Recipe Background
Easy Stuffed Taco Shells are meant to be exactly that... a breeze! Simply cook up the pasta shells, fill each one with cheesy, tangy, zesty, and succulent taco meat, and bake until the cheese on top is melted! Ta-da! A Taco Tuesday dinner that could easily become pasta night! It's all such a snap with Easy Stuffed Taco Shells, and thank goodness for that!
Easy Stuffed Taco Shells are meant to be exactly that... a breeze! Simply cook up the pasta shells, fill each one with cheesy, tangy, zesty, and succulent taco meat, and bake until the cheese on top is melted! Ta-da! A Taco Tuesday dinner that could easily become pasta night! It's all such a snap with Easy Stuffed Taco Shells, and thank goodness for that!
Ingredients
For the shells:
- 24 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound extra-lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 (14.5-ounce) jar salsa
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups Mexican cheese blend shredded, divided
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Optional, for topping:
- cilantro to taste, chopped
- avocado to taste, sliced or diced
- scallions to taste, chopped
- tomatoes to taste, chopped
- sour cream to taste
Directions
- In a large pot of salted, boiling water, add the pasta shells and cook them to al dente, according to the package directions.
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil.
- Add the onions to the hot oil and cook, while stirring, until they begin to lightly brown, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic to the onions and cook, while stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the ground beef, the chili powder, the paprika, and the cumin to the onion mixture and cook, while crumbling the meat, until the beef is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
- Position an oven rack in the top third position.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Spread the salsa in an even layer on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Transfer the skillet from the heat.
- Add the sour ceam and 1/2 of the Mexican cheese to the beef mixtue and stir to combine.
- Season the beef mixture with the salt and the black pepper.
- Rinse the pasta shell under cool water and drain them thoroughly.
- Spoon an even amount of the beef mixture into each of the pasta shells.
- Transfer the stuffed pasta shells to the prepared baking dish.
- Top the shells evenly with the remaining cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
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