more earthy flavour and you don’t see black specs.
Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking. It’s a simple white sauce with a little onion or shallots (which I love in this sauce because they’re a little more mild than an onion and have a hint of garlic flavour), garlic and parmesan cheese. Try to avoid the dry ground parmesan since it doesn’t melt. Real parmesan is best. It’s not a large quantity of sauce. You want to spread some on the bottom of the baking dish then pour the rest around the shells once they’re stuffed and arranged in the pan. You can add a little sauce to your filling mixture too if it seems a bit dry.
Here are a few hints for preparing Seafood Stuffed Pasta Shells. First, cook a few extra shells in case one falls apart or tears before filling. Don’t overcook the pasta, just until al dente. A helpful idea is to divide your filling into 4 parts in the bowl. No need to measure, just eyeball it. Then, use each part to fill 3 shells so you have a better idea how much to pile in there. Be gentle when pressing it in but don’t be afraid to pile some on top if you have lots.
Once your pasta shells are stuffed and arranged evenly in the pan, sprinkle the tops with a mixture of parmesan, panko breadcrumbs, melted butter and lemon zest. A crispy topping adds such a great element to baked pasta dishes. Just like a regular Baked Macaroni and Cheese, it not only adds texture, it also helps to keep the pasta from drying out underneath.
Once the sauce is hot and bubbling and the crispy coating is golden brown, your Seafood Stuffed Pasta Shells are ready. It’s tempting to dig right in but you should let the dish rest a few minutes before serving.
Serve with a tossed salad and some fresh bread. You can even make your own French Baguettes.
If you make Seafood Stuffed Pasta Shells, consider leaving a comment or rating below. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
- 18 jumbo pasta shells 16 for filling, 2 extra in case of breakage
Seafood Filling
- 2½ cups mixed cooked seafood of your choice lobster, crab, shrimp, scallops, surimi etc.
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup finely diced sweet red pepper
- ¼ cup fresh minced parsley
- ½ lemon, juiced, about 2 Tablespoons zest skin before squeezing for topping
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼¼ tsp white pepper
White Sauce
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup finely diced shallots or onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 2¼ cups milk
- ¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
Crispy Topping
- 2 Tbsp panko breadcrumbs
- 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbsp melted butter
- ½ tsp lemon zest
Instructions
- If using uncooked seafood, prepare by steaming or boiling gently without overcooking. When cool enough to handle, remove from shells and chop, tear etc into no larger than bite sized pieces. Chill.
- In large bowl combine seafood with ricotta, parsley, sweet red pepper, salt and pepper. Cut lemon in half, zest skin and reserve for topping. Squeeze juice into mixture and mix well.
- Bring large pot of water to boil. Cook 14 shells according to instructions on packaging until al dente. Cooking a few extra shells ensures you have enough if one tears or you have extra filling. Remove to towel to drain and cool.
- While shells are cooking, prepare sauce. Sauté shallots or onion in butter until soft. Add garlic and cook for one minute only. Add flour and cook for another minute to prevent raw flour taste in sauce. Whisk in milk and cook on medium heat until mixture is smooth and thickened. Stir in fresh grated parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If desired, add a spoonful or 2 of sauce to filling mixture.
- Spread about ½ cup of sauce in the bottom of a baking dish large enough to hold the shells without overcrowding but not so large that they aren't touching.
- Spoon filling evenly into pasta shells. Arrange in baking dish. When all shells are filled, pour remaining sauce evenly around and between shells.
- Combine crispy topping ingredients and sprinkle over top of each shell.
- Bake uncovered in preheated oven at 350° for 40 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and topping is golden brown. Allow to rest a few minutes before serving.
Hi Marci,
Great looking recipe! Do you know if and where I could find gluten free pasta shells?
Thanks, Judy
Hi Judy!
I haven’t seen gluten free shells in the grocery stores, but they do have other shapes. You might be able to find manicotti or cannelloni instead. I do know you can order gluten free pasta on amazon. Or, you could even make crepes with gluten free flour and roll the filling up inside. Nice to hear from you!!
Marci