Taco Stuffed Shells
These Taco Stuffed Shells are baked pasta shells filled with seasoned ground beef, salsa, cream cheese, garlic, shredded cheese, and green onions.
Print
Pin
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 8 oz large shell pasta
- 1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
- 2 1/2 tsp freshly minced garlic
- 1 packet taco seasoning mix
- 1 cup salsa
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup Mexican or Fiesta cheese blend shredded
- 1/2 cup green onions chopped
Instructions
- Cook the large pasta shells according to the package directions.
- Drain the pasta shells and rinse them gently with cool water.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the lean ground beef until fully browned.
- Drain any excess fat from the skillet.
- Add the freshly minced garlic to the cooked ground beef.
- Sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the taco seasoning mix and salsa to the skillet.
- Stir until the ground beef is evenly coated with the seasoning and salsa.
- Cut the softened cream cheese into pieces.
- Add the cream cheese to the skillet.
- Stir continuously until the cream cheese is fully melted and incorporated into the beef mixture.
- Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Arrange the cooked pasta shells in the prepared baking pan with the openings facing upward.
- Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, fill each pasta shell with the taco beef mixture.
- Sprinkle the shredded Mexican or Fiesta cheese blend evenly over the stuffed shells.
- Place the baking pan in the preheated oven.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove the baking pan from the oven.
- Allow the shells to rest for 2 minutes before serving.
- Sprinkle the chopped green onions over the top.
- Serve warm.
Notes
To make these Taco Stuffed Shells gluten free, replace the regular large pasta shells with gluten-free jumbo pasta shells.
Confirm that the taco seasoning mix is gluten free, as some packaged blends may contain wheat-based thickeners or gluten-containing additives.
Use a gluten-free salsa and verify that the cream cheese, shredded cheese blend, ground beef, garlic, and green onions are free from gluten-containing ingredients.
Prepare the recipe with clean cookware, utensils, and baking dishes to avoid cross-contamination.
Cook gluten-free pasta shells carefully according to the package directions, as they may tear more easily than traditional pasta.
If gluten-free jumbo shells are unavailable, use gluten-free pasta such as penne or rotini and layer the taco beef mixture and cheese casserole-style instead.