These taco-stuffed shells have a cheesy beef filling with diced tomatoes, salsa, and your favorite taco toppings. It is friendly and leftovers freeze well!
Stuffed taco shells
As much as I enjoy making my own classic stuffed shell recipe, nothing tastes better on Taco Tuesday than these. Stuffed taco shells!
This is a true mashup between two classics, my recipe incorporates ricotta into that delicious beef filling, which really binds to the stuffed shell theme. I use a similar combination in my taco lasagna recipe and people absolutely I love it. If you try, you will Like this be happy you did!
The topping options here are endless and fun to get creative with. I usually go for cilantro, diced avocado, black beans, And diced tomatoes. Other options include Crispy Fritos or Doritos, grated lettuce, black olives and sour cream!
How to do it
See the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Boil the shells in salted water for 1 minute less than al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent them from cooking further.
While the shells are cooking, prepare the meat filling. Add 1/2 of the sauce to the bottom of a pan. Fill each shell with the prepared meat filling and add it to the baking sheet. Cover with the remaining sauce.
Top with the cheese. Cover and bake at 375 ° for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 10 minutes. Decorate with your favorite taco toppings and serve!
Advance method
- Whip and refrigerate up to 1 day in advance of time. Add 10 minutes covered cooking time.
- Assemble and freeze for up to 3 months. Let it thaw completely in the fridge e add 10 minutes covered cooking time.
Tips for professionals
- Boil the extra shells in case of interruption during the boiling or dripping process.
- Grate the cheese from a block instead of using packaged grated cheese. It will melt and taste much better. I use Cracker Barrel Cheddar Yellow And Cabot Monterey Jack Cheese for this recipe
- Any type of sauce works great for this recipeI actually like this super affordable and easy to find Salsa rhythm. You can also make my homemade salsa recipe.
- 1 cup of enchilada sauce can be used together with 1 cup of sauce if desired. (Instead of 2 cups of salsa.)
- Fried beans it can also be spread on the bottom of the pan, before the sauce.
storage
- Store in an airtight container e refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Tools for this recipe
(Amazon Affiliate Link) – Check out all of mine kitchen essentials here.
- This is the Le Creuset pan I have used it in this recipe, (and in 90% of my recipes). It is expensive, but conducts heat very well and is oven-safe. The size is perfect and the quality is great.
- Box cheese grater– Allows you to finely chop the cheese. (Always shred off a block instead of using packaged grated cheese.)
- Passapasta– This is what I use, it’s the perfect size.
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These taco-stuffed shells have a cheesy beef filling with diced tomatoes, salsa, and your favorite taco toppings.
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Preheat the oven a 375 °.
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Boil the shells in salted water for 1 minute less than al dente, set a timer to prevent them from overcooking. Drain once cooked and rinse gently with cold water until the water at the bottom comes out cold. Set aside.
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Cook and crumble the minced meat over medium-high heat until soft and almost cooked, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through. Drain the fat well.
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Reduce the heat to medium e add the beef stock, diced uncut tomatoes, and taco seasoning. Stir until well blended and slightly thickened. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
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In a large bowl, combine ricotta, sour cream, half of the cheddar, half of the monterey jack, salt, pepper and oregano. Add the meat mixture and stir to mix.
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Add half of the sauce at the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch saucepan (or 12-inch round pan).
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Use a spoon for stuff each shell of pasta with the stuffing mixture and place it in the pan.
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Add the remaining sauce, then garnish with the remaining cheddar and monterey jack cheese.
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Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for another 10 minutes. Top with your favorite taco toppings (see notes for tips) and serve!
Tips for professionals
- Boil the extra shells in case of interruption during the boiling or dripping process.
- Grate the cheese from a block instead of using packaged grated cheese. It will melt and taste much better. I use Cracker Barrel Cheddar Yellow And Cabot Monterey Jack Cheese for this recipe
- Any type of sauce works great for this recipeI actually like this super affordable and easy to find Salsa rhythm. You can also make my homemade salsa recipe.
- 1 cup of enchilada sauce can be used together with 1 cup of sauce if desired. (Instead of 2 cups of salsa.)
- Fried beans it can also be spread on the bottom of the pan, before the sauce.
storage
- Store in an airtight container e refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Advance method
- Whip and refrigerate up to 1 day in advance of time. Add 10 minutes covered cooking time.
- Assemble and freeze for up to 3 months. Let it thaw completely in the fridge e add 10 minutes covered cooking time.
Nutritional Facts they are based on 3 shells per person and it is an estimate. This recipe makes about 18 shells in total, or 6 servings.
Calories: 546kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 39g, Fat: 30g, Saturated fats: 17g, Polyunsaturated fats: 1g, Monounsaturated fat: 8g, trans fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 127mg, Sodium: 1556mg, Potassium: 715mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 1610IU, C vitamin: 9mg, Soccer: 562mg, Iron: 4mg
