Seafood Stuffed Shells
Best Seafood Stuffed Shells Recipe – Learn how easy it is to make the most tantalizing stuffed shells filled with tender shrimp, crab meat, and a combination of creamy cheeses and bold spices.
Why We Love This Seafood Recipe
Want to serve your family something that tastes luxurious but is also a cozy crowd-pleaser? This is the recipe for you! Fabulous silky Seafood Stuffed Shells are loaded with fresh shrimp, crab, and cheese. Then kissed with a delicate creamy seafood sauce and baked to perfection.
While jumbo stuffed shells might seem a bit intimidating, this recipe is remarkably easy to make! It takes only an hour to prepare from start to finish, and serves beautifully both an elegant and comforting dish.
Ingredients You Need
For the Seafood Shells –
- Jumbo pasta shells
- Butter
- Sweet onion
- Garlic, minced
- Raw shrimp, chopped
- Crab meat
- Cream cheese
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh chopped parsley
- Old Bay seasoning
- Crushed red pepper (optional)
Pro Tip: We used a combination of shrimp and crab meat because it is readily available to us, but feel free to use equal amounts of any variety of seafood, chopped into small pieces.
For the Seafood Sauce –
- Butter
- Flour
- Seafood stock
- Cooking sherry
- Tomato sauce
- Heavy cream
- Old Bay seasoning
- Parmesan cheese
Best Crab Meat to Use
We suggest purchasing fresh wild-caught claw crabmeat. This has the most meaty pieces and the hard work is already done. However, you do need to watch out for little bits of shells.
You can also choose jumbo lump crabmeat, but this is more expensive and will need to be chopped before cooking.
How to Make Seafood Stuffed Shells
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set out a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Then set a large pot of water over high heat and bring it to a boil. Do not salt the water!
Once the water is boiling, drop the jumbo pasta shells into the water and cook according to the package instructions. I usually like to throw in a couple of extra shells just in case any of them break.
Once cooked, drain the shells and place them open-side-up in the baking dish.
Meanwhile, make the shrimp and crab meat filling. Set a large skillet (or sauté pan) over medium heat. Place 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet. Once melted, add the diced onion and garlic to the skillet. Stir and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Then stir in the chopped shrimp pieces. Stir and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes until cooked and pink.
Now stir in the crab meat, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, Old Bay seasoning, chopped parsley, and crushed red pepper.
Gently stir until the cream cheese melts and the seafood is well coated in the sauce. Turn off the heat.
Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of seafood mixture into each jumbo shell. If you have extra filling, it’s OK to go back and add more filling where needed.
Next, make the seafood sauce. Rinse out the skillet and set it back on the stove over medium heat. Add the butter and flour. As the butter melts, whisk it together with the flour to create a smooth roux. Continue to whisk the roux around the pan until it reaches a golden brown color. Then whisk in the seafood stock, cooking sherry, tomato sauce, heavy cream, and Old Bay seasoning.
Continue to whisk until the sauce comes to a simmer. Allow the sauce to simmer low for 4-6 minutes to thicken, then turn off the heat.
Get the Complete (Printable) Seafood Stuffed Shells Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Carefully pour the seafood sauce over the top of each stuffed shell.
Then sprinkle the top with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
Bake the shells, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the edges of the dish.
Recipe Variations and Tips
- We like a combination of shrimp and crab meat, but you can use equal amounts of any variety of seafood, such as crawfish meat, scallops, lobster, or clams. Chop it into small pieces before cooking.
- Swap seafood stock with more budget-friendly chicken or veggie stock.
- Use gluten-free jumbo pasta shells, if you like.
- Do not overcook the seafood mix! The cooking goes very quickly, and the heat should be turned off immediately.
- Don’t overstuff the shells! They should be plump, but not close to overflowing.
Serving Suggestions
Pair crab and shrimp stuffed jumbo shells with a fresh salad and crusty bread. These simple side dishes really bring the restaurant-style ambiance!
We love a classic Steakhouse Caesar Salad and Homemade Breadsticks or Garlic Bread. And who could resist a warm basket of Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits?
Frequently Asked Questions
While we do recommend boiling them, you can try our no-boil method. To do so, soak the shells in a large pot of hot water from the tap for 20-25 minutes. Drain off the water and stuff per the recipe. The shells will be slightly more firm, making them a little harder to stuff.
This typically happens because the cooked shells did not drain thoroughly before stuffing.
Each serving is approximately 4 large stuffed jumbo shells.
Cool the leftovers and transfer them to an airtight container. Homemade seafood stuffed shells will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Yes, you can! Assemble the dish and do not bake. I suggest using a disposable metal pan that can easily go from the freezer to the oven. Wrap the container in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw and bake for 30 minutes, or bake from frozen for 1 hour.
Looking for More Delicious Pasta Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Avocado Pesta Stuffed Shells
- Best Lobster Ravioli Sauce
- Clam Pasta (Alle Vongole)
- Seafood Marinara (with Shrimp)
- Skillet Shrimp Fra Diavolo
Seafood Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
For the Seafood Shells –
- 24 jumbo pasta shells
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup diced sweet onion
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ¼ pounds raw shrimp chopped
- 1 pounds crab meat
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
For the Seafood Sauce –
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 ½ cups seafood stock
- 2 tablespoon cooking sherry
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set out a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Then set a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. (Do not salt the water.)
- Once the water is boiling, drop the jumbo pasta shells into the water and cook according to the package instructions. (I usually like to throw in a couple extra shells just in case any of them break.) Once cooked, drain the shells and place them open-side-up in the baking dish.
- For the Seafood Filling: Meanwhile, set a large skillet (or sauté pan) over medium heat. Place 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet. Once melted, add the diced onion and garlic to the skillet. Stir and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Then stir in the chopped shrimp pieces. Stir and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes until cooked and pink.
- Now stir in the crab meat, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, old bay seasoning, chopped parsley, and crushed red pepper. Gently stir until the cream cheese melts and the seafood is well coated in the sauce. Turn off the heat.
- Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of seafood filling into each jumbo shell. If you have extra filling, it’s OK to go back and add more filling where needed.
- For the Seafood Sauce: Rinse out the skillet and set it back on the stove over medium heat. Add the butter and flour. As the butter melts, whisk it together with the flour to create a smooth roux. Continue to whisk the roux around the pan until it reaches a golden brown color. Then whisk in the seafood stock, cooking sherry, tomato sauce, heavy cream, and old bay seasoning. Continue to whisk until the sauce comes to a simmer. Allow the sauce to simmer on low for 4-6 minutes to thicken, then turn off the heat. (Do not let the sauce boil.)
- Carefully pour the seafood sauce over the top of each stuffed shell. Then sprinkle the top with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
- Bake the shells, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the edges of the dish. Serve warm with an extra sprinkling of parsley if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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I would love to make this but at this juncture in my life I cannot afford shrimp and crab. Just sayin’.
My husband devoured these! He was obsessed and there were none leftover haha
What a delicious option from chicken or hamburger. That seafood sauce adds even more flavor! Will make again for sure!
My family loves stuffed shells but I usually make the typical ground beef/red sauce type. This seafood version was AMAZING! It felt like a fancy dinner even though the recipe was easy to make.