Cheesy Stuffed Mexican Shells
These Cheesy Stuffed Mexican Shells are perfect for meal planning or big families!
Cheesy Stuffed Mexican Shells
For a little while now, I’ve been wanting to do a “stuffed-something” recipe. After lots of recipe testing, all I can say is that my husband is a huge champ for eating all of the stuffed green peppers, squash, and whatnot I’ve put in front of him.
I hated all of them.
Squash felt too much, like too much stuff. I wanted something warming like a casserole but light-ish too. Then came this idea for Cheesy Stuffed Mexican Shells. They’re a great Italian-Mexican casserole-style dish and you need an extra pan just to brown some meat. They can be as fancy or not-fancy – as you like and reheat beautifully in the microwave.
Why you’ll love these Cheesy Stuffed Mexican Shells:
- Easy to bake up and impressive – the casserole nature of the dish makes it so easy to put together but seeing the individual shells stuffed has a really pretty appearance. If you need to impress but you’re low on time, this one is for you!
- Something unique – I love the blend of Italian and Mexican cuisine here. This dish easily brought me out of a rut where I was being a somewhat excessive meal repeater. The Cheesy Stuffed Mexican Shells offered a twist and some variety to the usual weeknight routine.
Drizzle some enchilada sauce or hot sauce to finish these off nicely.
The Process:
First, we’ll set the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for our eventual casserole item.
Then to get started with the recipe itself, we’ll boil our noodles. Be sure to get the big shells and cook slightly under the package instructions.
Remember to cook a little less than what the package suggests.
While our noodles are boiling, we’ll grab a saute pan and cook the ground turkey. While it’s cooking, I like to break it up into chunks to get the right texture. It should be cooked through at about 8-10 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking time, go ahead and add the taco seasoning, baby spinach, and a canned of drained, diced tomatoes. Give it a good stir and let everything simmer together before removing it from the heat.
Next, in an oven-safe casserole dish – add a layer of salsa plus the can of beans. I used cannellini beans here but you’re welcome to also try black beans or even some dollops of refried beans. Next, we’ll drain the shells and add them over top. I like to get them all nice and close to one another and tease them a little so they’re not curled in on themselves (easier to stuff them).
Slowly add the taco meat over top of the shells. Stuffing always feels a little easier than it looks – just take a quick scoop, pull a shell edge a little to open it up, and toss it in. Repeat until everything is stuffed or (if you’re feeling lazy) just ladle overtop until all the shells are covered/stuffed.
Be patient, and stuff stuff stuff!
For the final touch – we’ll add a healthy amount of cheese. Be sure to give it a good covering in addition to any other toppings you might like (I love tossing some minced jalapeños in here).
We’ll pop the whole thing in the preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melty perfection.
Serve up ASAP with any further toppings like cilantro, sour cream, or hot sauce!
Feast your eyes on this finished product.
If you’re looking for another meaty option, you should try my Sweet and Spicy Chicken Kebabs.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pictures of your creations on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok! Hashtag them #thehappyhaandi. And tag me @thehappyhaandi.
Cheesy Stuffed Mexican Shells
Equipment
- Skillet
- Casserole Dish
Ingredients
For the Cheesy Shells:
- 1 lbs Ground Chicken
- 1/2 Box Large Pasta Shells
- 14 oz Canned, Diced Tomatoes
- 14 oz Cannellini Beans
- 6 oz Salsa
- 12 oz Shredded Mexican Cheese
- 3 tbsp Taco Seasoning
- 12 oz Baby Spinach
Garnishes:
- Sour Cream
- Minced Jalapeños
- Cilantro
- Extra Salsa
- Sriracha! or other Hot Sauce
Instructions
For the Mexican Stuffed Shells:
- Set the oven for 400 degrees Fahrenheit for our eventual casserole item.
- Next, start by boiling the noodles. Be sure to get the big shells and cook slightly under the package instructions (about a minute under al dente).
- In a saute pan, add a little oil and add in the ground meat. Cook through while breaking up the pieces for about 8-10 minutes. Toward the end of the cooking time, go ahead and add taco seasoning, garlic, baby spinach, and diced tomatoes. Give it a good stir and let everything thicken slightly before removing it from the heat.
- Next, in an oven-safe casserole dish - add a layer of salsa plus the can of beans.
- When the shells are done, drain them well and add them over top of the salsa/bean mixture. I like to get them all close together and tease them a little so they're not curled in on themselves (easier to stuff them).
- Slowly add the taco meat overtop of the shells. Just take a quick scoop, pull a shell edge a little to open it up and toss in. Repeat until everything is stuffed or just ladle overtop until everyone is covered/stuffed.
- Finally - we'll cover the whole thing in cheese! Be sure to give it a good covering in addition to any other toppings you might like (I love tossing some minced jalapeños here).
- We'll pop the whole thing in the preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melty perfection.
- Serve up ASAP with any further toppings like cilantro, sour cream, or hot sauce!
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