Taco Stuffed Shells Recipe
Here something interesting for you taco lovers. Instead of regular Italian stuffed shells last night I made Taco stuffed shells! This recipe for taco stuffed shells consists of ground beef and cream cheese for the filling and is topped with tortilla chips and cheese. Make sure to let the filling mixture have enough time to cool before stuffing the shells or you might have a sloppy mess on your handsJ. The traditional pasta sauce is replaced with a combination of salsa and taco sauce… the best part about this is you can make it as hot as you want! Everyone that tried these thought they were great and I thought the flavor was absolutely delicious. The green onions went nicely as a garnish and only adding to the flavor. If you want you can add other things such as black olives, sour cream or whatever you like on tacos on top as well.
Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1 4 once package cream cheese
12 large pasta shells
1 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 cup Monterey jack cheese (shredded)
1 ½ cups tortilla chips (crushed)
3 green onions (chopped)
1 cup sour cream
Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: In a fry pan cook ground beef and add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions. Add cream cheese cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and allow to fully cool. While burger is cooking cook the pasta shells, drain and toss well with butter.
Step 2: Pour salsa in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
Step 3: Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place the stuffed shells in the baking dish and cover the tops of the shells with taco sauce.
Step 4: Cover and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Step 5: After 30 minutes, uncover, and sprinkle crushed chips and shredded cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses on top. Cook for about 15 more minutes. Serve with sour cream, additional salsa, black olives or whatever you think goes good with tacos!
Tags: cooking, recipes, food and drink, recipe
This is such a great idea! It looks so good!
Quick question- is it 4 ounces cream cheese (I’m thinking it is) or 14 ounces? This sounds so good and perfect for my somewhat picky 4 yo. thanks!
Kevin – thanks, I really enjoyed it.
BeckyB – Yes it is just 4ounces. Let me know how you like it.
Wonderful creativity… very good recipe:) I will try with chicken
Vani – Chicken sounds great
i’ve gotta say–i greatly prefer this to the italian stuffing. give me heat!! bravo.
eeeee! this looks so good. a nice twist on traditional shells. must try this sometime.
Ok this photo stopped me dead in my food gawking tracks – You put together 2 of my favorite foods, mexican and italian – YUM – love this one
Cheers
Cathy
http://www.wheresmydamnanswer.com
I love any kind of pasta but this one is great. I love the Mexican flavors and your pictures look beatiful.
grace – when I posted this I knew you would enjoy it
Becky – It’s really good, give it a try!
Cathy C – Thanks!
Ivy – I agree, any kind of pasta rules
This is an awesome idea. I love taco seasoning but am vegetarian so would replace with vege ground round or a mixture of beans…
What a great idea and new twist on stuffed shells. I am trying this for sure.
Frugal Living – Hmm, sounds like some good ideas!
dawg – Thanks, let me know how it turns out.
those look divine! i sure hope i can find me some1 that can cook!
-Jack
This looks delish! I’m going to make it with a little modification – some refried beans on the bottom of each shell before stuffed with beef. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
I like your version. I made Mexican Lasagna this past week. Yours looks very, very good.
I made this last night and it was AMAZING! I will definitely make this again.
I made this tonight for my sister & my boyfriend. It was AMAZINGGG!!!
I made this last night and it was TO DIE FOR! Everything you love about baked pasta dishes and taco’s combined. I added about a half can of pinto beans to the beef/cheese mixture before stuffing and it was awesome. This is definitely going into the regular rotation! Thanks for a great recipe!
I made this tonight for dinner and really enjoyed them. Thanks for sharing.
Yum, looks great! Can’t wait to try it.
i am looking forward to trying it
Bobby….i love your site!!
and this is one of my fav recipes since i discovered it! thanks!!
I made these the night before last exactly like the recipe states then tonight (I was asked again by hubby to make them) I made this with beans instead of beef and still heavenly!!! I say go for it Veggie eaters, It’s delicious either way!
This looks really good! But does anyone know about how many calories would be in each shell? I’d like to know before making.
kaye: figure it out yourself. It’s not difficult. Add the calorie count of each of the items, then divide by the number of shells made. Stop asking people to do that which you are too lazy to do yourself.
I just thought someone might already know…is that all you have time to do is be rude? Gosh i’m not to lazy I just haven’t bought the ingredients yet so thought maybe someone might already know. I guess you just take any chance to be rude.
Kaye – I would like to apologize for what what was said. This is only a guess but I would assume there are about 200 calories in a shell. This is only a guess though. I hope this helps. Thanks.
Phil E. Drifter – You are welcomed to comment on my recipes but please show respect to others. Thank you.
Thank’s Bobby =)You’re a nice guy^-^
mmmmlooks good thanks think i’ll try it
Great recipe. Made it last night. Only thing I would suggest is to leave out the cream cheese. It drowns out the taco beef flavoring that most people enjoy in regular tacos. I will def be making this again but without the cream cheese. AWESOME RECIPE!!!
I’m totally making these!!! Thanks for the idea!
This absolutely looks scrumptious! One question, would you be able to provide calories, saturated fat and sodium contents? My husband had heart surgery last year, so we are watching the above, especially sodium.
Pictures make our mouths water!
Looks great. Neat idea. I bet it would be great comfort food.
Ruth – It is delicious but it isnt very healthy
I can give you an estimate on what you asked for but it is probably a little more.
cal – 586
sat fat. 25.4 grams
sodium – 1060mg
per serving. Recipe makes 5 servings. I hope this hhelps.
A mouthwatering idea sir, bravo!
What an amazing idea! I can’t wait to make these. Thanks for posting the recipe!!
YUM!! These look absolutely delicious and professional! Thanks for the recipe!
Sending hubby out to pick up ingrediants right now. I can’t wait to try these! The picture alone is mouth watering!
I LOVE THIS IT IS SO GOOD!THANK YOU.
This sounds great! Cant wait to try it. I was wondering, though – what do you personally think is the best taco seasoning? Thanks!
Laurie – I just use the taco bell brand, Haha, I know! I don’t have alot of variety where I live.
Thanks! I ended up with Ortega — ohmygoodness! These were delicious! My husband was quite pleased that I changed things up a bit!
My 3.5 year old loved them, too!! Thanks so much! I knew subscribing would be a good idea! 
Next up – grilled shrimp!
Laurie – I am glad you enjoyed the recipe!
These were great! I used shredded chicken breasts and black beans instead of ground beef and skipped the taco seasoning in lieu of of my own spice mixture. I’ll definitely be making again!
Mmmm! I made this last night. I threw in some green peppers with the meat and it was great! Only problem is, the noodles we’re kind of crunchy. Is that normal? Obviously I’m not your everyday cook.
I will be making this again!
Amanda – Next time just let the shells boil for a little longer. I am glad you enjoyed the recipe.
i make something very similar to this but i add refried beans to .. i love it its easy and something my family will eat
This dish was sooo yummy! My fiance (who DOES NOT cook.. ever) made it for me and our two boys on a night I was too busy to cook, the boy’s loved it and so did I! This will definitely be going in recipe Rolodex!
These were so good! I can’t eat ground beef so I used ground turkey. I can’t wait to make them again.
This dish has become the bane of my existence. I made it ONCE for my boys and now, every week this is what I hear: Mommy! Are TACO STUFFED SHELLS on the menu this week? OR Mommy? *sweetly* could we, you know, maybe have TACO STUFFED SHELLS this week???
It is as though regular taco night never existed.
On the bright side, I do have a new bribe!
Make them if you dare…
This was very good and I will be making them again next time the missionaries come over for dinner
I know this is obvious, but the shells need to be boiled and cooled first, right? Your recipe doesn’t say, “Cook shells according to package directions. Allow to cool,” but I assume that is really the first step, right?
LF- Yes, the noodles need to be boiled and cooled first. Enjoy the recipe.
I made these for dinner tonight. We had my mom over and they were a big hit! Everyone loved them. In fact we all went back for seconds! SO Good! Thank you for the great recipe we will definitely be making them again … and again … and again!
I made these for dinner tonight and they were AMAZING! These are sure to be a repeat hit in my house! Thank you!
I made these for supper tonight and everyone LOVED them! My husband said they were excellent and even my super picky 3 year old scarfed down 2! Thanks for putting this on pinterest!!
I know it’s a dumb question but I’m new to cooking and wanted to try this out. Can I find taco sauce at walmart?
rocio- yes you can find taco sauce at walmart.
I just found your website a couple days ago and I’m in love!! I heard about you threw a gf of mine that is ooing and awwwwing over your stuffed taco shells…. LAST NIGHT I MADE THEM AND THEN WERE TO DIE FOR!!!!!! Especially with my moms homemade Salsa, and lots of it!!! Very excited to try some new recipes ~ Winter’s are long in MN you know?!
=)
Trying this tonight. So far… Mine aren’t as pretty!!! Lol
This recipe is awesome!!! this will probably be a once a weeker at my house!!! Eveyone loved it and it was very easy! Also leftovers are yummy too! Thanks so much!!!
Found these on pinterest…they sound so good. I think I’m trying them tonight…hopefully my rarely ever eat meat 2 year old will like them. Her older brothers think it looks great!
I am going to try this recipe out with my family tomorrow for dinner!. Hope it comes out goood!
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!
I saw this yesterday afternoon and made it for dinner last night…I am not a big fan of taco sauce, so we used RoTel tomatoes with green chiles. It was wonderful:) Thanks for sharing!
I made these last night for my husband, mom and dad…Everyone loved them and so did I, this recipe will be added to my recipe box…It is a wonderful recipe and two of my favorites! Thanks for sharing
I love this recipe and blog…I posted it on my community foodie blog. Hope you can come check it out http://www.facebook.com/thefrenchiefoodie
Also, feel free to post you’re recipes or you’re favourite foodie tips on it whenever you like!
I made these tonight with ground turkey. My family loved it and so did I. Something different and fairly easy. I will be making these again soon. Thanks for sharing!
This recipe is amazing and super easy to make. Even my picky eater loved them! Thanks for sharing.
i made these tonight, we absoutly LOVE LOVE LOVED them!!!!!
I’m making this tomorrow for some very picky eaters,so I wont be adding cream cheese or sour cream
but I’m sure it will still be amazing!! It looks quite delectable!!
I am making these today for a party! They look amazing!
I made these for my friends at a potluck and they loved it! I am making them again for another one!
Made this recipe last week – probably one of the best tasting dishes I’ve ever attempted to make, and relatively easy, too! My husband has already asked for me to make it again, twice. Thanks for a great recipe!
Just made this tonight and instead of using cream cheese( nobody in house likes cream cheese) I used 4oz of velveeta and i added some corn, and it was yummy…. thanks
soooooo good!
I used homemade taco seasoning and homemade salsa with mine and it turned out AMAZING.
Yummm….just put this together and have it in the oven. The kids can’t wait for it to finish. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! Made this tonight and my family loved it! Even my 4 year old who eats NOTHING!! Thanks again!
Found this on pinterest. They were awesome! Even my 2.5 and 1yr old loved them! I had to make the taco sauce from scratch as I didn’t have any and we used ground turkey instead of beef. Also added lots of shredded lettuce on top! Thanks, will be making these again!! Oh, and also added onions and chopped pepper with the turkey
thanks… made this to take to a friend for a meal and it doubled as our own dinner. I have picky eaters and they didn’t even detect the cream cheese! I think I will try using enchilada sauce next time instead of taco sauce–my family is more used to the taste of enchilada sauce. but it was a great meal and made a large meal. I love the idea of filling them with different items, beans, turkey or even just veggies– spinach would be yummy!
All I can say is “What a hit”. The whole family enjoyed it and its going into the favorites file! TY
These look amazing. i make a tortilla pie with similar ingredients, but this is so much more interesting (and looks more appealing plated up, too). Thanks!
I made these for my husband and he loved them..However I modified them for my daughter and I and made them vegan by stuffung with the Boca crumbls and pinto beans sauteed together then for the cheese on top veggie cheese shreds…They ROCKED!!!
About how long does this take to prepare?
Devan- should take about an hour or less, not including the baking time.
What to do on a snowy night-in in Maine? Try out this recipe of course – I can’t wait!!!!
Tried these, they were a hit with the family. I even made a second batch doubling the recipe and froze the stuffed shells to have on hand for a quick dinner! Thanks for sharing the recipe!!
can’t wait to try this sounds so very good.. always looking for something different to cook….
i found these on Pinterest and i must say that they were totally amazing! i did a small adjustment and added a can of ro-tel when doing the meat mixture and that was a great addition! i prepped them the day before and put them in the fridge and 24 hrs later i heated them up then added the cheese and green onions! AMAZING!
Made this was so good, fast, easy. Whole family loved it and that doesn’t happen very often. This is a keeper. Thanks for the receipe
Made this tonight and was enjoyed by all.
I made this today and was wondering how many does this AWESOME TASTING recipe serve!?!?!?
Crystal Blevins- depends really on how much people can eat but I would say 2-4 servings.
Love the recipe and love the site. Have been sharing this recipe with friends and family. I’m also sharing it and this site on my blog in an upcoming post!
This is my second time making these.. they are amazing!! I use 1/3 less fat cream cheese and ground turkey, lowfat cheese, etc. They taste as good as the ones with all the fat, but you feel better about eating them! Thanks for the great recipe!
These were SOOOO good. I too used turkey and you could not tell the difference. I switched medium salsa in place of regular for a kick…we like spicy and the family LOVED these! Thanks so much..
These look great, I’m going to be making them this week. I saw some people were worried about sodium and cals. You can just do what I’m going to do:
-sub low-sodium shredded cheese
-sub fat free cream cheese
-make your own salsa
-skip the chips
-use homemade taco seasoning (just google for recipe, it’s super easy)
It’s all about taking an idea and making it work for you. Thanks for the idea, Bobby! I NEVER would have thought of this!!!
use lean ground beef
These were delicious and I loved they they came out looking exactly like the picture. We will definitely be having these again. Thank you for posting the recipe.
Excellent dish-next time, tho I wil try and find low salt taco seasoning/sauce as it was quite salty-otherwise great recipe.
This is so good, my boyfriend wants it every week!
And I didn’t change the recipe at all.
hi! My mo sent me thisrecipie cuz we love it! I want to make it for a party tomorrow but would prefer to make it day ahead to save time. Does anyone know the best way to go about this? I don’t want to ruin this delish recipe!
thank you!!
Just wanted to say I made this for the 6th time tonight – still excellent! I brought these to a playdate a while back and subbed in black beans for ground beef in a few of the shells for a vegetarian friend. She said they were awesome! We also love to freeze them for later – they reheat very well. Thanks for the recipe!
Where did everyone get the shells from? Vons, Stater Brothers, Trader Joes? I need to purchase the shells today.
Katie- You should be able to find the sells at almost any grocery store or supermarket.
Im making this tonight for the boyfriend and I! We both love Italian and Mexican so this should be perfect!!!!
Saw this and just had to try it. Using ground venison instead of ground beef. So good had to make a few batches for the freezer!!
is there a big difference if i dont use cream cheese?
Malia – I have never tried this recipe without the cream cheese so I am not sure. I personally think that it would still taste good though, even without the cream cheese.
I made these without cream cheese the other night and they were still amazing
I made these last night and they were TREMENDOUS. As to the cream cheese question i think you could omit it, and i think the four ounces called for could be cut in half w no taste difference, this recipe can be made healthier.. We went all low fat cheese, super lean meat, added some fresh jalapeno and white onion in the meat mixture to add veggie content as well as tomatoes added… Just a great idea and well be making it again and again.
Made these tonight with ground venison. My husband couldn’t stop eating them!
This is delicious. I made it for a co-worker and the next day I had 20 request from others. I am a vegetarian and made it for myself with Morningstar Crumbles and it was AMAZING!
Made this tonight…WONDERFUL! No leftovers and the kids cleaned their plates. I added green pepper, garlic, and onion into the meat mixture….otherwise followed as directed. Definitely a keeper. Thanks!
Can this recipe be frozen? If so, do any changes need to be made to the recipe?
Jessica – I have never tried freezing these. If you do try it, please let everyone know how it turns out. Thanks.
Jessica: I only cook for 2 so I have frozen them each time and they are just as wonderful as the shells right out of the oven.
I made these last night! So yummy and fun to eat. The cream cheese with the taco meat is seriously the best part, and of course dousing them in cheese didn’t hurt
So when you freeze these, do you cook them completly like the recipe says, or do you only go to a certain point, freeze, then when your ready to eat pop it in the stove and add the rest of the ingredients? I’m looking for meals I can make ahead and freeze.