Mexican Stuffed Shells

This was a hit with Kevin and I, but less so with the kids. I do think that most kids would enjoy them, I just happened to give birth to two very picky eaters!

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Source: http://thewaytohisheart.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/mexican-stuffed-shells/

Mexican Stuffed ShellsPrinter Friendly 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.

*One major change that I made was with the cream cheese. I despise cream cheese so I used a can of cream of chicken soup in place of it and it turned out fabulous! I also used all cheddar cheese in the recipe.