I found this recipe last year and can’t believe I haven’t blogged about it yet. I’m always on the lookout for something that involves pasta (Alan can eat pasta 4 nights a week). When I saw this recipe my eyes lit up! Could it be that I had found something that involves pasta but yet ventures into a new cuisine. A break away from Italian and an entry into Mexican? I knew that Alan liked tacos so the flavors would be OK so I set out to try it. I was a little nervous when I was making this, I have to admit. Stuffed shells with taco seasoned beef? Taco seasoned beef with cream cheese (which we WILL NOT let Alan know is in here)?
My biggest worry was what if he liked it and I didn’t? What if I found a recipe that he enjoyed and would request and I couldn’t stomach? We already had enough of those! All of these worries were gone as we both took our first bites. The tastes are refreshingly new with the shells and how it’s prepared but still known enough to be considered a comfort food. It doesn’t take that long to prepare and is definitely a nice change up when winter foods start to get a little mundane.
Mexican Stuffed Shells
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 package low-sodium taco seasoning (or better yet use this Taco Seasoning!)
4 oz. cream cheese
14-16 jumbo pasta shells
1.5 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce (This is a smooth, tomato based sauce found in the Mexican section)
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup monterey jack cheese
3 green onions
Sour cream
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a frying pan cook ground beef; add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions. Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and cool completely. While ground beef is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to directions; drain. Set shells out individually on cutting board/baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.
Pour salsa on bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place shells in 9×13 pan open side up. Cover shells with taco sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes, with the foil removed. Top with any condiments you’d like (green onions, black olives, etc.) Serve with sour cream and/or more salsa.
Adapted from: A Pinch of This & That
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This looks so good. I love stuffed shells, and I love Mexican food. This looks like a good way to combine the two!
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing. (I am SO hungry now…)
This is such a good idea! My husband would flip over this one. Thanks for sharing it with us.
This sounds amazing
My DH sent this from google + … guess he wants me to try it 🙂 Looks and sounds devine!!
They’re funny, aren’t they? 🙂 Hope you both enjoy it!
This is a great idea and one that my family would love too.
We loved this recipe. So glad you posted it. Stuff shells are hard to photograph, yours is really great!
Made these last night using a mild salsa and a medium taco sauce: very tasty! The black olives and green onions are a must. After you top with the cheese, do you cover it with foil again for the remaining bake time, or not?
No you don’t.
Made these last night using a mild salsa and a medium taco sauce: very tasty! The black olives and green onions are a must. After you top with the cheese, do you cover it with foil again for the remaining bake time, or not?
I’m so glad you liked it! I leave it uncovered for the remaining time to allow the cheese to get a nice, golden brown.
Hi, these look great! I’m gonna make them tonight. I didn’t see when you used the monterey jack cheese? Is that in the beginning with the turkey mixture and cream cheese or at the end with the cheddar? Thanks!
You use the Monterey Jack and Cheddar blend to top the shells at the end. Enjoy!
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made these the other day for football and they were DELICIOUS! everyone absolutely loved them and they went FAST! THANKS FOR THE AWESOME RECIPE!!! 🙂
I went to the store last night to buy the ingredients for this recipe. It calls for 1 cup taco sauce. I couldn’t find taco sauce… can you tell me what brand you use so I can look specifically for that? Thanks! 🙂
It’s right in the section with all of the tortilla’s, taco dinners, etc. Old El Paso, Taco Bell and several others have taco sauce. It’s not to be confused with salsa or enchilada sauce.
Thank you…I will look harder. I found every other kind of sauce except for “taco sauce” hahaha
ahh that looks so good! i just love how cheesy it is!!
I’ve made these for years, and the only additions that I make are to use chive and onion cream cheese and put corn chips on top of the cheese to give that extra crunch.
I’ve also made these for quite a while. We call them taco turtles, because they look like turtles to little kids (I served them upside down for some fun). Every time I make them, I try something different; so we’ve made many different variations. Yummy every time!
I made this over the weekend, and while there wasn’t much left, I sent it on the truck with hubby and it is fantastic as leftovers too! Going in the rotation!
Just made these for dinner! They are so good!
Making these for dinner tonight! These look DELICIOUS!
Made them and there are a hit. We called them italican!
what would be a good substitute for the cream cheese….my husband hates the stuff but would love them other wise…any suggestions?:)
I’m not really sure because you’re using it in place of Ricotta to give the shells their own spin. The cream cheese melts so nicely in this meal, unlike a Ricotta or Cottage Cheese. My husband absolutely hates cream cheese and doesn’t even know it’s in this meal. He just thinks it’s a white cheese like mozzarella, so it may be worth a shot. As long as he doesn’t see the package!
Use the cream cheese!! He will never know it’s in there. My hubster hates cream cheese, sour cream etc.. and he’s eaten so much of that in recipes that he doesnt have a clue that I snuck that in there! Hide the packages ! LOL
Like Maeghan has said he wont notice at all that the cream cheese is in with the meat. It just makes the meat slightly creamier, the taco seasoning will hide the flavor for the most part.
My husband doesn’t like cream cheese either …. or does he? I didn’t tell him it was in the dish and he didn’t notice. He LOVED this meal!
Have you tried laughing cow cheese? It would work very well as a sub.
People could try that, for sure! We’re good now in our house. My hubby is in on the secret now 🙂
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Made these for dinner and they were awesome! Even my 2 year old loved them and she hates cheese! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
I made this last night and my family loved it. My husband had three helpings (not standard for him). Easy to make and definitely will stay in my recipe box.
I made these last night for my boyfriend. He absolutely loved them and had to stop himself from finishing all fifteen of them. This is a very tasty and easy meal to make. Great idea, thank you so much!
Just made these for dinner.. they are AMAZING! We added a can of corn and a can of black beans and kept everything else the same… ran out of shells so next time we’ll double those! Easy and delicious!
Did you add the corn and black beans to the meat?
Great idea! I’m definitely making this dinner SOON! The picture is making me really hungry, too. Haha
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This was really good! I added jalapenos and red pepper flakes to give it a little kick, Very filling!!
I made these today and loved them! Thanks so much, this really hit the spot!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
My daughter made these for us yesterday evening! They were absolutely delicious on a cold week night. Can’t wait for leftovers tonight! Thank you! This will definitely become a family fave!
Made these tonight and they were WONDERFUL! couldn’t find the low sodium seasoning and it came out way to salty…..but otherwise….yummy yummy yummy!
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Hi, this looks soooo appetizing!!! I was wondering what kind of salsa to use?? Pace, homemade salsa, etc?? What kind did you use? Thank you
You can use any salsa that you like. Home made or store bought. Mild, medium, or hot. Whichever you’re accustomed to.
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Also good if you cook burger, chilli powder, cream cheese and pinto beans in frying pan then stuff shells with that. We love Mexican stuffed shells at our house
These looked good so I made them. I found them labor intensive and not worth the effort.
As far as taste – they are OK but nothing special. I kept wishing I had made either an Italian dish or Nachos….but not this.
Conclusion – Nacho chips / tortillas are better for Mexican. Pasta is better for Italian. I will keep these things in their respective categories from now on.
Sorry you didn’t care from them. You can’t win them all and everyone’s taste buds are different!
We made these recently because the picture looks so tasty! They were great! Easy and a nice change from our normal tacos or enchiladas! The leftovers also were good, which is a plus. We will make them again! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
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any tips on possibly making a freezer meal out of these? My husband loves them and thought it would be a good idea but I’m new to doing freezer meals and I’m not too sure how it would freeze.
You can freeze one of two ways. You can prepare it all the way and instead of baking just freeze it. Usually, when I freeze meals like this I buy those tinfoil pans with the covers.
I also will freeze half of the filling (since I make a few batches together) in a Ziploc bag and then whenever I’m ready I can take it out and stuff the shells and go from there.
Hope this helps! One of these days, I’m going to have a few posts on freezing. I do it often and when i had my daughter it was a blessing! I think these very shells were actually from a freezer batch!
When reheating from frozen, what time and temperature do you use? Thanks!!
Same time and temperature. Just make sure when freezing that the shells are covered with sauce so they don’t get freezer burned. I let it defrost I. The refrigerator for a bit before hand so the shells soften up.
I’m thinking you would do it just like lasagna. Line your baking dish with foil, fill with the recipe and freeze. Once it’s completely frozen, take it out of the baking dish and wrap in plastic wrap or put in a zippy bag (works well with the 8×8 pans). Put it back in the freezer until ready to use.
Transfer back into the baking dish to thaw. Bake as directed in the recipe.
We had these tonight and they were amazing. The only thing I changed was to use homemade taco seasoning and enchilada sauce. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so glad you liked it! I’m glad you commented on the homemade taco seasoning because it made me look at the post and see that I never included the link to my own taco seasoning! Homemade is definitely the way to go!
what is taco sauce? this looks really good
You can find taco sauce in the Mexican section of your grocery store. It is similar to enchilada sauce.
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Heyy you could try Ricotta cheese instead of cream too ! 🙂 thanks for sharing!
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Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I know my whole family is going to love it!
So gotta try this.
I can’t wait to try this!
I make a version of this adding refried beans to the meat mixture, cheddar cheese instead of cream cheese & I add a little enchilada sauce. You can imagine the versatility of this recipe. Kids hate refried beans and they go undetected here! You could also spread on lasagna noodles & roll up. Make this, you won’t be disappointed!!!
I am not a real big fan of Mexican food but I did try this tonight and thought it was really good. It’s a great way too use up that left over taco meat too!
Angela Michels
I made these tonight… so good!!!! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
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Made these tonight, everyone enjoyed them!! And I have 3 picky kids! Thanks!
Cant wait to make this
Just a question that is probably very silly…but what is taco sauce? I think this is great and have almost all ingredients but that one… any suggestions?
Taco Sauce can be found by tacos, enchilada sauce, etc. There are a few recipes online to make your own, also.
I recently made this and they are amazing!!! Just looking at the picture makes me hungry. Thanks for sharing!
We had taco bell packets. Tried some with fire, mild, and verde. Winner was verde sauce. Enjoyed this. Thanks.
Found this recipe via Pinterest and made these shells last night. Followed tips from your commenters and added 1 cup frozen corn and 1 can low sodium black beans (drained). Also used a mix of turkey and beef (1.5 lbs total). This made a enough to stuff 36 shells. I prepped half for freezer and baked the other off for dinner.
My husband is a picky and light eater, but he ate FOUR servings of this. Unheard of! He just couldn’t get enough. And my four-year-old who cries when we have tacos ate this willingly with only a minor complaint about spice. I loved it, too. Great family-friendly recipe.
Oh, and for the sauce I used 2 cups of salsa with one 8 oz can of tomato sauce + 2 tsp homemade taco seasoning & pureed it all with my immersion blender.
That is a great substitution! I’m so glad your family enjoyed the meal. What’s best is there is plenty leftover!
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I too found this recipe on Pintrest. These were just awesome! Made just as directed and turned out perfect. Thank You for the recipe Maeghan!
I would love to make this as i LOVE LOVE pasta and mexican!! but I am recently a vegetarian.. do you have any suggestions for alternatives to the taco meat!?!
You can use tofu crumbles…I use it in my spaghetti sometimes and no one can tell the difference…
Boca Burgers and Morning Star has a vegetarian version of ground beef that is excellent to use!
You could also sub beans for meat. We do that a lot at our house.
I’ve made these shells a few times, and recently started making them with shredded chicken (sous vide)– last night I made them again, but my vegetarian friend came by. I stuffed ~10 with some of this mixture wit some cream cheese melted into it. He LOVED it, and devoured them all! http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/southwestern_calico_corn.html
These look really yummy and easy to make. Can’t wait to give them a try….
Sounds great! I only wish you had the nutritional information posted…
Found on Pinterest, really wasn’t feeling another “taco night” so tried this instead with a big side salad. Loved & the BF loved too! Only differences: The filling turned out 20 shells for me, and I only used half a 2c bag of shredded “Mexican Mix” cheese, and about of 1c of Med. Salsa. Its just the two of us, so next time I’ll probably freeze 1/2 the recipe prior to baking, and It’ll still be enough for dinner and lunch leftovers. A little labor intensive but hey.. 10$ an it made 2 dinners and 2 lunches for 2 people…awesome!! Thanks for sharing this!!!
I’m going to make these tomorrow, any ideas for sides???
This is such a hearty meal we skip sides. I wouldn’t want anything more than a salad!
Made these last night they are sooooo yummy!!!
I also found you on Pintrest (yay Pintrest) I cannot wait to try this. I would also add the corn and maybe some black beans or refried beans. Looks so yummy. I am always looking for a recipe for ground beef that is not tacos or meatloaf for my husband. And I could easily use ground turkey which I prefer. Thank you!
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Just made these!! Delicious!!
Also came here via Pinterest! These were delicious! I actually can’t wait to make the filling again and use it as enchilada sauce. I’m from Austin, Texas where this is more like the Tex-Mex sauce I’m used to rather than the canned stuff.
going to try look good
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Thank you so much for this recipe!! We la la loved it! My boyfriend went in for seconds and couldn’t stop saying mmmm!! He also listed it as top 3 things that I have cooked lol!! I sprinkled it with a little parm at the end and also had green salsa for a topping which was a a hit!
I also found on pinterest!! Love!! And you definately don’t need sides!! This is so filling and delish!
Thanks to Pinterest we found this and had them for dinner tonight…and now the thanks go to you for sharing such a tasty, but quick and easy recipe! LOVED IT! Can’t wait to try some of the variations with corn, beans, etc.
What is the difference in taco sauce and salsa?
You can find taco sauce in the Mexican section of your grocery store. It is similar to enchilada sauce and not chunky like salsa.
These were awesome…
I wrote this recipe in the spring of1996 for Woman’s Day Magazine. I can’t remember if it was in the March, April or May issue, but it is there. Someone added in the cream cheese–but still awesome to see it circulating again and so many people enjoying it.
This was easy & yummy!!! I didn’t hv shells so I cooked lasagna noodles n rolled the meat stuffing inside … it made 10 total. The meat stuffing was somewhat dry… I didn’t hv taco sauce so I used enchilada sauce (1/2 can on top). This will def be repeated!!! Thanks for recipe!!!
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Made these… all gone! Amazing!
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I found your recipe on Pinterest, I just made these tonight. My kids loved them & so did I! Thank you for such a great dinner recipe!
~Amanda
This looks amazing and I’m definitely trying these tonight, thanks! How many would this recipe normally feed? I need enough for 5.
Thank you! This will definitely serve 5! I’d say it would serve 8. I usually freeze half of the recipe and my husband and I still eat leftover for the next day or so.
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Thanks for the recipe! I’m going to try it this week with shredded chicken instead of ground beef!
Yum I bet it’s just as great with shredded chicken, duh! Why didn’t I think of that?! 🙂 Great suggestion.
Made this for tonight’s dinner. So looking forward to it. I used the homemade taco seasoning, added a pinch of salt, juice of a small lime and a can of black beans (drained) to the meat after it was browned. Also, cooked the shells just till al dente. I think this will be a big hit served with sour cream, more salsa, cilantro and green onions. YUM! Thanks for the recipe!
Looks good, going to try this perhaps this week. One question,,, did he like it?
He loved it! I haven’t found many who don’t 🙂
Great.. Making it tomorrow night.
made this tonight! so freakin’ good, even my daughter who is the pickiest thing ever ate it. minus the sauce and cheese lol but if you knew here that’s saying A LOT!!! she loved the meat…..we loved it all!! thanks!
I’m so glad everyone liked it!
I up the nutrition value..cut the ground beef add diced sweet potato and drained black beans
My picky eaters LOVED it! I’ll definitely do this one again.
I have made this recipe twice! It’s delicious. Thanks! I keep forgetting to add beans. Maybe next time I will remember.
Looks so yummy! Thanks to pinterest, I found it:)
Just curious do you happen to know how many calories are in a serving
No. This is by no means a low cal meal. You can go through each ingredient and figure out your calories that way since most is pre-packaged.
My daughter made this and told me how good it is. I make my own salsa and decided to try this tonight. The only thing I did different is that I’m not big on cheddar cheese. I usually use a Fiesta blend shredded cheese. I must say, I was a little worried, what with the salsa, taco seasoning and taco sauce that it would be a little overpowering. But, it was delicious!!! I could barely make it through the 4th shell it is that filling. So, I have 3 more meals there and I will definitely make this again!
Made these the other night for the family… Needless to say they were a huge hit! I was able to stuff about 20 shells though, so not sure if I didn’t stuff them enough or what, but they seemed to come out perfectly. I’m thinking about adding some corn and/or black beans to the meat mixture for an added twist!
Made this today..very good!
This is a wonderful recipe. I mixed some Rotele with Salsa to give it a kick, and it was quite a hit in our house.
FANTASTIC. Made last night. Hubby is like the Princess & the Pea with cream cheese though so I’m trying to figure out another “binder” for the meat that would work as well. I used Kraft Mexican style Taco seasoned cheese and it was amazing. Used black olives, green onions, jalapenos (pickled/jarred) and sour cream as toppings. DELISH.
Made this last night and it was delicious!!! Thank you! I just posted about it on my blog too!
I’m glad you liked it. What’s your blogs address? I’d love to see!
This turned out great! Thanks for such a tasty recipe! 🙂
How many servings does this make ?
I made this for dinner tonight and everyone loved it!! Even my three super picky kids! I will be making this again!
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Oh my goodness this was DELICIOUS! I will definitely make it again-and I there are so many possibilities for variations.
*I used only 1/2 pound of ground beef (not a big meat eater), and filled it out instead with chopped onion and green pepper (love me some veggies!).
*I didn’t have taco sauce so I used enchilada sauce.
*Added a layer of cilantro to the top when I added the cheese…(and used only 1 cup of cheese rather than 2 for a few less calories).
YUMMY! Thanks for the recipe!
Absolutely delicious! We just loved this dish and my husband swears that it is better the next after the flavors have had a chance to blend. This will be a new regular at our house……
Made this for dinner, it was awsome, I added sour cream on top when serving and it was yummy!
Does anyone know the caloric intake per serving ?
Served these tonight and will be making them again, a definite keeper. I didn’t read the recipe carefully enough and used the whole box of shells and wondered why I had half of them left. Next time I will just double the filling and have plenty for leftovers.
I think I would use enchilada sauce rather than salsa…could also use refried beans alone or in addition to the meat filling…Thanks for the idea!
Wonderful!! Husband and sons happily ate 36 stuffed shells! I thouht there was going to be two meals but I made the mistake of leaving the second casserole dish in plain sight and it was demolished. I did double the meat filling and really stuffed each shell. I added additional spice (garlic, onion, and chili powder and some pepper) in addition to adding some green salsa verde to the filling. The salsa verde gave it a kick and took away some of the “cream cheese” taste since my husband is not a fan. A winner!! Thanks!!
I found this recipe through Pinterest as well. Cooked it tonight following your directions exactly. Had company over and it was a hit! Thank you very much.
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Here’s the recipe they asked for:)
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Loved this recipe!!!! I used ground turkey and low fat cheeses and it was still delish. I didn’t tell my boyfriend about the cream cheese until he had two servings. Next time I use to make double since I sent the left overs home with him.
I made this last night, substituting Meatless Crumbles for the beef to make it vegetarian. Loved it! So good! Thanks for the great recipe!
My aunt made these and saved a few for me to try and they were awesome. My daughters and hubby liked them to. I was going to make them this weekend with some left over taco meat I have but am thinking there won’t be enough. I like the idea of making extra meat and freezing. Thanks for the recipe.
I make these all the time. They r wonderfull. All five of my kids love them!
These look so good.I use to make something like this.I’ll have to try these.Just found this website.I am Love it.Thanks.Cindy in Fla
I found this recipe through Pinterest, and tried it last night. These stuffed shells were delicious! My husband ate six of them! I also packaged up half of the filling mixture and stuck it in the freezer. Thanks for a great addition to my recipe book!
Oh, and I echo other commenters’ sentiments about the cream cheese–you couldn’t even taste it! It just made the filling creamier and more tasty!
My family LOVED these. I made adjustments or our taste but this recipe has made the rotation. Thanks
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thank you so much! this is wonderful and my (new!) husband has requested it several times already 🙂
Yay! Congratulations on your marriage too!
So easy! So good!
I’m a newbie at cooking so Iwhen you say “salsa” what kind?!?! CONFUSED!!
Your standard salsa – mild, medium, or hot that you dip chips in is fine. You can find that and the taco sauce in the Mexican aisle in your grocery store.
Hi, I followed you over from Pinterest and would like to invite you to share this deliciousness, and any other posts, on my link party at http://www.michellestastycreations.blogspot.com. Have a great weekend.
Hugs,
Michelle
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i wonder whats the sides will go good with this entree?
I made black np beans with onion, lime juice and cilantro.
Made this last night. Super easy and delicious! I used 1/2 lb of ground beef & 2 oz of cream cheese and was still able to fill 16 jumbo shells.
Made these tonight, used ground turkey instead. DELICIOUS.
Thanks for the great recipe! Making these tonight using enchilada sauce (instead of taco sauce) and ground turkey.
FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN CALORIE COUNTS:
The iphone app “LOSE IT!” contains a recipe builder and a barcode scanner. When I made it, I got 44 shells (I had more meat) and it came out to 87 cals per shell. Of course, different ingredients and brands have different calorie counts.
If you don’t have an iPhone, try LoseIt.com or LiveStrong.com to build recipes. They’re both great resources for counting calories.
I’m dieting and just eating a few less shells with a side salad that has a cilantro lime vinagarette. YUMMY!
Yes! I also use Myfitnesspal that has a bar-code scanner and enters everything in for you.
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Found these on pinterest and I’ve made these twice in 3 weeks. It is now a mandatory request in my house. I adjusted the recipe to 2lbs of ground turkey and still only used 1 box of shells. Whatever shells broke apart, I just threw in the baking pan and piled any leftover meat on them “unstuffed shells”. We also love cheese, so we used a bunch. My sister in law who is a whole 5ft, 100 lbs. And lactose intolerant devoured 8…yes 8 of these,and took the leftovers for lunch. Thanks so much, you’ve given my family a new fav meal.
Made these last night and they were fantastic! Even my picky grandson liked them! And I am not a fan of cream cheese but I wouldn’t make these any other way! Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
I made these about a month ago and they were a hit for me, hubby, mother in law & our 4 year old niece! the only thing i really change is that i just use either mexican or taco blend cheese. Have a batch in the oven right now!! Cant wait for dinner!
Also wanted to say … thank you so much for this recipe! I am not a good cook at all, my hubby is the cook – but I successfully have made these twice! 🙂
I’m so glad to hear! It’s also nice to have a husband who likes to cook too 🙂
Just made these – only difference I added a can of black beans into the meat – they were great! My husband ate them up as well. Even my 4 year old ate 3 bites (she eats nothing!) These will go on my regular meal rotation..
yum yum yum! my hubby told me to make them again and my kids gobbled them up! thanks for a great recipe!
i’ve been making these for years, but never with the cream cheese. anyone that does not want to make it with the cream cheese, try adding refried beans straight to the taco meat mixture and add a little bit more taco seasoning.
love the recipe!
Made this last night, and they were GREAT!!! I added 1/2 a can of mashed up black beans (the boys in the family have a thing about beans, but I always find a way to sneak them in!). I also added some garlic to the meat mixture, and a bit of onion powder.
Next time I will double the filling, and freeze it for an easy meal in the future.
Thank you!!!
I can’t even imagine wondering if I would like it, or if my husband would. That looks wonderful! I can’t wait to try it.
I’m making these tonight, but I’m using chorizo instead of ground beef. 😀 Therefore, I don’t have to use taco seasoning since the chorizo has plenty of wonderful flavor already.
I made this for my parents tonight! It was delicious! My grocery store was out of the shells.. So I used manicotti but it was great! Thanks for sharing!
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I made these last night, and used your taco seasoning recipe as well. Big hit with hubby and the boys! I served them with refried beans & cheese on the side. Next time I think I would add a small salad, too. Thanks for the recipe! It’s going in the “favorites” file.
This was awesome I made it today, house smelled so good dinner seemed to far. Lol thank you so much for sharing.
I hate ground beef, onions, cream cheese, and mexican food, BUT I decided to suprise my mexican loving, 100% italian husband, with these and they were GREAT!!! They are faster to make than meatloaf and taste much better. Dare I say, they are better second day? yum!
I made these a week or so ago and my husband LOVED them he promptly told me “honey, these can be on the menu every week!” I asked him this morning, “babe do you want the Mexican stuff..” “YES!” After 9 years of marriage I found the way to his stomach :)I thank you!
Thanks for sharing, I love stories like that!
My brother and dad felt the same way
Great! I love making a double batch and sticking one in the freezer. If you have company you really don’t have to do anything and you still get compliments 🙂
These are amazing. Quite possibly the most delicious thing I have ever tasted!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Making these right now but with a slight variation. I added fresh onion, garlic, tomatoes, and jalapenos to the meat mixture. I tasted the mixture and it’s amazing! I can’t for them to come out of the oven!
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Made these for dinner tonight…..OMG YUMMY!!!! Thanks for the awesome recipe.
I made these for Dinner for my husband last night, they were a great sucess!!! thanks for the amazing recipe 🙂
I am vegan, and when I saw this picture I knew I had to recreate these. I did alter it quite a bit, but I thank you for the inspiration! They were delicious.
http://prettymuchnuts.blogspot.com/2012/05/vegan-mexican-stuffed-shells.html
How many shells would you make for 18 people?
I would triple the recipe, unless there are a bunch men, then you may want to quadruple it!
I made these for my dad and brother and they said I outdid myself…the only thing I added was a small can of chopped green chile to the meat mixture…these were a huge hit and great for leftovers even though they did not last too long with everyone fighting over them
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Our local grocery store doesn’t always carry the shells (the joy of living in the country) and same with my sister so I got manicotti as a substition for tonight. I’m expecting a similar if not the same result. I’ve been telling my husband for two months I was going to make this and his travels finally allow for it. I prepared it all (joys of napping baby) and can’t wait to pop them in the oven in a couple of hours 🙂
Hope you enjoy! Should work just fine. I actually always make my “manicotti” recipe in jumbo shells! 🙂
Thanks for posting this awesome recipe. I made these for a Cinco de Mayo party earlier this month. They were a HUGE hit! I had some sliced Habanero & Jalapeno cheese so I cut up a few slices & added it to the meat mixture. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. Quick, easy, and oh so good! Can’t wait to make them again.
Reblogged this on Texas Tudors's Blog and commented:
Yum, nice recipe, that I plan to try.
Yum yum!! Looks really good – I can tell by the ingredient list alone that everyone in my home will love these! Thanks for sharing!!
I have something similar, it uses picante sauce, french fried onions, green chilies, pasta shells, and Monterey jack cheese. We love it!
I make something similar. Mine calls for picante sauce, ground beef, green chilies, Monterey Jack cheese, Durkee French fried onions, and the pasta shekels. We love it!
Awsome blog! I am loving it!! Will come back again. I am bookmarking your feeds also
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Yum, these look so delicious! I found this recipe on Pinterest and would love to invite you to share this, and any other posts, at my Creative Thursday Link Party (open through Monday each week) at http://www.michellestastycreations.blogspot.com. Have a great week.
Michelle
Great blog! I am loving it!! Will be back later to read some more. I am taking your feeds also
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wished to say that I have truly enjoyed surfing around your blog posts. After all I’ll be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again very soon!
I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was good. I don’t know who you are but certainly you’re going to a famous blogger if you are not already 😉 Cheers!
I have these in the oven right now. Can’t wait to eat them. Couldn’t follow the recipe because I didn’t have all the right ingredients – but it is called improvising. Used queso and rotels for the salsa. Tasted them as I put them in the oven and yum yum yum.
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We made these two nights ago and it was amazing!! Didn’t have jumbo shells so we used an italian trio and it was soooo yummy!!!
Making these tonight for the third time, a new family favorite! The first time i added frozen spinach to the meat, which was delicious, but now I’ve been adding black beans which really stretches the recipe. Usually end up with about 25 shells. Thanks!!
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YIKES!! This was made for me for Mother’s Day this year and I have to say that I was in absolute HEAVEN it was soooo good! I have made Italian stuffed shells for 20 yrs but I am from Texas and love mexican food and these are to die for!!! Now part of our family……i love you for this…..Joanna
I’m so glad you liked them and that someone made them for you for Mother’s Day! I’m sure, being in Texas, you’ll come up with some great variations!
Today was my second time making these. They are SO delicious!!! I could eat the whole batch myself. Lol
We had a similar recipe for stuffed Mexican shells, but it was more time consuming and not nearly as good. My husband and I agree, this one is way better!!
Thanks!
Glad you still like them! I get worried sometimes when you love something the first time whether it will live up to the first time!
My husband and I loved this! It got our own creative juices flowing, so we decided to concoct our own more traditional Italian take on this recipe! We’ll share!! http://tmblr.co/ZV-wOvNqLy6Y
How would u describe this dish?
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I am commenting again, have made these three times ,once with beef twice ground chicken adding black beans each time LOVE these. My only problem is I always forget to double it and freeze a second batch lol. My question is on the taco seasoning actually, do you add any cornstarch to thicken? How much? I want to make it but worried it would not thicken like the packages.
I always forget I need to double this batch when I make it to since most of my stuffed shell recipes actually make enough for two batches! The taco seasoning is the same as the one in the package, sans MSG. There is no cornstarch needed! I make it all of the time. I’m actually working on making my own taco sauce so I wont have to buy a jar of that either. Get rid of all of the packages! 🙂
Loved this!! As did my family!! Definitely have to double batch this!! I have picky eaters and there isn’t one complaint at the dinner table with this one:-) Thanks!!
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Making them as we speak 😀 Our store didn’t have Jumbo shells so I’m using Manicotti instead. My son and I are anxiously awaiting. I love Mexican and Italian so it should be great!
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If I follow your recipe for the taco seasoning, how much should be used for this recipe? It just says “one package” but I’m not sure how much is typically in a package.
Follow the recipe in the taco seasoning. The 2 Tbsp will make one packet
Made this last night for my family and They loved it !!!! I did add onion and cilantro to the meat mixture as well as some coarsely chopped jalapeno for some heat and It was amazing. Thanks again for posting it !!!
I made this lastnight for me and my husband and it was amazing! followed the recipe exactly and this turned out to be one of our new favorites. Thank you for posting!
I added diced tomatoes, onions, and zucchini to the filling to sneak in some veggies. Even my kiddos had seconds!
This looks so good, I cannot wait to try. We love Mexican and I am always looking for something new.
Made these last week.. making them again tonight! AMAZING
Winner! Winner! Pasta meets Mexican dinner! Thank you for a recipe that the entire family loves… even my younger, picky eaters. I used exactly 1.88lbs of 93% lean ground beef, doubled the cream cheese and 22 shells as it seemed I wouldn’t have enough to fill my 9 x 13 pan and I’m glad I did. It was exactly the right amount even though I don’t think I overstuffed the shells. Hmmm…. no one else had to do this? We paired this with cilantro-lime rice and a variety of garnishes including fresh diced tomatoes, green onions, sour cream, quacamole, and jalapenos. This dish will be in our regular rotation and next time I will make sure I have enough for a freezer meal.
I made a version of this tonight, except I used:
20 oz Ground Lean Turkey with taco seasoning
24 oz jar salsa verde
1 jar green taco sauce (This is a smooth, tomatillo based sauce found in the Mexican section)with a little water added
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Does anyone know if you could make a batch of these and freeze them? Just wondering how well they would taste after being frozen. Thanks!
These freeze beautifully. I usually always make a double batch, one for dinner and one for the freezer!
Made these tonight they were very good!
Wher dos the monteray jack chese go in? Am curis so am going to tri it out.
See the last section of the directions. It goes on towards the end of baking.
Had it to night and it was vary good. Might tri a diff taco sac on top thu. My son mouth was on fire.
These were fantastic!! I froze them ahead of time. Thanks for sharing!
I made these last night and my husband said they were the best thing I’ve ever made. He even ate a couple for breakfast! He’s already devised an Italian version for me to try making next. Thank you!!
Do you think this dish would freeze well? I name it about every other week. We LOVE it. It would be nice to premake for my husband to throw in the oven on the nights I’m not home.
Yes! I have these in my “Freezer Friendly” section as well and many others have asked. I usually make a double batch, one for dinner and one for the freezer!
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I just made these tonight and they were amazing!!
Awesome recipe! Love it! Making it again!
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I found this recipe on pinterest and oh my word it was delish. I also just blogged about it because I loved it so much. Come by and check it out when you have time. Thanks for sharing such a yummy recipe.
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Just made this for dinner for the hubby. Of course he loved it and like some of the other hubbies mentioned above, asked that it be added to the regular rotation. Awesome recipe.
Do you know the nutrition facts on these? They look delicious. Trying to figure out Weight Watchers points. 🙂
Sorry, no. You would have to go on each ingredient package that you use.
These were sooo good! I prefer to use shredded chicken instead of the ground beef- or you could do half & half! 🙂
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Sounds like a wonderful recipe that ll have to try. Also just so you know, you can make taco sauce by adding anywhere between 1/2 to a whole packet of taco seasoning mix to an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce. Add a little at a time and taste it since it can get too salty quickly. In addition, you can substitute Greek yogurt for the cream cheese and the sour cream and its higher in protein although I’m going to try it with the cream cheese first. Sounds really yummy.
That is great to know about the taco sauce. I try to make my own everything so using my DIY seasoning and canned sauce will be so much better!
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Made this tonight for dinner and it was awesome! My husband and kids LOVED it!!!
I made this recipe tonight. I started out at the local Kroger. I had all my ingredients except for the jumbo shells. When I came upon the pasta aisle, I realized that they were no where to be found so I opted to use manicotti instead. I cut the manicotti open and made an enchilada of sorts. My boyfriend and his roomie really enjoyed the dish! I thought it was really great and really easy. I also did 6 oz of cream cheese but I am such a sucker for that stuff. Great recipe! Will make again very soon!
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Trying thus tonight. Made a black bean and corn mixture to add to theo salsa to bake it in instead of just salsa
THESE ARE AMAZJNGGGGG…ACTUALLY HAVING THEM FOR DINNER TOMORROW
I meant to say amazing
I made this a week ago and my husband is still gushing over how much he loved it. I found it on Pinterest and it’s by far the best recipe I have found there so far.
I’m glad to hear that!
A family of 7, 5 of which are children, and EVERYONE loves it That NEVER happens! TIP – 3 lbs of meat does NOT fill 45 shells, I only got 34 out of the meat!
Now those are good results!
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I have made this several times and always a big hit. I have aslo made a version that uses medium or small shells and doesnt involved stuffing the shells which is nice for potlucks.
I think I have found heaven on earth
I made these a few weeks ago an I am making them again tonight. So delicious!!
so good, quick, and easy .Making it again this week
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I tried this and it was a huge hit! Simple yet tasty!