Celebrate Easter (or any special occasion) with this delicious recipe for Lamb & Sausage Stuffed Pasta Shells from the grill. Enjoy hearty, cheesy, saucy comfort food that’s designed for sharing!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Tossing the just-boiled pasta shells in olive oil right after draining keeps them from sticking together while they wait to be filled
- Cooking the spinach in the reserved meat grease, rather than a neutral oil, carries that same savory flavor into the filling's vegetable component
- Pressing the liquid out of the cooked spinach before mincing it keeps the filling from turning watery once it's mixed with the ricotta and eggs
- Nestling the stuffed shells directly into the simmering tomato sauce, rather than baking them dry and saucing afterward, lets the pasta absorb sauce flavor from underneath as it finishes cooking
Lamb & Sausage Stuffed Pasta Shells
Tom Jackson
Rated 4.3 stars by 3 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
Italian
Servings
12
Prep Time
1 hour
Cook Time
1 hour
Calories
575
What better way to celebrate Easter (or any holiday) than with a big skillet of cheesy, saucy, Lamb & Sausage Stuffed Pasta Shells?! It’s comfort food, designed for sharing, and Chef Tom is cooking it up on the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill!
Ingredients
- 12 oz jumbo pasta shells
-
extra virgin olive oil, as needed
- 4 oz fontina cheese, grated
- 4 oz provolone cheese, grated
-
Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning, as needed
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 1 lb hot Italian sausage
-
1 tbsp Code 3 spices Grunt Rub
- 1 lb spinach leaves
- 1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup fine ground parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs, beaten
-
1 (28 oz) can Ciao San Marzano Tomatoes
- 1/4 cup pesto
-
1 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
For the filling:
For the tomato sauce:
Directions
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 425ºF, set up for indirect grilling.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta, bring the water back to a boil and cook until al dente (not completely softened), about 8 minutes. Strain off the pasta. Discard the water. Place the pasta in a bowl and drizzle with about two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Toss to coat. This will help prevent the pasta from sticking.
- Place the ground lamb, Italian sausage and Code 3 spices Grunt Rub in a Lodge 10” Cast Iron Skillet. Cook the sausage over medium high heat until browned on the surface and cooked through. Scoop the sausage out of the skillet with a slotted spoon. Place the sausage in a bowl.
- Pour half of the grease from the skillet into the large empty pot used to boil the pasta. Add the spinach to the pot and cook over medium heat until wilted, about 5 minutes. Remove the spinach from the pot. Transfer to the strainer. Let cool before pressing the liquid out of the spinach. Mince the cooked drained spinach.
- To make the tomato sauce, add the Ciao San Marzano Tomatoes, pesto and Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning to the Lodge 10” skillet used to cook the sausage. You should still have a couple of tablespoons of grease in the skillet. Bring to a simmer. Break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. When the sauce begins to thicken, add the heavy cream. Stir and return to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and let it sit warm.
- To make the filling, add the minced spinach, ricotta and parmesan cheeses and beaten eggs to the bowl of cooked sausage. Mix well.
- Fill each shell with a generous two tablespoons of the filling. You should have about stuffed shells. You will have extra pasta. It’s wise to make extra, as some will be damaged during the cooking process. Enjoy the scraps as a snack!
Divide the tomato sauce evenly between two Lodge 10” Cast Iron Skillets (or work in batches).
- Divide the stuffed shells between the two skillets, nestling them into the tomato sauce. Top the shells with the grated fontina and provolone. Sprinkle more Cattleman’s Grill Italiano Seasoning on top of the cheese.
- Transfer the skillets to the second shelf of the grill. Cook until the shells are fully tender and the cheese on top is melted and beginning to brown, about 45 minutes.
- Remove the Lamb & Sausage Stuffed Pasta Shells from the grill and serve immediately.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why toss the drained pasta shells in olive oil right after boiling them?
Coating them in oil while still warm keeps the shells from sticking together as they sit and wait to be stuffed with filling.
Why cook the spinach in the reserved grease from the lamb and sausage instead of a neutral oil?
Wilting the spinach in that same fat carries the savory flavor of the meat into the vegetable component of the filling, rather than cooking it in a plain oil with no connection to the rest of the dish.
Why press the liquid out of the cooked spinach before mincing it and adding it to the filling?
Removing excess moisture first keeps the finished filling from turning watery once it's combined with the ricotta, parmesan, and beaten eggs.
Why nestle the stuffed shells directly into the tomato sauce instead of baking them separately and saucing afterward?
Placing the shells right into the simmering sauce lets the pasta absorb flavor from underneath as it finishes cooking in the grill, rather than baking dry and only getting sauce on top at the end.
What internal temperature should the lamb and sausage filling actually reach?
This recipe only says to cook it "until browned on the surface and cooked through," without stating a target temperature. Both ground lamb and Italian sausage need to reach a minimum internal temperature of 160°F to be safe. The filling does bake again inside the shells for about 45 minutes, which should carry it further, but it's worth confirming with a thermometer rather than relying on browning and bake time alone.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
5 out of 5 — a regular oven can bake the stuffed shells exactly the way the pellet grill does here; the grill is only being used as an outdoor oven.
Recipe Highlights
Oil-tossed shells: Prevents sticking before stuffing.
Fat-cooked spinach: Carries meat flavor into the vegetable filling.
Pressed spinach: Keeps the filling from turning watery.
Sauce-nestled baking: Absorbs sauce flavor from underneath while cooking.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 10.08 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 575
- Carbs
- 45 grams
- Protein
- 36 grams
- Fat
- 26 grams
- Sodium
- 593 milligrams
