Taco Stuffed Shells

Who doesn't love tacos? Or stuffed pasta shells?  How about the best of both worlds and the combination of both??


I recently found a recipe for Taco Stuffed Shells (shout out to Pinterest again, they have everything!) and couldn't resist trying it.  I absolutely loved it!  Such an easy way to spice up the usual pasta dish, this is a must-try if you like both of these dishes.


Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Serving Size: serves 4 (generously)


Ingredients:


~16-18 jumbo pasta shells
~1 package taco seasoning
(the original recipe made their own seasoning but I opted for the easy way out with the package:)
~1 pound lean ground beef (I had ground turkey and couldn't taste a difference)
~1 cup frozen corn, thawed (I used canned)
~1 cup prepared pasta sauce
~2 oz. goat cheese
~1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
~1 tbsp butter, melted
~1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
~hot sauce, to your taste


Directions:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees and fill a large bowl with cold water and ice- set aside.


Bring a large pot of water to boil and add pasta shells, cook as directed.  Drain well and add to the ice water to stop the cooking (I just ran them under cold water and skipped the ice and had no problems)

The shells just waiting to be stuffed!

Heat a large saute pan/skillet over medium high heat, add oil and the ground meat.  Season with S&P and the taco seasoning.  Break apart into small chunks and brown evenly.


Add corn and the prepared pasta sauce to the meat mixture, cook until heated through
(about 1-2 minutes)


Remove pan from the heat and stir in the goat cheese.  Goat cheese isn't necessary if you don't have it, but it adds a nice, rich creaminess to it.


Add hot sauce to your preference, I like things spicy so I added around 10 dashes throughout but this is all to your personal taste.


Fill pasta shells with the filling and arrange in a baking dish (I used a 9x12).   I also added some of the marinara I had from the jar at the bottom of the dish just to give it a little something to cook in and add some moisture.


In a small bowl, mix together the Panko bread crumbs and melted butter to sprinkle on top.  I originally almost skipped this step but I'm glad I didn't, it added a great crunchiness to the dish. 


Sprinkle the tops of the shells with cheddar cheese and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the cheese has melted and browned.  


It should look somewhat like this when ready to bake:

Shells ready for the oven!

You can also serve with sour cream, fresh tomatoes, olives... or any other garnish that you think would go with tacos, but I liked them as is best.

Let cool after baking, then dish up!

happy eating :)  xoxo b

All that was left!