Taco Stuffed Shells

4.89 from 9 votes

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.

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: taco stuffed shells

Servings:

Author: Natasha Bull

Ingredients

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

Boil a large, salted pot of water for the jumbo shells. Cook them al dente according to package directions.
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.
Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
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.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F and move the rack to the top third of the oven. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and spread the salsa in an even layer on the bottom.
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.
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.
Top the shells with the remaining cheese.
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. I like to have some crispy bits, but if you want it all to be softer, I suggest doing that (take the foil off to broil, though).
Prep the toppings while the shells are baking.
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. I used Newman's Own. You can use a larger jar if you want even more sauce.
This recipe makes approximately 24 shells depending on how many you're actually able to fit into your baking dish.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition