Cheesy Taco Stuffed Shells

6 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Taco Stuffed Shells made with jumbo pasta shells, salsa, cheese and taco meat are the perfect EASY meal that you can prepare ahead of time!

This recipe takes a classic Mexican Food recipe and re-imagines it as a Pasta favorite. It is also an XL take on my super popular Cheesy Taco Pasta! For another taco-pasta combo, try my Cheesy Taco Mac too.

Sabrina’s Taco Stuffed Shells

With some taco seasoning, salsa and cheese, turn classic Stuffed Shells into a delicious Tex-Mex twist! This easy dinner has jumbo shells stuffed with a quickly cooked ground beef taco filling and then baked to get the cheese all melty. But even that stove-to-oven process happens in less than 45 minutes. It’s a delicious, fast dinner recipe you’ll want in your regular rotation plus they make a great make-ahead meal and potluck dish!

One of the best parts of tacos is all the tasty toppings and these shells can be loaded up too! I went with the classic taco toppings of sour cream, olives, and chopped green onions. If you’re feeling fancy, try a fresh Avocado Tomato Corn Salad or go with a simple Guacamole. I also like to put out whatever salsas I have in the fridge and let everyone pick which one they like best. However you top this taco pasta dish, I hope you love it as much as we do!

Step by Step Video

Ingredients

  • Jumbo Shells: You want the shells that are 3-4 inches long so they hold all the filling. You need to cook them first because they won’t be in the oven long enough and there isn’t enough sauce to soften them fully.
  • Salsa: A jar of your favorite mild or medium salsa is perfect. Using store bought salsa cuts down on the prep time and the flavors are still outstanding.
  • Taco Seasoning: You can use Homemade Taco Seasoning if you have the ingredients on hand (or have some already mixed in the cupboard). Otherwise a packet of prepared mix works just as good.
  • Ground Beef: I prefer an 85/15 blend because it doesn’t have as much fat but it still has enough to keep the meat juicy.
  • Cheese: I used shredded cheddar cheese just like you would for tacos instead of the traditional ricotta and mozzarella blend. It is in the meat mixture and on top so these are extra cheesy.

Recipe Card

Taco Stuffed Shells

Taco Stuffed Shells made with jumbo pasta shells, salsa, cheese and taco meat are the perfect EASY meal that you can prepare ahead of time!
Yield 6 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 12 ounces jumbo pasta shells
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cups jarred salsa , divided
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese , divided

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Cook the pasta shells in a pot according to the directions on the box and drain.
  • Add the ground beef to the pot and brown well.
  • Drain the fat.
  • Add the taco seasoning and water, stir and cook until water is gone.
  • Stir in 1 cup salsa and ¾ cup cheese.
  • Scoop into the jumbo pasta shells and top with the remaining salsa and cheese.
  • Bake in a covered pan for 15 minutes.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 497kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 644mg | Potassium: 534mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 515IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 181mg | Iron: 2.6mg
side view of shells plate with sour cream, olives and green onion toppings

Can this be made ahead?

Absolutely! You can make the filling a day ahead of time and then pop it into the pasta shells and bake. Or assemble the shells fully, minus the salsa and cheese topping, and cover the baking dish with plastic. Store it in the fridge for up to 2 days. When you are ready to bake, add the salsa and cheese then bake as usual, adding a few minutes to the bake time as needed. You could also make the shells in a freezer safe baking dish, wrap it up tight and freeze for 2-3 months. Then just bake it from frozen. So many options to make this recipe ahead!

How to Store

  • Serve: Do not leave stuffed shells at room temperature longer than 2 hours.
  • Store: In an airtight container, store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
  • Freeze: Sealed tightly, these stuffed shells will keep in the freezer for 2-3 months.
  • Reheat: Reheat in the oven covered with foil at 350 until hot and bubbly, adding more salsa and cheese if needed. 

Frequent Questions

What kind of salsa should I use?

I love using either Guapo’s Famous Fresh Pico de Gallo in this recipe but really you can use an store bought jarred salsa. I prefer a red salsa but it tastes great with green too! My only note would be to use a mild or medium salsa and then let everyone add their favorite hot sauce later so the actual dish isn’t too spicy.

Can I prep and bake assembled shells straight from the fridge?

If you prepped your shells in a glass or ceramic baking dish, you need to let it sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before baking. If you used a metal pan, you can bake it straight from the fridge, just add 5-10 minutes to the baking time.

shells on dinner plate with sour cream, olives and green onion toppings

Variations

  • Pepperoni Pizza: Make pizza stuffed shells by swapping out the salsa for marinara sauce and adding chopped up pepperoni to the meat mix. Use mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar. Easy as (pizza) pie!
  • Ranch Chicken: Use ground chicken instead of beef and use half taco seasoning, plus 2 teaspoons of Dry Ranch Dressing Mix.
  • Cheese: If you’re looking for an alternate to the shredded cheese or to mix things up a little you can absolutely make the taco stuffed shells with velveeta or nacho cheese as well. Even better, you could use nacho cheese in the meat and shredded cheddar on top for the ultimate cheesy taco stuffed shells.
  • Salsa: You can also swap out the salsa in this recipe in a 1 to 1 ratio with my favorite Homemade QUICK Enchilada Sauce to make them more smoky and rich.

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More Tasty Twists on Stuffed Shells!

Collage of baked stuffed shells. meat in pan, and assemble shells

Photos used in a previous version of this post.

 Collage of cooking steps
Close up of baked stuffed shells in pan
Close up of baked shell on serving spatula
Collage of baked shells in pan
baked shell being lifted out of baking dish on spatula
baked shell lifted out of baking dish on spatula

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. Tried these taco stuffed shells and they were absolutely delicious. Try them. They’re easy to make, and it’s a good thing because your family will want them all the time.

  2. This recipe is awesome just the way it is written. I have made it many times. If I am in a rush I par cook the smaller shells and mix everything together in a casserole dish- top it with cheese and bake it. It can easier become different by adding other ingredients such as corn, black olives, beans but we love it just the way this recipe is written- better than 5 stars!

    1. Aww, you made my day Teresa! Thanks so much for the high praise and the 5 stars!

  3. This recipe was so simple and so delicious! Definitely a new favorite in my house! I will be adding more items to the mixture like chopped jalapeños and maybe some black beans and corn for a more southwestern vibe. But no additions are necessary! Making it just as the recipe shows was perfect! Like other reviews, I’d also suggest at least 2lbs of hamburger. I’m going to triple this recipe for the game this weekend! Thanks for this!

  4. This recipe is one of my family’s favorites we make it quite a few times over the course of a month. It’s such a simple dish to make but it is really filling and so good. I always have to make a double batch so we have left overs for the next day.

    1. I love to hear comments like yours. Cooking for a family can be tricky so finding a recipe that pleases everyone is a win! Thank you Paulette for your kind review.

  5. Excellent! I should have made extra sauce and could have used another 1/2 pound of meat (I used ground turkey) as I had leftover shells. I did add chopped onions and green peppers to the meat and some Better Than Bouillon Smoky Chipotle for a little more kick. It’s a keeper for me!

  6. I used spaghetti sauce instead of salsa because of the spice. It is awesome. I am making it again for my aunt and uncle. Can’t wait to see how they like it.

  7. Will Definitely be making this again. Next time with medium shells tossed together. Quick and easy dinner or reuse for leftover tacos.

  8. This dish was delicious. My sons and I love pasta very much & I’m trying different dishes. Thanks for sharing.

  9. Used what I had in the house. Large shells are considerably smaller than the jumbo shells, and nearly impossible to stuff. So I used them instead like macaroni, followed the recipe and instead of stuffing, just combined the pasta, salsa, seasoning, etc. Topped it with cheese and baked it. It was easy and so delicious with a tossed salad and garlic bread sticks. Thanx again Sabrina for a great recipe. Just ordered your cookbook and cannot wait to dive in!

    1. I made this tonight and it was a hit. I used 1 pound of ground turkey as it was what I had on hand and it was perfect. I was quite frustrated that my grocery store did not have jumbo shells so I used manicotti instead and it worked well. The amount of meat filled all 14 tubes with no leftover. I will make these again and may do like others and add corn and beans. Thank you.

  10. I actually used 2lbs of hamburger is what I had frozen and thawed out a day ahead of time the in the fridge and was perfect! I think you need at least 2lbs. I threw the extra unused shells away. I mad the recipe exactly except used a full jar of salsa about 20oz jar mixing half into the meat mixture along with about a cup of the Mexican style cheese blend shredded cheese and after arranging in the pan sprayed with Pam cooking spray, I poured the last of the salsa over the top and sprinkled about another cup worth of cheese across the top over the salsa and covered and baked with foil about 30mins lost track of time but it came out perfect. Served with a side of corn. My 10yr daughter loved it and so did I!

    I don’t think just a pound of hamburger is adequate and I recommend 2lbs.

    Will be making this super easy recipe often from now on.

    What’s amazing is it’s just a few ingredients and a super easy weeknight meal.

    Serve with a salad or a favorite vegetable or some sliced avocados or a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!!!

  11. This tasted delicious! But you’re gonna need twice the ground beef to fill all the shells and be able to feed 6. I only needed to feed 3 so this worked out for me, and I’ll save the leftover shells I have for another recipe. Very quick and easy recipe, and a great way to use the jar of salsa wasting space in the back of my fridge!

  12. These shells are so yummy. Just wondering if you can refrigerate until you are ready to cook them ?? Or freeze ahead of time