Taco-Stuffed Pasta Shells
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Looking for an easy South of the Border flavor in your next casserole? How about Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells? The whole family will enjoy this dish.
I love to make casseroles, even though there are just 2 of us in our family. The main reason is that there are always leftovers and I won’t have to cook two days in a row. Thank goodness Mr. G loves leftovers. I love to cook but not every day.
One of those casseroles that make really good leftovers is my Taco-Stuffed Pasta Shells. It also makes a great casserole to make ahead and bake later.
Even though it’s stuffed shells, it really is an easy recipe to make. Not many ingredients either and most you may already have. The trick is to not cook your shells the full-time amount it says on the box. Shave off a couple of minutes and the shells will hold up better when you need to stuff them.
I prefer to use my own Taco Seasoning Mix since it’s made with spices easily available and I know what’s in it. Packaged taco seasoning mix seems to have ingredients I’m not sure what they are.
I love the mixture of cheeses in this recipe too. Mexican blend with Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers gives is a nice blend of flavors. I do use a mild version of Rotel for the tomatoes on top, but if you like it hot, use the hotter version.
I serve this dish with my Skillet Mexican Cornbread on the side. You could also serve Mexican rice or Refried beans. I have an easy Homemade Refried Beans recipe you must try.
Taco-Stuffed Pasta Shells
INGREDIENTS
- 8 oz uncooked jumbo pasta shells about 24 shells from 12-oz box
- 1 lb lean at least 80% ground beef
- 1 package 1 oz taco seasoning mix or your own version
- 1 can 14.5 oz fire roasted crushed tomatoes, undrained
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese with Jalapeno Peppers
- 1 can Rotel tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro optional
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat oven to 350°F. Cook and drain pasta shells as directed on box minus a couple of minutes on cooking time. The shells are easier to stuff if they aren’t cooked all the way through.
- Using the same pan as to cook pasta in, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Add taco seasoning mix, crushed tomatoes and 1 cup of the shredded cheese; stir well until cheese is melted.
- Fill each pasta shell with about 1 tablespoon beef mixture; place in ungreased 13×9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Top filled shells with plum tomatoes and chopped cilantro; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Serve warm.
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Yum, this would make an incredible dinner! I just love anything that has to do with tacos. I’ll be trying this out soon. Maybe for Cinco de Mayo? 😉
That is such a new and great idea. Will serve as a perfect yummy meal. Will try this out over the weekend.
Oh wow! That sounds and looks amazing! We’ll have to give it a try ASAP!
Oh my goodness how delicious do these look! I have to admit I do love tacos and pasta and mixing the two I need to do!
What could be more flavorful than this recipe! It looks really good and it’s definitely something that we’ll enjoy!
So fun fooking. I’m not sure if I would have the patience to make them. Seem like it takes a bit of time. I think I will make my husband make this recipe.
Yummy delicious tacos with pasta. Great combination.
Wow! It looks so delicious. I am going to replace beef with some minced chicken as I don’t eat beef and I would try this recipe out. 🙂
Yummy. Would love to try out the recipe one day
Taco and pasta? Well this is an awesome combination of two of my favourite meals! Great idea!
These taco stuffed pasta shells look incredible!! Thanks for the recipe!
What a yummy idea to blend Mexican and Italian. I’ll have to give this a try!
Sounds delicious. We totally make casseroles for the leftovers! We often have them for breakfast the next morning, fried with eggs, which sounds weird, but almost always ends up being amazing.
Oh my! This looks wonderful, I haven’t made a dish like this in a long time. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
This looks fabulous and I know my kids would eat this up! Can’t wait to give this a try!
Thank you for the recipe. I can’t wait to try it…. I like your whole website too.