If you love easy, delicious dinner ideas, these Stuffed Taco Shells are for you! Prep these Mexican flavored pasta shells in advance and freeze for a later meal.
Why Stuffed Taco Shells Are Best
Stuffed Taco Shells are so easy, and one of my favorite meals.
When you think of stuffed pastas, your mind probably jumps right to the usual suspects: cheese, marinara sauce, Italian flavors. Our classic stuffed shells recipe fits that bill.
I love a good traditional Italian pasta, but these stuffed shells are packed with all my favorite taco style fillings and Mexican spices.
- Freezer friendly recipe
- Make ahead meal
- Perfect for a fun twist on taco Tuesday
And if you love tacos like we do, try these Buffalo Chicken Tacos and Walking Tacos.
Ingredient Notes
- Pasta Shells – I recommend the JUMBO or large stuffed shells for making stuffed taco shells–and all my stuffed shell recipes. They hold the most filling and are easier to stuff, too.
- Ground Beef – I use ground beef for my protein in stuffed taco shells, but ground turkey would work well too!
- Salsa – I love using a corn and black bean salsa for extra flavor, but feel free to use your favorite kind of salsa. Also, you can opt for mild, medium or spicy, depending on your tastes.
- Cheese – The Mexican blend shredded cheese is so convenient to use and adds big flavor. You could also try these shells with Monterey Jack cheese or Pepper Jack for a little kick.
- Taco Seasoning – Use homemade taco seasoning or pick up 2 packets of taco seasoning at the store.
How to Make Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells
Cook the shells. Cook the pasta shells according to the package directions. Once cooked and drained, separate the shells and place on parchment paper.
Make the filling. Meanwhile, brown the ground beef (or ground turkey) in a large skillet. Once browned, drain grease and return meat to skillet. Add in green chilies, 1 cup of the corn and black bean salsa and taco seasoning. Fold in shredded cheese.
Stuff the shells. Use a large spoon to stuff each shell with taco meat mixture, until all of the shells are stuffed.
Store or bake. Place shells in a ziploc bag and freeze until ready to use. Or cook immediately. Place remaining 1 cup of salsa in the bottom of a casserole dish (big enough to fit as many shells as you want to make), then add shells. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree F oven. Remove foil and bake an additional 5-15 minutes, until salsa is bubbly and shells are heated through. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Assemble all of the shells and once stuffed, place them in freezer-safe ziploc bags. Label and date the bags and freeze for up to 5 months.
When you are ready for dinner, remove only the number of shells you need for that meal, whether that’s 10 or 20, place them – from frozen – on top of the remaining cup of salsa in a baking dish (one that’s just big enough to fit how many shells you are cooking) and bake as directed.
If you have a few leftover baked stuffed shells, store them in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave – they make a great lunch!
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Stuffed Taco Shells
Ingredients
- 1 package large pasta shells 16 ounce
- 2 pounds ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 can diced green chilies 4 ounce
- 2 cup corn and black bean salsa or any of your favorite variety salsa
- 4 cups mexican blend shredded cheese
- 6 Tablespoons taco seasoning homemade or 2 packages
Toppings
- Tomato, lettuce, avocado, sour cream optional
Instructions
- Cook large shells pasta according to package directions. Once cooked, separate and place on parchment paper on counter. Set aside.
- While pasta is cooking, brown ground beef (or ground turkey) in a large skillet. Once browned, drain grease and return meat to skillet. Add in green chilies, 1 cup corn and black bean salsa, and taco seasoning. Fold in shredded cheese. Set aside.
- Using a large spoon, stuff each shell with taco meat mixture, until all shells are stuffed. Place shells in ziploc bag and freeze until ready to use. When ready to cook, follow step 4 below.
- OR, if baking immediately, pour 1 cup of salsa in bottom of baking dish. Choose a dish size that will fit the number of shells you are going to be cooking. For my family, we each eat about 2-3 shells per meal. On top of salsa, add shells. Cover dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes in a 350F oven. Remove foil and bake an additional 5-15 minutes, until salsa on bottom is bubbly and mixture inside shells is fully heated.
- Serve with additional toppings if desired. ENJOY.
Notes
- Serving size is up to you, but we usually have 2-3 shells per person.
- These freeze beautifully! You may just want to spend some time in the kitchen stuffing shells so you’ll always a delicious dinner on hand, even on a hectic day.
- For this reason, this is a great recipe to take to new parents or families in need. Pop a few bags of frozen shells into a cooler and drop them off to someone who could use a nutritious and kid-friendly dinner without having to cook.
- Don’t forget the toppings! That’s the best part of tacos. Sour cream, extra cheese, extra salsa, hot sauce, avocado or guacamole, diced red onion and even some shredded lettuce and chopped fresh tomatoes work great.
- Use the jumbo sized pasta shells shape. They are SO much easier to stuff than trying to fit the taco meat mixture into a bunch of smaller shells.
- See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks.
Was this a fresh salsa say from deli section or did you make your salsa??
Please and thank you:-)
Either works!