Mexican Stuffed Shells - You'll love this Mexican twist on the classic stuffed shells recipe. It's one of my favorite meals!
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Cheesy taco stuffed shells are a super tasty meal with all your favorite taco ingredients like salsa, cheese, and ground beef.
Not only are Mexican Taco Shells a great dinner recipe, but it's also a great casserole dish for game day, family reunions, and potlucks.
The whole family will love this delicious dinner on pasta night, Taco Tuesday or any other day of the week! It's ready for the dinner table in under an hour, too.
Ingredients
- lean ground beef
- store-bought or homemade taco seasoning
- cream cheese
- jumbo pasta shells
- salsa or Picante sauce
- taco sauce
- cheddar or Monterrey jack cheese
This is meant to be a brief overview of the instructions for how to make taco stuffed shells. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below.
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- Meanwhile, start browning the ground beef.
- Mix in the taco seasoning and half of the salsa.
- Stir in the cream cheese and cover to allow it to melt.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the meat mixture to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F.
- Pour the remaining salsa into a 9x13 baking dish.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the taco mixture into each shell.
- Add half of the shredded cheese over the stuffed shells.
- Spoon the taco sauce evenly over the top of the casserole.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
- Bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions (and answers!) readers often ask about this Mexican Stuffed Shells recipe.
Both picante sauce and salsa are usually made with tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and spices. Picante sauce is smoother than traditional salsa. The texure of picante sauce is almost like a puree, while salsa is chunky.
"Picante" means spicy in Spanish and it is often spicier than salsa, although you can find different heat levels at the store.
Taco sauce is usually made from a tomato puree with vinegar and dried spices, while picante sauce is made with ingredients more similar to salsa. Taco sauce is very thin and good for drizzling over salads, tacos, burritos, and even pizza.
If you cook a whole 12-ounce box of jumbo pasta shells, you will have pasta leftover. Unless you're planning to double the recipe, use the leftover pasta shells to make our Easy Lasagna Soup Recipe.
Ang's Tips
✔️ Look for a Mexican cheese blend at your grocery store. That's my favorite cheese mixture to use for this recipe.
✔️ If you love short cuts, use this Crockpot Ground Beef Taco Meat recipe for your base, then add the cream cheese and salsa to it to make the taco filling. I love keeping this ground beef in my freezer to pull our for fast meals!
✔️Be sure your pasta is cooked al dente. You do not want to end up with mushy jumbo shells after this bakes in the oven.
Storage
Mexican stuffed shells with ground beef is one of my favorite freezer meals. I like to make a double batch and freeze one for later. (I like to use an aluminum foil pan when making extras for the freezer.)
To Store: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days. (These are my favorite airtight containers.)
To Reheat: Microwave individual portions in 30-second intervals until heated through.
To Freeze: Prepare the taco shell casserole according to the instructions but do not add the extra cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and freeze until solid. Then, slide the entire casserole pan into a 2-gallon freezer bag. Label and return to the freezer.
Stuffed taco shells are good in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To Thaw: Allow the taco casserole to thaw in the fridge overnight. Bake according to the instructions in the recipe card. (You may need a few extra minutes.)
Variations
The first time you try any new recipe we recommend that you make it just as it is written on the recipe card since that is how the Mexican stuffed shells recipe has been tested. However, the next time you make our recipe, you might want to try one of these ideas:
- If you prefer, you can use enchilada sauce instead of taco sauce.
- This meat filling can be made with ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork, and even ground sausage like chorizo.
- Mix other ingredients into the ground beef mixture like Rot-el diced tomatoes and chilies, black beans, or frozen corn kernels.
- For a spicier dish, add a little bit of chili powder or hot sauce to the taco meat mixture.
- If you have leftover slow cooker shredded beef taco meat, use it instead of ground beef.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with additional salsa and chopped green onions, or any of your favorite taco toppings like chopped fresh cilantro, sour cream, avocado slices, or even crumbled tortilla chips.
Add a side salad or other yummy Mexican side dish and you'll have everyone around the dinner table in no time!
Similar Recipes
Next time, try one of these delicious recipes:
- Chicken Pasta Bake - super easy meal that's perfect for busy weeknights. Kids love the chicken paired with creamy pasta and cheese.
- Cheesy Hamburger Casserole - so good when you're craving comfort food fast. It'll take you back to your childhood!
- Chicken Stuffing Bake - easy enough for weeknights but makes a wonderful Sunday supper, too.
You'll also love:
- Italian Sausage Pasta with Blistered Tomatoes
- Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
- Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
- Jalapeño Bacon Mac and Cheese
- Taco Stuffed Peppers
- Slow Cooker Mexican Casserole
Find More Recipes
Not ready to make this easy stuffed shells recipe yet? Be sure to pin this recipe for taco stuffed shells.
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Taco Stuffed Shells
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Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 20 jumbo pasta shells
- 1-½ cups salsa or Picante sauce divided
- ½ cup taco sauce
- 2 cups shredded cheese divided
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.20 jumbo pasta shells
- Meanwhile, start browning the ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat.1 lb lean ground beef
- Drain off the grease and turn the temperature down to medium.
- Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the meat.2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- Then, mix in half of the salsa.1-½ cups salsa or Picante sauce
- Stir in the cream cheese and cover to allow it to melt into the meat mixture.4 ounces cream cheese
- Once the cream cheese is melted, remove the skillet from the heat and allow the meat mixture to cool.
- Drain the pasta and place the shells into a single layer on a cutting board or baking sheet so that they don't stick together.
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F.
- Pour the remaining salsa into a 9x13 baking dish and spread evenly all over the bottom of the pan.1-½ cups salsa or Picante sauce
- Once the pasta shells are cool enough to handle, spoon about 2 tablespoons of the taco mixture into each shell.
- Place the stuffed shells into the baking pan and continue until it is full. If you have a little bit of leftover meat, just add it on top.
- Add half of the shredded cheese over the stuffed shells.2 cups shredded cheese
- Spoon the taco sauce evenly over the top of the casserole.½ cup taco sauce
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.2 cups shredded cheese
- Bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Nutrition
Meal Planning
Want to add this recipe to your meal plan? Download our free printable meal plan here.
This recipe is included in Meal Plan 7 along with:
... and more!
Be sure to check out all our meal plan ideas here.
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