4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Jumbo Shells

These 4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Jumbo Shells will change your life if you’re searching for the easiest dinner you can possibly make on a busy weeknight! Instead of boiling pasta on the stovetop and filling up each shell individually, you can dump in the uncooked dry pasta into your crockpot where it cooks to perfect tenderness in the delicious tomato sauce.

I use this easy hack all the time when I know I have a long afternoon of school events and I need dinner ready as soon as we walk in the door. Using a bag of frozen meatballs and a jar of pasta sauce, this meal is ready in just 3 minutes of prep time and is truly the ultimate “dump and go” meal that tastes like an Italian casserole baked in the oven for hours.

One of my favorite things about this simple, satisfying meal is how the big jumbo shells scoop up the sauce and cheesy melted mozzarella in every bite. Kids and adults alike love them! Be sure to serve with some crusty bread, since you don’t want to leave any of that amazing sauce behind in the bottom of your slow cooker!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

This slow cooker jumbo shells recipe is a total game changer for busy parents who are looking for an easy dinner that doesn’t require babysitting on the stovetop. There’s no washing a pasta pot, strainer, or casserole dish, so you can keep your sink completely empty! The slow cooker will gently cook the uncooked pasta and meatballs at the same time, resulting in tender pasta and melt-in-your-mouth meatballs.

It’s one of my favorite pasta recipes because it is so forgiving and easily customizable. The pasta is loaded with sauce and the savory meatballs, providing a ton of flavor that most picky eaters will love. This slow cooker baked shells recipe is a spin off the traditional stuffed shells or baked ziti recipe, except it doesn’t require nearly as much work.

What You Need

There’s only 4 ingredients you need to make this easy slow cooker jumbo shells recipe: dry jumbo pasta shells, a jar of pasta sauce, a bag of cooked frozen meatballs, and shredded mozzarella cheese (plus water).

Dry Jumbo Shells

A standard box of uncooked jumbo shells is the main ingredient here. Jumbo shells are large enough that they don’t disintegrate in the slow cooker, but still have room to fill with cheese and sauce. They’re like little edible bowls! You can substitute large rigatoni pasta or penne pasta in this recipe, too.

Jarred Marinara Sauce

A jar of marinara sauce will be the liquid base of the dish, providing tons of garlic and herb flavor to the pasta. Since the pasta needs liquid to cook, you’ll add some water along with the sauce to the crockpot so it doesn’t dry out.

Frozen Meatballs

A simple bag of frozen Italian meatballs, already cooked and ready to go, is an excellent time saver for this recipe, adding tons of meat in mere seconds. The meatballs simmer in the sauce and add flavor to the whole dish. Beef or pork or turkey works fine, and there is no need to thaw them first. Just add them to the slow cooker!

Mozzarella Cheese

At the end of the cooking time, we’ll sprinkle some fresh grated mozzarella cheese over the pasta, which will melt into a delicious, stringy layer and bring all of our ingredients together. Be sure to grate the cheese yourself, since bagged cheese products have been dusted with starch and won’t melt as smoothly.

How to Make Slow Cooker Jumbo Shells

Get a big slow cooker ready and let’s start this very simple dinner!

Dump the Base Ingredients

Lightly coat the insert of your big slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Then pour in the entire bag of frozen meatballs in one big dump at the bottom of the slow cooker. Spread them into an even layer.

Add Pasta and Liquids

Now pour your raw, uncooked jumbo pasta shells on top of the frozen meatballs. Then pour your whole jar of marinara sauce on top of the pasta shells. Half-fill the empty jar with water (about 12 oz), shake the sauce jar around to make sure you get every last drop of sauce, then pour that liquid into the slow cooker as well.

Stir and Cook

Stir everything around gently just enough to get all of the pasta shells covered by the sauce and water. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for about 2 hours, or LOW for about 3 ½ hours, until the pasta is done and tender.

Top with Cheese

When the pasta is cooked al dente and the sauce is nice and thick, turn off the slow cooker. Sprinkle on your fresh-shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the hot pasta. Cover the slow cooker again with the lid for about 5 more minutes until all the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve Hot

Scoop out the cheesy, tender shells and meatballs from the slow cooker with a big serving spoon. Enjoy piping hot with a sprinkle of fresh parsley, if you’d like!

My Top Recipe Tips

Making sure that all the pasta is completely covered by the liquid is important when making pasta in a slow cooker. If the pasta is left uncovered, it won’t soften and will be crunchy.

Don’t let this dish sit on the “Keep Warm” setting for hours after it has finished cooking. Leaving pasta in the slow cooker on “Warm” for extended periods of time causes the pasta to continue to cook and become soft, mushy, and disintegrating.

For an added veggie option, stir in a handful of fresh baby spinach for the last 5 minutes of cooking. The pasta will be hot enough to wilt the greens into the cheesy sauce and no one will complain!

4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Jumbo Shells

Jennifer

Make dinner completely effortless with these 4-ingredient slow cooker jumbo shells! Just dump dry pasta, meatballs, sauce, and cheese straight into your crockpot.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Course Main

Servings 6

Calories 648 kcal

Equipment

• 6-quart slow cooker
• Large wooden spoon
• Cheese Grater

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 box dry jumbo pasta shells 12 oz box
• 1 bag frozen meatballs 16-24 oz bag, fully cooked, Italian
• 1 jar marinara 24 oz jar, or traditional pasta sauce
• 1.5 cups water
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese freshly shredded

Instructions

 

• Spray the inside of a large, 6-quart slow cooker insert with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place frozen meatballs in a single layer at the bottom of the slow cooker.
• Spread dry, uncooked, jumbo pasta shells on top of the meatballs.
• Pour the jar of marinara sauce on top of the pasta. Fill the empty marinara sauce jar with 1.5 cups of water, screw the lid on, shake it up to get all the remaining sauce, then pour it into the slow cooker.
• Mix everything together gently. The goal is to make sure the pasta shells are submerged in liquid as much as possible.
• Cover the slow cooker with its lid. Cook on HIGH for 2 hours (or LOW for 3.5-4 hours). If you can, stir gently once halfway through the cooking process.
• Test for doneness of the pasta (it should be tender and most of the liquid should have been absorbed). Turn the slow cooker off.
• Add freshly shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the hot pasta and meatballs.
• Replace the lid on the slow cooker and let sit for 5 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted.
• Scoop and serve immediately while hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 648kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 36gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 841mgPotassium: 817mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 751IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 234mgIron: 3mg

*Nutritional information is a calculated guesstimate. Please note that this can change with different brands and modifications you may make to the recipe. For the most accurate information, use a nutritional calculator with the exact brands and measurements you’re using with each recipe.

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Storage and Reheating

• Store: Store any leftover cheesy shells and meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• Freeze: Cooled pasta leftovers can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the freezer for up to 2 months, but the noodles will be a bit softer once thawed.
• Reheat: Reheat single portions gently in the microwave for 2 minutes. Reheat a larger batch on the stovetop in a skillet with a very small splash of water to revive the thick tomato sauce.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve with a huge loaf of warm, buttery garlic bread that has been perfectly toasted to wipe up the extra sauce.
• Serve with a nice Caesar salad full of crunchy croutons and parmesan.
• Serve with a side of plain roasted zucchini or steamed green beans.
• Top with additional grated parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add ricotta cheese to make these taste like stuffed shells?

Yes! After the pasta finishes cooking, dollop whole milk ricotta cheese over the top of the shells just before adding the mozzarella. Replace the lid for 5 minutes to warm through for a nice, creamy addition.

Why did my pasta turn into mush?

Pasta becomes mushy if your slow cooker gets too hot or if the dish cooks too long. Slow cookers vary in how they heat so start checking the pasta for doneness after about 90 minutes if cooking on high.