Cheesy Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells

A quick and easy dinner recipe with a fun twist! Combining taco ingredients with jumbo pasta shells and lots of gooey cheese might just be the ultimate comfort food.

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This tasty dinner recipe is awesome for a family with picky kids! Everyone always gets a bell full.

If your family struggles to find dinner ideas that everyone can agree on, this recipe is for you! The kids and adults will be equally pleased. It’s not only delicious, this amazing comfort food is also cheap and easy to make.

You can, of course, customize it to your own liking, but the main ingredients are simple: pasta shells, ground beef, enchilada sauce, cream cheese, and shredded cheese. Bake, eat, and voila! Everyone is full and happy.

This Mexican inspired recipe is also quite unique. Combining taco ingredients with pasta is really fun and tasty! Top these cheesy pasta shells with avocado, sour cream, diced tomato, jalapeño, or anything else you’d like. 

Taco Stuffed Shells Recipe (a Mexican inspired dinner idea). Cheap and easy dinner recipe for the family! Great for kids and picky eaters. This budget friendly main dish is always a hit! Made with ground beef, cream cheese, pasta shells and sauce. Super quick and simple to make! #maindish #dinnerideas #tacostuffedshells #instrupix

While the pasta shells are cooking, you’re going to start off by browning the beef and mixing it with taco seasoning, salsa, and cream cheese. This is going to be the delicious stuffing!

Taco Stuffed Shells Recipe (a Mexican inspired dinner idea). Cheap and easy dinner recipe for the family! Great for kids and picky eaters. This budget friendly main dish is always a hit! Made with ground beef, cream cheese, pasta shells and sauce. Super quick and simple to make! #maindish #dinnerideas #tacostuffedshells #instrupix

Generously stuff each cooked pasta shell with the cheesy beef mixture.

Taco Stuffed Shells Recipe (a Mexican inspired dinner idea). Cheap and easy dinner recipe for the family! Great for kids and picky eaters. This budget friendly main dish is always a hit! Made with ground beef, cream cheese, pasta shells and sauce. Super quick and simple to make! #maindish #dinnerideas #tacostuffedshells #instrupix

Cover the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with half of the enchilada sauce, and then place the stuffed shells tightly next to each other. Drizzle with the remaining sauce.

Taco Stuffed Shells Recipe (a Mexican inspired dinner idea). Cheap and easy dinner recipe for the family! Great for kids and picky eaters. This budget friendly main dish is always a hit! Made with ground beef, cream cheese, pasta shells and sauce. Super quick and simple to make! #maindish #dinnerideas #tacostuffedshells #instrupix

Evenly sprinkle your cheese blend all over the top.

taco stuffed shells recipe

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Taco Stuffed Shells Recipe (a Mexican inspired dinner idea). Cheap and easy dinner recipe for the family! Great for kids and picky eaters. This budget friendly main dish is always a hit! Made with ground beef, cream cheese, pasta shells and sauce. Super quick and simple to make! #maindish #dinnerideas #tacostuffedshells #instrupix

Serve alone or with Spanish rice, veggies, beans, or salad. If you end up with any leftovers, they are just as good the next day! I love it when I get two meals in one.

Taco Stuffed Shells Recipe (a Mexican inspired dinner idea). Cheap and easy dinner recipe for the family! Great for kids and picky eaters. This budget friendly main dish is always a hit! Made with ground beef, cream cheese, pasta shells and sauce. Super quick and simple to make! #maindish #dinnerideas #tacostuffedshells #instrupix

Cheesy Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells

This Mexican inspired main dish is great for picky eaters! Everyone, including the kids, will love this quick and easy dinner recipe. It's made with just a few simple and cheap ingredients: ground beef, cream cheese, salsa, enchilada sauce, pasta shells, and shredded cheese.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian, Mexican
Keyword: comfort food, dinner, easy meals, family meals, ground beef, pasta, quick
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 22-24 jumbo pasta shells (a little more than half a box)
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 1 cup mild salsa
  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 (10oz) can red enchilada sauce
  • 2 cups Mexican cheese blend (or cheese of choice)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° F and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
  • Cook the shells according to the package directions (it's okay if they are a little firm since you will also be baking them). Once cooked, lay them out individually so that they don't stick together.
  • In a skillet, cook and chop the ground beef until brown; remove any excess grease. Add the salsa and taco seasoning to the beef and combine.
  • Add the cream cheese to the beef and stir until the cream cheese is thoroughly melted (if you cut the cream cheese into smaller pieces it melts a lot faster).
  • Pour about half of the enchilada sauce onto the bottom of your prepared baking dish.
  • Stuff the shells with the beef mixture and place them into the sauced dish. Once finished, drizzle with the remaining enchilada sauce and top with cheese.
  • Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes

  • These stuffed shells are fabulous served with Spanish rice and topped with sour cream, tomatoes, avocado, jalapeño, olives, and/or green onion.
  • Make it vegetarian with black beans or refried beans instead of the beef. You could also add corn, rice, or bell peppers.
  • Because you won't be using the entire box of shells, you could double the recipe and then have plenty for leftover the next day (or freeze it for later).

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    Cheesy Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells | A quick and easy dinner recipe the entire family will love! Including your super picky eaters. My kids love this simple and cheap ground beef and pasta dinner recipe. It's so delicious for busy weeknight meals. A fun twist on Mexican food! If your family struggles to find dinner ideas that everyone can agree on, this fun and unique main dish is for you. It's also cheap to make with just a few ingredients including ground beef, cream cheese, pasta, salsa, enchilada sauce and shredded cheese.

    Quick & Easy Dinner Ideas With Ground Beef - I'm always looking for simple and cheap family dinner recipes for my kids, and even my picky eaters love these taco stuffed pasta shells! They are a unique fusion of Mexican & Italian food. How can you go wrong with cheesy ground beef stuffed into pasta? This is definitely a fun meal to make, and a nice change from the usual, boring dinners we usually have. Ground beef dishes are my favorite b/c they are so easy to make on busy weeknight meals.Mexican Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells - If your family struggles to find dinner ideas that everyone can agree on, then this recipe is for you! The kids and adults will be equally pleased. It’s not only delicious, it’s also cheap and easy to make. You can customize it to your own liking, but the main ingredients are simple: pasta shells, ground beef, sauce, cream cheese, and shredded cheese. Bake, eat and voila! Everyone is full and happy. This Mexican inspired recipe is also quite unique, combing taco ingredients with pasta.Looking for quick and easy dinner recipes for the family? These ground beef taco pasta stuffed shells are always a hit, even for picky kids! The entire family will love this simple and cheap main dish. It's perfect for busy weeknights meals or even a fun replacement for taco night. Add this main dish to your monthly meal plan! It's budget friendly, easy to make, and kid and husband approved. If you're menu planning and looking for easy dinner ideas on a budget, your search ends here! #instrupix

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