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Taco Stuffed Shells

[heart_this] · Feb 22, 2012 · 42 Comments

Taco Stuffed Shells

Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with a taco inspired mixture of beef, corn, black beans and goat cheese that is covered in cheese and baked in salsa.

Taco stuffed shells have been on my to try list for a long time and when I recently came across some taco stuffed shells on Inspired Taste I could not put off making them any longer. The basic idea of the taco stuffed shells is that large pasta shells are stuffed with the flavours of tacos and then covered in cheese and baked. For the taco inspired filling I started out with ground beef that I flavoured with a homemade taco seasoning blend along with some onions and garlic. I then filled the mixture out, and made it a bit healthier, with some tomatoes, corn and black beans before finishing it off some hot sauce and creamy goat cheese. The shells are then stuffed with the filling and placed in a baking pan with a layer of salsa on the bottom and then cheese is sprinkled on along with some bread crumbs for a crunchy topping.

Taco Stuffed Shells
These taco stuffed shells are great all by themselves but feel free to serve them with your favourite taco filling like lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and avocados.

Taco Stuffed Shells

Taco Stuffed Shells

Taco Stuffed Shells

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Servings: 4

Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with a taco inspired mixture of beef, corn, black beans and goat cheese that’s covered in cheese and baked in salsa.

ingredients
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
  • 1 cup tomato puree
  • 1 cup corn
  • 1 cup black beans
  • 4 ounces goat cheese (or cream cheese)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 1 pound large pasta shells, cooked (gluten-free for gluten-free)
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted (or oil)
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (gluten-free for gluten-free)
directions
  1. Cook the beef and onions in a pan, breaking the beef apart as it cooks, before draining any excess grease.
  2. Add the garlic and taco seasoning, and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
  3. Add the taco seasoning, tomato puree, corn, black beans and goat cheese and cook until the goat cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes.
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Spread the salsa into a large baking dish, stuff the shells with the beef mixture and place them in the salsa.
  6. Sprinkle the cheese on top followed by the mixture of the butter and bread crumbs.
  7. Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until the cheese has melted and the bread crumbs turn golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 637, Fat 38g (Saturated 20g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 130mg, Sodium 538mg, Carbs 70g (Fiber 10g, Sugars 8g), Protein 61g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
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Beef, Food, Gluten-free, Main Course, Mexican, Pasta, Recipe, Texmex

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nicole says

    February 22, 2012 at 12:59 am

    These look great, Kevin!

    Reply
  2. Unknown says

    February 22, 2012 at 1:18 am

    THese look fantastic. I am the nutrition coordinator (cook, menu planner etc) at our local elementary school, and am always looking for new ideas…think I will try this one.
    Thanks

    Ann

    Reply
  3. Dining Alone says

    February 22, 2012 at 1:56 am

    If I took out the beans my husband would love this! looks great.

    Reply
  4. Vinita says

    February 22, 2012 at 2:00 am

    Looks so amazing! I'll try it out for a nice weekend lunch.

    Reply
  5. Cooking Rookie says

    February 22, 2012 at 2:52 am

    This is a really cool idea! And the salad looks so fresh and appropriate 😉

    Reply
  6. Mary Anne says

    February 22, 2012 at 3:14 am

    The shells look so delicious Kevin! I am so used to turning to corn tortillas for tacos, I never thought of pasta shells. Yum!

    Reply
  7. Asiya @ Chocolate & Chillies says

    February 22, 2012 at 3:55 am

    Looks great! Would love to try this recipe…will be subbing the goat cheese for some cream cheese. Thx for sharing!

    Reply
  8. Anonymous says

    February 22, 2012 at 4:27 am

    Kevin, I've made your pizza dip, cheeseburger dip & buffalo chicken chowder. I can't wait tk try this new taco stuffers shells recipe &i know it will be delicious! I always look forward to each e-mail with a new recipe & was so excited when you responded to my Pinterest comment! Can't wait for more great recipes! Thank you 🙂

    Reply
  9. Esi says

    February 22, 2012 at 4:45 am

    Love the idea of changing up the traditional flavors of stuffed shells

    Reply
  10. Valerie says

    February 22, 2012 at 5:15 am

    This looks amazing! I can't wait to try it. 😀

    Reply
  11. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

    February 22, 2012 at 6:38 am

    Pasta shells are awesome and your dish looks so mouthwatering!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  12. Lilybets says

    February 22, 2012 at 8:06 am

    Fantastic !I like very much your photos….I'm Italian and love to taste and cooking !I believe your recipes are very good !

    Reply
  13. Sue says

    February 22, 2012 at 9:50 am

    Ohhh, Italian, Mexican fusion. I like!

    Reply
  14. mireia badia says

    February 22, 2012 at 10:15 am

    If it’s about tacos and/or pasta I’m all for it, I’m going to pin this récipe right now!

    Reply
  15. Sütüme, Sarelleme Karışma!!! says

    February 22, 2012 at 10:43 am

    and thanks to u now they are on my to try list:) i love tacos, especially eating at home with all my fingers:) wait for me huge shells i got an idea?!

    Reply
  16. Joanne says

    February 22, 2012 at 11:23 am

    aI've never made stuffed shells EVER, let alone a fun foodie variation! These sound great though. I love the tex-mex twist!

    Reply
  17. Helene says

    February 22, 2012 at 1:45 pm

    That's a great idea, I never made taco stuffed shells or heard of them. Thanks for the blog link.

    Reply
  18. Joanne says

    February 22, 2012 at 2:07 pm

    Looks great! Thanks so much for including us 🙂

    Reply
  19. Kathleen Richardson says

    February 22, 2012 at 3:08 pm

    Love this idea, Kevin, 'cause I could make it vegetarian for my daughter by subbing something like Boca Ground Crumbles.

    Reply
  20. Mal says

    February 22, 2012 at 3:35 pm

    I have a similar recipe pinned on a pinterest board, this makes me need to try it sooner!

    Mal @ The Chic Geek

    Reply
  21. S says

    February 22, 2012 at 3:40 pm

    Oh wow! That looks amazing! I'm hungry again and I just had breakfast. 🙂

    Reply
  22. The Cookinglady says

    February 22, 2012 at 4:51 pm

    I love taco's Kevin great job and thanks for sharing

    Reply
  23. [email protected] says

    February 22, 2012 at 5:23 pm

    These look wonderful! I've always wanted to find a way to eat avocado with pasta- you beat me to it! Yum!

    Reply
  24. vanillasugarblog says

    February 22, 2012 at 5:47 pm

    rarely do i make stuffed shells because i'm lazy about stuffing them. but this would be worth the effort

    Reply
  25. Dave Murphy says

    February 22, 2012 at 8:27 pm

    Yum! Looks delicious.

    Reply
  26. Anonymous says

    February 22, 2012 at 10:02 pm

    I love this idea and I am so gonna try it! I think I might substitute the bread crumbs with crushed up corn tortilla chips just to have that corn tortilla flavor! Cat wait to give it a try!

    Reply
  27. Maria says

    February 22, 2012 at 10:17 pm

    What a great idea! I always mix some black beans in with the beef when I make tacos. It's delicious and I feel a little less guilty about loading on the cheese.

    Reply
  28. Non Aussie Mom In Australia says

    February 23, 2012 at 12:23 am

    looks great…. looks yummy too!

    Reply
  29. Anonymous says

    February 23, 2012 at 4:23 am

    looks great

    Reply
  30. Jennifer | Mother Thyme says

    February 23, 2012 at 2:14 pm

    These look amazing! Adding this to my dinner menu soon! Another fabulous recipe!

    Reply
  31. Gria Loka says

    February 23, 2012 at 3:35 pm

    Oooooo…woowwwww!!!Well done presentation of your homemade amazing food 🙂

    Reply
  32. Pam says

    February 23, 2012 at 4:21 pm

    Oh Kevin… these have me drooling. Love, love, love the flavors in this one.

    Reply
  33. Amber says

    February 23, 2012 at 7:59 pm

    Best of both worlds, Italian and Mexican! YUM!

    Reply
  34. Margarita says

    February 23, 2012 at 10:31 pm

    Tacos in pasta shells! Great idea!

    Reply
  35. Erica says

    February 24, 2012 at 4:09 am

    These look AMAZING! I'm definitely making these!
    http://www.poolovesboo.blogspot.com

    Reply
  36. Judee @ Gluten Free A-Z says

    February 24, 2012 at 2:21 pm

    I love this idea. We love tacos and we love stuffed shells. Great Como

    Reply
  37. Chris says

    February 26, 2012 at 1:31 pm

    I just imagined taking the stuffed shell, rolling it in breading and deep frying it. Crazy fair food? Maybe, but I'm willing to give it a try.

    Reply
  38. Anonymous says

    March 11, 2012 at 2:39 am

    Made these tonight and they were great! only change was I used ground turkey, since I had it on hand. Thanks for the great recipe.

    Reply
  39. Kim says

    January 9, 2013 at 5:47 pm

    My husband said they were 'mind freakers"….he was totally expecting the classic Italian stuffed shell taste (even though I told him they were taco stuffed) and was wowed with every bite.

    Reply
  40. Vicky Page says

    March 4, 2013 at 9:30 pm

    I was thinking of making Mexican Mac and Cheese, but this is EVEN better !!!

    Reply
  41. dianak says

    October 21, 2013 at 7:09 pm

    Just made these. OMG!!!!!!!!. I cut recipe in half cuz just for Mom and me, so sad. Should have made the whole thing.

    Reply
  42. pat1755 says

    December 19, 2013 at 3:31 pm

    Late to the party, but i finally made these — exceptional! One of those rare recipes that can please both the teenage boys with their cretinous appetites and the adults with a more sophisticated palate 🙂

    Thanks, Kevin.

    Reply

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