Mexican Stuffed Pasta Shells, with seasoned beef, cheese and onion, are baked and topped with cheese, cilantro, tomatoes, and sour cream!
Mexican Stuffed Pasta Shells are a delicious twist on traditional stuffed pasta. Ground beef, cheese and onion filled pasta shells are baked in enchilada sauce, then topped with cheese, cilantro, tomatoes, and garnished with a dollop of sour cream, for a flavor-filled dinner!
Last Spring I made Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Stuffed Shells and we really enjoyed them. Now fast forward to about 4 months later when I started thinking about how much my husband and I absolutely LOVE Mexican food. A light bulb went off in my head and I decided to experiment and make more stuffed shells, but this time create a recipe with a Mexican twist! We really enjoyed them, so am sharing the details on the ol’ blog today.
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How Do You Make Mexican Stuffed Pasta Shells?
These Mexican stuffed pasta shells are really easy to prepare. Start by cooking 1 pound of ground beef with sliced green onions in large skillet on medium heat. Once the meat is cooked, drain grease from pan (discard grease). Add one taco seasoning packet and cook according to seasoning package instructions.
When the meat has been cooked and seasoned, transfer it to a large mixing bowl and let it cool for 4-5 minutes. Add 3 Tablespoons of enchilada sauce, grated cheddar and jack cheeses; and stir to combine. Set aside.
Cook The Pasta Shells
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the jumbo pasta shells according to package directions. When the pasta shells are finished cooking, drain them well. Place the drained shells in a single layer on wax paper or parchment paper.
Prepare The Filled Mexican Stuffed Pasta Shells For Baking
Place several heaping spoonfuls of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a baking dish (enough to just barely cover the bottom of dish). Fill the cooked pasta shells with the ground beef mixture, then place them into a baking dish in a single layer.
Once all shells are filled and in the baking dish, spoon the rest of the enchilada sauce over the shells to cover. Sprinkle with the remaining half of the cheddar and jack cheeses.
Bake The Mexican Stuffed Pasta Shells
Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes total. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking. Sauce and cheese should be bubbly when done. Remove dish from oven.
Garnish And Serve The Stuffed Shells!
To serve, top with additional cheese, tomato, cilantro and green onions, for a great splash of color (and added flavor)! This dish will not only taste good… it will look good, too!
Place 2-3 shells onto each individual serving plate, and top each shell with a small dollop of sour cream. Serve… and enjoy!
Hope you will consider making these flavor-filled Mexican stuffed pasta shells for an upcoming meal. I served them with a simple mixed green salad on the side, and they were quite filling. Have a great day!
Looking For More Mexican-Inspired Recipes?
You can find ALL my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have lots of delicious, Mexican-inspired recipes you might want to check out, including:
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- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 green onions (sliced, use green stalk and white bulb)
- 1 envelope taco seasoning
- 3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese , DIVIDED
- 1/2 cup grated jack cheese , DIVIDED
- 1 can (19 ounces) red enchilada sauce
- Approx. 1/2 box jumbo pasta shells (I used 18 shells)
- Chopped tomato, green onion, cilantro, grated cheddar, and sour cream
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place several large spoonfuls of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a baking dish (enough to just cover the bottom). Set aside.
- Cook ground beef with chopped green onions in large skillet on medium heat. When meat is cooked, drain and discard grease. Add taco seasoning packet and cook according to seasoning package instructions. Once meat has finished cooking, transfer it to a bowl, and let cool down for 4-5 minutes. Discard grease from pan. Add 3 Tablespoons enchilada sauce and HALF of the grated cheddar and jack cheeses to the meat; stir to combine. Set aside.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook jumbo pasta shells according to package directions. When pasta is done cooking, drain, then place shells in a single layer on wax paper or parchment paper. Fill cooked pasta shells with the ground beef mixture, then place into baking dish (on top of sauce) in a single layer.
- Once all shells are filled and in baking dish, spoon the rest of the enchilada sauce over shells to cover. Sprinkle with the remaining half of the cheddar and jack cheeses.
- Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes total. Remove foil for the last 10 minutes of baking. Sauce and cheese should be bubbly when done. Remove dish from oven.
- To serve, garnish with additional cheese, chopped tomato, chopped cilantro, and green onions, for a great splash of color and flavor! Place 2-3 shells onto each person's plate; top each shell with a small dollop of sour cream. Serve and enjoy!
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!