Description
This taco stuffed shells recipe is a fantastic twist for Taco Tuesday! Here we’ve got perfectly seasoned ground beef in jumbo shells with loads of juicy salsa and melty cheese.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 dozen uncooked jumbo shells
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 (14.5 ounce) jar salsa
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1.5 cups Tex-Mex cheese blend (divided)
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
- Garnish: cilantro, avocado, scallions, tomatoes, sour cream, etc. (optional, to taste)
Instructions
- Step 1: Boil a large, salted pot of water for the jumbo shells. Cook them al dente according to package directions.
- Step 2: Add the oil and onion to a skillet over medium-high heat and sauté for 4-5 minutes or until the onion is just starting to lightly brown.
- Step 3: Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Step 4: Add in the ground beef, chili powder, smoked paprika, and cumin. Cook, breaking up the beef with your spoon as you go along, until the beef is browned and cooked through (about 8 minutes). If there’s lots of excess fat, spoon most of it out.
- Step 5: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F and move the rack to the top third of the oven. Grease a 9×13 baking dish and spread the salsa in an even layer on the bottom.
- Step 6: Take the skillet off the heat and stir in the sour cream and half the cheese (stir until it’s evenly melted in). Season with salt & pepper as needed.
- Step 7: Rinse the shells under cool water and drain them thoroughly. To stuff the shells, take a small spoon and add the mixture into each shell. You should be able to stuff them fairly full. I add them to the baking dish one at a time as I go along.
- Step 8: Top the shells with the remaining cheese.
- Step 9: Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. You can then broil them for a few minutes to brown the cheese if you wish. Note: you can cover the baking dish with foil prior to baking if you like.
- Step 10: Prep the toppings while the shells are baking.
- Step 11: You can top the shells while they’re still in the baking dish or serve them and then top each plate as desired.
Notes
Use your favorite brand of salsa. This recipe makes approximately 24 shells depending on how many you’re actually able to fit into your baking dish.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 shells
- Calories: 395 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 749 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 79 mg
Keywords: taco stuffed shells, dinner, taco tuesday, cheesy pasta