Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells made with ground beef, cheddar, bell peppers and onions with a creamy sauce to drizzle over the shells when they’re done.

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells made with ground beef, cheddar, bell peppers and onions with a creamy sauce to drizzle over the shells when they're done.
 Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells are another version of our favorite Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes with the filling added to jumbo pasta shells and a quick and easy creamy cheese sauce made from the same pan the meat filling was made in.

If you’d like to serve this with a pasta other than jumbo shells you can also use this Philly Cheesesteak Hamburger Helper recipe, its another favorite in this house.

We joke that this blog is half fueled by brown sugar garlic chicken and half by all things Philly Cheesesteaks. With over a dozen Philly recipes you’re in the right place if you love those flavors.

Thinking of some other stuffed shells ideas?

  • Pepperoni Pizza stuffed shells with marinara sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella.
  • Chicken Bacon Ranch Stuffed Shells with the Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pinwheels filling and baked with alfredo sauce.
  • Taco Stuffed Shells with taco meat, salsa, cheese and shells.
  • Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Shells with chicken nuggets, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

All the flavors of a philly cheesesteak stuffed in jumbo pasta shells with a creamy cheese sauce.

How to make Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells:

Tools Used in the making of these Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells:
Jumbo Pasta Shells: Make sure you buy these and not the large ones. Also, husbands may inadvertently think “large” is the right size…not saying mine did that! 😉
Worcestershire Sauce: Do not leave this out or sub it for anything else, this is a main flavor component and this brand is my absolute go-to.

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells made with ground beef, cheddar, bell peppers and onions with a creamy sauce to drizzle over the shells when they're done.
4.92 from 37 votes
Print

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells made with ground beef, cheddar, bell peppers and onions with a creamy sauce to drizzle over the shells when they're done.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 464 kcal
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 1 small green bell pepper diced
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 8 ounces cheddar cheese cut into small cubes (divided)
  • 24 jumbo pasta shells cooked
  • 1 tablespoon  cornstarch
  • 1 cup milk (I used whole)
  • cup beef broth

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Add the ground beef to a large cast iron skillet (this browns very well) and brown until a deep brown crust appears before breaking the beef apart.
  3. Stir the ground beef and brown until a deep crust appears on about 50 or so percent of the beef.
  4. Remove the beef (you can leave the fat) and add the butter and the onions and bell peppers.
  5. Let brown for 1-2 minutes before stirring, then let brown for another 1-2 minutes before stirring again.

  6. Add the beef back into the pan.
  7. Add the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt and black pepper into the pan and stir.
  8. Take it off the heat and scoop it into the pasta shells.
  9. Top each shell with cubes of cheese (use half the cheese for this).
  10. Using the same pan add the beef broth, milk and cornstarch and whisk before turning the heat back on.
  11. Add in the rest of the cheddar cheese a little at a time while whisking for 3-5 minutes or until thickened.

  12. Pour about half the sauce around the shells.
  13. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes to melt the cheese.

  14. Serve with the remaining sauce.

Recipe Video

Nutrition Facts
Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells
Amount Per Serving (4 g)
Calories 464 Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*
Fat 22g34%
Saturated Fat 12g75%
Cholesterol 100mg33%
Sodium 754mg33%
Potassium 545mg16%
Carbohydrates 33g11%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 32g64%
Vitamin A 660IU13%
Vitamin C 17.9mg22%
Calcium 344mg34%
Iron 2.8mg16%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells made with ground beef, cheddar, bell peppers and onions with a creamy sauce to drizzle over the shells when they're done.
All the flavors of a philly cheesesteak stuffed in jumbo pasta shells with a creamy cheese sauce. The perfect weeknight meal that's easy and the whole family will love.

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

Categories

Leave a comment & rating

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

  1. Hi!I’m planning to make this tonight but I bought small shells. would it still work if I just mixed it all together instead of stuffing the shells?

  2. Not sure the photos do this justice. It’s basically stuffed shells smothered in mac and cheese sauce. I added to the flavors a bit (added some mustard—my favorite on cheesesteaks—to the filling and seasoned the sauce with ground mustard and cayenne) but otherwise made it as-is. Yum!

  3. I have made these so many times! My family absolutely loves them and the recipe is SO straight forward and easy to read! I am Just curious if you all use them as your main dish, what you would suggest to pair it with?

  4. I read where you can freeze the shells but can you freeze the sauce right along with it?
    Please let me know as soon as you can since I am making tonight:-)

    1. I just got done stuffing the jumbo shells. I guess I was really generous with the stuffing because I only made 14. Obviously I could have taken some out to make more but more stuffing is great with me.
      I was confused on the comments where people had so much left over. Maybe they didn’t use jumbo or just put a little meat in each shell.
      I am now on to the next step of making the sauce. I know I won’t have to worry about freezing any now.
      I didn’t not have cubed cheese so I will be using shredded cheese.
      Maybe because I made stuffed shells before I knew to boil them ahead of time.
      Surprised how negative people are. Second time I have commented on a post and I am actually worried about the backlash of my comment.
      Thought for the day: Think positive and be nice.

  5. I am so excited to make these tomorrow. Thank you so much for the recipe. I shared it on my page. (With credit to you)

  6. These somehow turned out tasty, but these were the absolute worst directions I’ve ever read on a recipe.

    I understand the ingredients call for “cooked” jumbo shells, but I really think it should be included in the directions as well.

    I don’t get the whole point of “the brown crusting” part of cooking the ground beef… seems really unnecessary.

    Then to break it up and brown until 50% of the CRUMBLED beef has a brown crust? … again, makes no sense. And are you saying cook it completely through or just cook it halfway? Very unclear.

    After I had my mixture and filled it into my jumbo shells I had so much of the mixture leftover I probably could have filled 20 more shells… I ended up just placing it in the baking dish around the shells.

    Speaking of baking dishes… you mention absolutely nowhere what size to use which caused me to dirty one just to realize it was too small to fit all the shells.

    The serving the second half of the sauce with the shells after they are cooked also doesn’t make sense to me… I just poured it all in the dish so it was all hot and bubbly with the rest of it after it cooked… not cold from sitting on the stove.

    1. I saw where the shells were cooked and at 75, I figured out the directions as cooking has been my passion since I was 16 years old. It is always good to have CONSTRUCTIVE criticism and most people are very kind. Thank you for sharing.

  7. This was one of the best recipes I have found. Very time consuming but definitely worth it. Didn’t have worstershire sauce so I substituted steak sauce and it turned out awesome. Can’t wait to try some other recipes of yours.

  8. I really enjoyed making this. And they are currently in the oven. My only complaint is that there needs to be a step 9.5 stating to put the shells in the oven for the 1st 25 minutes. Once I got the the end of the recipe my shells were still on the counter unbaked and I had to sit and figure out where I went wrong. Just edit your directions a tad. But otherwise awesome recipe!!!

  9. You mention stuffing the shells when making the philly cheese steak stuffed shells…what do you put the stuffed shell’s in bake them…you have the sauce in the skillet, correct ?

  10. Was very confused with the steps not including cooking the pasta as a step and instead as an ingredient but luckily my partner caught the detail before making a big mistake

    1. I am making the philly cheese steak stuffed shells for my soon to be husband tommrrow before he goes to work

  11. Maybe they need to say boil the shells. I’ve cooked other meals that use hard noodles or shells and when you bake it with sauce or other liquids they soften. I made this and still hard shells. Guess I should have used more of my cooking skills verses following directions

      1. It does under the ingredients, however you should always include something like that in your steps! It is very easy other wise to miss, and could ruin someone’s dinner. Also it makes your prep time longer which means it makes it sound like it doesn’t take as much time as it does. In the future I would definitely make sure to put something like this in the steps.

  12. I made this tonight with venison and a mix of smoked gouda and cheddar. The recipe won my 9 year old over. My 14 and 4 year olds really liked it too. My picky husband wasn’t won over, his loss as now I get some for lunch at work.

    1. Do you boil the shells? Also when it says pour half the sauce around the shells what do you do with the rest? Pour over top? Looks absolutely delicious!

      1. You are going to want to cook the shells first. You serve the shells with the remaining sauce. Hope this helps – let me know how you like them!

    1. Yes, once stuffed (step 8) I would freeze them. When you’re ready to serve, complete the remaining steps though it will need to be cooked longer since it’s coming from the freezer. Enjoy!

  13. I am going to make this tonight, but instead of cheddar I am going to substitute provolone cheese and I am going to add mushrooms! I think this would taste amazing!

  14. I made those Philly cheese steak stuffed shells last night for my husband. Omg! He fell in love with me all over again. That is the best recipe I’ve made in forever. Wow! Instead of using regular ground beef, I used mild Italian ground seasoned pork. It’s without a doubt the best thing I’ve ever eaten! Thank you

  15. I made these and everyone loved them. Thinking about taking them to church one Sunday. God bless you ma’am. Thx!!

    1. Red bell peppers would be an easy swap for green but substituting a red onion for a yellow would change the taste a bit. Enjoy!

      1. I was thinking the same way and adding Shitake mushrooms and spinach as well, even adding Ricotta and using Mozzarella instead of cheddar. This made me so hungry just writing this! Gotta try this for sure!

  16. Fixed this and my family did not like it. I’m not an inexperienced cook I have been cooking over 50 years. I found the instructions incomplete and confusing. Suggestion proofread or hire someone to proof your recipes before publishing them.

      1. Nowhere does it say cook the noodles outside the ingredients. Being a busy mother I didn’t notice. Once I noticed that I just dumped everything in the instapot added a cup of broth and put it on high pressure. It looks delicious and now I know for next time. If the kiddo likes it I will definitely make it again

  17. Last few months, I keep coming across these great, varied recipes. Surprise! They’re yours. We’re not bland meat and potatoes folks, but enjoy meals with an international twist. You’re now on my email recipe lists. Keep up sharing these super recipes???????. Thanks for all your work.

  18. Hi,

    I plan on making this pretty soon. What would be good appetizer ideas and/or sides to go with this entrée?

  19. These were really delicious! My son said “Wow! These taste JUST like a Philly Cheesesteak!” The only change I made was to use half the amount of bell pepper and to compensate I added 2 jalapenos, 2 small alleppo peppers and a hot cherry pepper because we like things to have a little kick. I’ll definitely make these again!

  20. Just made these using venison chip steak intead of hamburger. Oh my! They are delicious! It only filled about 18 shells, but that was fine for my family of 4. Thanks so much!

  21. I made this recipe yesterday for my family. I made about 30 shells, using 3 pounds of ground beef, with sweet peppers and onions. Turned out great, and everyone loved it.
    I drizzled a little extra sauce on top before eating, and topped it with shredded lettuce and sour cream. But with or without the extra toppings, it was a fun and tasty dish.

  22. Due to my wife’s hatred of green peppers, I used a half of a red bell pepper. I also sautéed the onion and peppers by themselves until quite soft, increased the corn starch to two tablespoons as one left the sauce too thin. It tasted more like Manwich in a shell. I liked it, wife, not so much. Also used sharp cheddar. I poured all of the sauce into the baking dish and baked for 15 min at 350*.

  23. What is the difference between kosher & regular salt & can you use regular?

    Also just found your site & I’m writing out a grocery list right now so I can start trying some of these wonderful recipes. Thank you so much for sharing them!!

    1. So glad you’re loving the site!

      I prefer using Kosher salt as it doesn’t have the additives that table salt usually has. Also as a trained chef, I just like being able to grab it to measure and put in the dish. Feel free to use regular salt if that’s what you have on hand.

  24. The Philly cheesesteak stuffed shell recipe is a good dish. My problem is if you going to call it Philly cheese steak you should use steak, not ground beef cuz then it’s not called Philly cheese steak. Sorry that’s just my opinion. I’ve been doing cheesesteak stuffed shells ever since I was 18. I do have to say the cheese stuff and doing it with the Worcestershire sauce tastes a lot better.

  25. I LOVE your recipes! Unfortunately I am on the Keto, low carb high fat diet right now so I can’t have these amazing pasta and bread using recipes! I signed up by mistake but I’m staying because I think I can use the recipes without the pasta and stuff cabbage or another veggie, or just make it without bread! I just need colossal willpower! Thank you for sharing your great recipes! And please everyone, if she calls for Worcestershire, don’t leave it out! It’s the secret to many of my own family favorites!

      1. I live in Philly, Philly cheese steaks are not made with ground meat. They should be called ground meat shells.

  26. I used to live in Ohio and loved a dish at the Chinese restaurants called War Sui GUI (uncertain spelling). I have been living in Florida for the last 30 years and not been able to find the recipe. It was cubes of coated chicken served on a bed of lettuce covered with a brown gravy and sliced green onions. It came with a side of fried rice. Would you by any chance have this recipe or could you tell me where to find it? Good talking to your dad I love your site.

  27. What’s your opinion on how this is reheated? Could I make it today and put the whole thing in the fridge to reheat for dinner tomorrow and still have it taste good? Thanks!

    1. I would put about a tablespoon of water in with it, cover and reheat in the oven or microwave. The water will help steam the pasta so it doesn’t dry out in the reheating process. Enjoy!

  28. Fabulous! I made the recipe as directed except I added a little extra Worcestershire sauce and a 1/2 tsp marmite for more umami flavor. I will definitely make again.

  29. I was thinking about making this I hope it comes out as great as yours did. My only problem is I have a bad habit of overcooking the pasta. Any suggestions?

  30. It would help to do the chopping before you start cooking as the chopping took more time for me than the noodle cooking or the meat browning, so I was not ready to cook the onions and peppers when the meat got done… I had red orange and yellow peppers instead of green…a little sweater…awesome!! Loved it, and my kids did too!

  31. Can I prep this 8hrs before. Then cook it. Just the shells n meat mixture not the cheese ill do that when I get home from my kids ball game..

  32. To the lady with the cheese problem. Never use lo fat cheese. It just doesn’t melt properly. And add the milk and the beef both and the cornstarch before turning the stove back on. Heat and whisk, then add the cheese, small amounts at a time. Whisk some more until starting to thicken. That should solve the curdling problems.

  33. I’m going to try this out but instead of cheddar ill do a gouda and provolone mix going to be delicious

  34. Made this tonight and turned out ok, but not like Philly Cheese Steak. Next time I try it with sliced steak and provolone instead of hamburger, add some more onion as well aa garlic and a little hot sauce.

  35. Very very good. I followed the recipe exactly, next time I’ll try provolone and baby bella mushrooms. This is a five out of five stars. Super easy

  36. LOVED this recipe. Have eaten the seasoned meat alone on open buns with provolone!!!! When I did stuuf the shells, I think I am just going to sustitute flour instead of corn starch, as the creamy, cheesy sauce did not seem to thicken as much as shown in the video. I followed the recipe exactly. May also use more cheese. Still SO YUMMY!

  37. This was absolutely amazing! I used thinly sliced steak and chopped it up a bit as well as adding mushrooms (can’t resist adding mushrooms to my cheese steak)? Will be making this frequently and definitely passing your recipe on to some of my besties!!!!

  38. Have you ever tried it with provolone cheese? My husband is a big fan of provolone with his cheese steaks lol. Thank you for the recipe.

    1. I’ve never tested it using provolone but it sounds delicious! I’d love to know how it turns out if you decide to try it!

  39. I’m planning on making this this week…I’m kind of an amateur with cooking but this seems reasonable! Can I use a nonstick skillet instead of cast iron??

    1. Yes, you definitely can. I just prefer a cast iron because I like how it creates a bit more “crust” on the meat while browning. I hope you enjoy it!

  40. I subsituted Beef Broth with Mushroom Broth and used the no-name cheddar cheese I had in the fridge. DON’T DO THIS!! ABSOLUTELY GROSS! Stirred and stirred and nothing melted properly and developed little clumps! My milk was new and fine but when we whisked it, it looked like what milk looks like when it’s sour in a coffee cup! Next time I will use the proper ingredients and see if it turns out better… It probably works better with Brand Names.

    Plan B was 4-cheese Classico Alfredo sauce. Saved the meal!

    I will try it again to see if

  41. Yummy but no one in Philly uses green peppers ( or ground meat for that matter). Please, for the love of mike stop with the peppers! In Philly it’s”Wit” – with onions or no onions at all, that’s it! Trust me if you ask for bell peppers at one of the legendary Philly steak joints they will 1. ignore you, 2. mock you or 3. run you out of their establishment. Friendly FYI from a Philly girl.

      1. I’m from Philly and plenty of places offer green peppers, I always get my cheese steak with green peppers…

    1. It’s a preference I’m sure. I don’t like green peppers ‘anything’.. nor would my ground beef be well done. The video was amazing though and the cook should be complimeneted. It’s on the internet. Can’t please everyone. Good job Sabrina!

  42. Wowee, this was amazing and so delicious!! Next time, husband said I should try provolone! This has now been requested to be on dinner rotation!

    1. You’ll want to place the shells in a 9×13 pan and pour the sauce around them. There’s a video in the post that you can watch too if that helps. Enjoy!!

  43. I used fresh lasagna sheets and rolled them up.  Easier then stuffing all the shells and then cooked about 15-20 minutes .   Came out great !

  44. I’ve made these once already and I am making them again as I write this review. These are to die for! Taste almost exactly like Philly cheesesteak! Thank you so much for the recipe. Definitely a household favorite! ??

  45. Definitely not steak and cheese but super delicious! I got more mac and cheese hints rather then steak and cheese haha!

  46. My boyfriend tagged me in this I made it for dinner tonight and it was amazing…please keep your recipes coming I would like to share some of mine also

  47. Sounds like my family will love this and want to try it tomorrow! One thing I’m confused about…it only cooks for 10 minutes??? I’ve read the recipe 3 times and that’s what I’m seeing….help!

    1. No need to worry, everything is cooked in the skillet 🙂 You’re just putting it in the oven at the end to melt the cheese. It’s such a family favorite!! I hope you all enjoy it too.

    1. Yes….I cooked a roast for dinner the other night and to make cold cuts with since I have slicer and used some of that (along with some mushrooms?) came out absolutely amazing!!!!!

    1. Sorry that was a glitch, it was the first thing in the directions but got tagged for the section above it. I fixed it.

    1. Yes, in the ingredients it lists the shells as cooked. I’d say you can cook for a minute shy of the box even if you’d like.

    1. I substituted the cheese sauce mix with a can of cheddar cheese soup mix amd added a half a block of sofened cream cheese yummy theses are the best kinda made it my own. No disrespect to tje original recipe. I also added tomato sauce instead of ketchup