Taco stuffed shells
Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with creamy taco beef, baked in salsa under a layer of melted cheese.
- 60 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 6
- About $2.42 a serving
- 530 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 24 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 lb 85/15 ground beef
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 2 cups salsa, divided
- 1½ cups Mexican blend cheese
- 2 stalks green onions, sliced
- ½ cup sour cream (optional)
From your pantry
- 3½ tsp salt, divided
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Each serving has about 530 calories, 29 g protein, 40 g carbs and 28 g fat, and costs about $2.42 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No 85/15 ground beef? 90/10 ground beef works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No salsa? Pico de gallo works.
- No Mexican blend cheese? Shredded cheddar or cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 350°F. Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon salt, and bring it over high.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cook the shells 2 minutes less than the package says, stirring gently now and then. and spread them on a to cool.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
High heat
Dolly’s tip: A few always tear. Cook a couple of extra shells if the box has them.While they cook, cook the beef and onion in a large over medium-high 7 to 8 minutes, breaking up the beef, until no pink is left. Spoon off the fat.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium-high heatTimer: 7 min 30 sec
Food safety: Ground beef, pork and lamb are done at 160°F. When it’s cooked through there’s no pink left anywhere in the pan.
Turn the heat to low and stir in the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt and the cream cheese until creamy.
Low heat
Spread 1 cup of salsa in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Fill each shell with about 2 tablespoons of beef and set it in the dish open side up.
Spoon the rest of the salsa over the shells, cover with foil, and 20 minutes.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Timer: 20 min
Uncover, scatter the cheese over the top, and 10 minutes more, until .
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Timer: 10 min
Top with green onions and sour cream and serve.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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