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.
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
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
- Cook the beef and onions in a pan, breaking the beef apart as it cooks, before draining any excess grease.
- Add the garlic and taco seasoning, and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the taco seasoning, tomato puree, corn, black beans and goat cheese and cook until the goat cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spread the salsa into a large baking dish, stuff the shells with the beef mixture and place them in the salsa.
- Sprinkle the cheese on top followed by the mixture of the butter and bread crumbs.
- Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until the cheese has melted and the bread crumbs turn golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
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Nicole says
These look great, Kevin!
Unknown says
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
Dining Alone says
If I took out the beans my husband would love this! looks great.
Vinita says
Looks so amazing! I'll try it out for a nice weekend lunch.
Cooking Rookie says
This is a really cool idea! And the salad looks so fresh and appropriate 😉
Mary Anne says
The shells look so delicious Kevin! I am so used to turning to corn tortillas for tacos, I never thought of pasta shells. Yum!
Asiya @ Chocolate & Chillies says
Looks great! Would love to try this recipe…will be subbing the goat cheese for some cream cheese. Thx for sharing!
Anonymous says
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 🙂
Esi says
Love the idea of changing up the traditional flavors of stuffed shells
Valerie says
This looks amazing! I can't wait to try it. 😀
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
Pasta shells are awesome and your dish looks so mouthwatering!
Cheers,
Rosa
Lilybets says
Fantastic !I like very much your photos….I'm Italian and love to taste and cooking !I believe your recipes are very good !
Sue says
Ohhh, Italian, Mexican fusion. I like!
mireia badia says
If it’s about tacos and/or pasta I’m all for it, I’m going to pin this récipe right now!
Sütüme, Sarelleme Karışma!!! says
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?!
Joanne says
aI've never made stuffed shells EVER, let alone a fun foodie variation! These sound great though. I love the tex-mex twist!
Helene says
That's a great idea, I never made taco stuffed shells or heard of them. Thanks for the blog link.
Joanne says
Looks great! Thanks so much for including us 🙂
Kathleen Richardson says
Love this idea, Kevin, 'cause I could make it vegetarian for my daughter by subbing something like Boca Ground Crumbles.
Mal says
I have a similar recipe pinned on a pinterest board, this makes me need to try it sooner!
Mal @ The Chic Geek
S says
Oh wow! That looks amazing! I'm hungry again and I just had breakfast. 🙂
The Cookinglady says
I love taco's Kevin great job and thanks for sharing
Jenny@vegetaraianhatesvegetables says
These look wonderful! I've always wanted to find a way to eat avocado with pasta- you beat me to it! Yum!
vanillasugarblog says
rarely do i make stuffed shells because i'm lazy about stuffing them. but this would be worth the effort
Dave Murphy says
Yum! Looks delicious.
Anonymous says
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!
Maria says
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.
Non Aussie Mom In Australia says
looks great…. looks yummy too!
Anonymous says
looks great
Jennifer | Mother Thyme says
These look amazing! Adding this to my dinner menu soon! Another fabulous recipe!
Gria Loka says
Oooooo…woowwwww!!!Well done presentation of your homemade amazing food 🙂
Pam says
Oh Kevin… these have me drooling. Love, love, love the flavors in this one.
Amber says
Best of both worlds, Italian and Mexican! YUM!
Margarita says
Tacos in pasta shells! Great idea!
Erica says
These look AMAZING! I'm definitely making these!
http://www.poolovesboo.blogspot.com
Judee @ Gluten Free A-Z says
I love this idea. We love tacos and we love stuffed shells. Great Como
Chris says
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.
Anonymous says
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.
Kim says
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.
Vicky Page says
I was thinking of making Mexican Mac and Cheese, but this is EVEN better !!!
dianak says
Just made these. OMG!!!!!!!!. I cut recipe in half cuz just for Mom and me, so sad. Should have made the whole thing.
pat1755 says
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.