pasta shells get a south of the border makeover when filled with taco ingredients and smothered in cheese! Taco and Mexican food lovers will go crazy for these!
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 package low-sodium taco seasoning
4 oz. cream cheese
14-16 jumbo pasta shells
1.5 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce (smooth, tomato-based sauce found in the Mexican section)
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup Monterey jack cheese
3 green onions, chopped
Sour cream, for topping
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a frying pan cook ground beef; add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions. Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and cool completely. While ground beef is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to directions; drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process (since they will be baked later on). Set shells out individually on cutting board/baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.
Pour salsa on bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place shells in 9×13 pan open side up. Cover shells with taco sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes, with the foil removed. Top with any condiments you’d like (green onions, black olives, etc…whatever you like on tacos!) I left mine plain because I didn’t have much of anything on hand. Serve with sour cream and/or more salsa.