Taco stuffed shells are a delicious fusion of Mexican and Italian flavors. Easy to prep ahead and fun to eat, the whole family will love when a new way to enjoy tacos hits the table!
Ingredients
20piecesjumbo pasta shellsabout half of a 12 ounce box
½teaspoonolive oil
1teaspoonminced garlic
1poundground beefI used 80/20
½teaspoonsalt
15-16ouncessalsayou can use your favorite jarred salsa or homemade
1cupfrozen cornfrozen, canned or cut fresh from the cob
2tablespoonstaco seasoning
2cupscheddar cheese
Instructions
For The Shells
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Layer about a cup of salsa over the bottom of a 9x13 pan evenly.
Place a large pot of water on the stovetop. Add salt generously to the water and turn the stove to high to bring the pot of water to a boil. Place shells in the water and cook for about 8 - 9 minutes, cooking them just under al dente. They should be a little flexible but not floppy. Drain the shells in a colander and set to the side to cool.
For The Meat Filling
In a large skillet add the olive oil over medium high heat. Add minced garlic to the oil and cook for a minute or two until fragrant.
Place the ground beef in the skillet. Break up the ground beef with a wooden spatula and sprinkle with salt. Stir the meat as needed, cooking it until it is no longer pink. Drain any excess grease from the meat.
Add the frozen corn, taco seasoning, ¼ cup of salsa to the meat. Sti until warm all the way through and the taco seasoning is dissolved.
Place ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese in the meat mixture and stir until just melted. Removed the meat from the heat.
Filling The Shells And Baking
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Fill the cooked shells with the meat and cheese mixture evenly between the shells. Place the shells in the pan on top of the salsa in rows..
Spread the rest of the salsa in dollops on top of each of the stuffed shells with a spoon evenly. Top generously with the rest of the cheddar cheese then cover with aluminum foil.
Bake the entire pan for 20-25 minutes or until hot and the cheese is gooey. Then serve and enjoy!
Notes
I have calculated the estimated nutrition based per shell to make things a little easier. If you’re trying to figure out how many shells per person though, I find that most adults will eat between 3-5 shells depending on what else you serve this with. Usually this pan will serve 5-6 people when the shells are the main dish.