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A twist on a classic – taco stuffed shells meld the best of two cuisines into one delectable dish with just the right amount of spice!!
A Twist on a Taco
In our house, we LOVE Mexican food and eat it at least once a week!
We love to take those Mexican-inspired flavors and try something new like this tasty mash-up! We took classic Italian stuffed shells and gave them a Mexican twist. The flavors are all about tacos! The shells are filled with seasoned ground beef and we topped them with melty cheese and our favorite taco toppings.
Why you’ll love Taco Stuffed Shells too:
- The whole family loves it – from kids to adults, it’s delicious!
- Easy – It bakes in about 30 minutes making it an easy weeknight dinner.
- Feeds a crowd – one pan full fees the masses with minimal effort. Now that’s a dinner we all can love!
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 35 minutes
Shells
- 1 pound ground beef – or use ground turkey or ground chicken
- 1 envelope taco seasoning – mild or spicy, store-bought or homemade Taco Seasoning.
- ¾ cup water
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 12 jumbo pasta shells – We suggest boiling extra shells in case any tear, or you may even have enough filling for a few extra.
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Toppings
- ½ cup salsa – store-bought or Homemade Salsa
- ½ cup green enchilada sauce – Try this Green Chili Enchilada Sauce recipe, or use store-bought.
- 1 cup Colby Jack cheese, shredded – or cheddar, Mexican cheese blend, or mozzarella
- ½ cup Fritos, crushed – or Tortilla Chips, or Nacho Doritos
- ½ cup sour cream
- optional toppings – sliced jalapenos, black olives, frozen corn, black beans, or diced onions
How to Make Taco Stuffed Shells
- PREP. Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.
- GROUND BEEF. Cook 1 pound ground beef in a large skillet until no longer pink. Drain grease. Add ¾ cup water and 1 packet of Taco Seasoning and bring to a boil. Add 4 ounces of cream cheese, stir, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the cream cheese is melted.
- Transfer the taco meat mixture to a bowl and let it cool.
- PASTA. In a large pot, cook 12 jumbo pasta shells to al dente according to package directions and toss in 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Set aside.
- FILL. Spoon ½ cup salsa into an 11×7-inch casserole dish. Fill cooked pasta shells with a scoop of the ground beef mixture and place back in the baking dish.
- BAKE. Drizzle ½ cup enchilada sauce over shells and bake for 20 minutes. Add 1 cup shredded cheese and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
- SERVE. Add toppings, like crushed ½ cup Fritos, diced tomatoes, green onions, fresh cilantro, or ½ cup sour cream to shells before serving.
Complete The Meal
Sides
Homemade Spanish Rice Recipe
45 mins
Canned Refried Beans
10 mins
Mexican Corn Salad
25 mins
Cilantro Lime Rice
30 mins
Taco Recipes
Collections
Taco Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 envelope taco seasoning
- ¾ cup water
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 12 jumbo pasta shells
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Toppings
- ½ cup salsa
- ½ cup green enchilada sauce
- 1 cup Colby Jack cheese, shredded
- ½ cup Fritos, crushed
- ½ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cook ground beef in a large pan until no longer pink. Drain grease. Add water and taco seasoning and bring to a boil. Add cream cheese, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the cream cheese is melted.
- Transfer the meat mixture to a bowl and let cool.
- Cook pasta according to package directions and toss in melted butter. Set aside.
- Spoon salsa into an 11×7 baking dish. Fill buttered pasta shells with a scoop of the meat mixture and place back in the baking dish.
- Drizzle enchilada sauce over shells and bake for 20 minutes. Add shredded cheese and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
- Add crushed Fritos and sour cream to shells before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Drizzle on the enchilada sauce then cover the pan with plastic wrap and again with aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw before baking, add cheese, then finish heating up.
Store leftovers in an airtight container(s) in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 1-2 months. Thaw if needed, and reheat in the microwave or oven.
This recipe was originally published on March 1, 2022.
added Black Beans and green chili’s. Everyone loved it ( from 4 years old to 54 )
These were amazing! My picky mother in law even liked them. These are definitely going into our normal rotation of meals.
I made this exactly as written and it was absolutely delicious!! Such a nice change of pace from our usual taco night. My husband asked that I make it for football game day with friends! I highly recommend this dish!!
Family Favorite 🤩
Wow, I’m gonna make this..
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
This are so fun to make and I love that they are made with pasta shells. So much flavor too!
A little bit more work but so worth it! A great combo of pasta and Mexican.
I wasn’t sure about pasta and taco combo, but I’ve never been happier to be wrong. I snuck a couple filled shelled before putting them in the casserole dish and they were good that way as well as smothered in the enchilada sauce.
Great recipe.
We have found a new favorite recipe!! The whole family loves it! Lots of flavor & was so easy to make!