Taco pasta shells

My family loved these easy taco shells. Sometimes, you want the flavor of tacos with the ease of a casserole. This recipe combines classic taco ingredients with jumbo pasta shells for a fun and satisfying twist. Featuring ground beef, cheese, and salsa, this dish is easily customizable with your favorite toppings.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Tex-Mex

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 45

Servings: servings

Calories: 659Kcal

Author: Susan Moncrieff

Ingredients

▢ Large pasta shells
▢ 28 oz can of plain tomato sauce not spaghetti or any type of Italian sauce
▢ 12 oz jar of salsa
▢ 1 ½ lbs ground beef
▢ 1 package taco seasoning
▢ 2 cups mozzarella cheese or your favorite combination with mozzarella in it

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F
Cook ground beef and add about ½ cup of water and taco seasoning. Simmer until most of the water is gone. Set aside and let cool a bit.
Boil jumbo shells about 2 minutes less than cooking instructions on the package. Drain and rinse shells with cold water.
Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with nonstick spray
Pour enough tomato sauce then a layer of salsa to thinly cover the bottom of the casserole dish.
Take a cooked cooled shell and stuff it with the ground beef/taco spice mixture. Add cheese on top of each stuffed shell. Place into casserole dish.
Once all shells are assembled and in a casserole dish, drizzle on the balance of salsa sauce. Sprinkle on any remaining cheese.
Cover with foil and bake in oven for about 25 minutes. Remove foil and finish baking for another 5 minutes. This will allow the cheese to brown.

Notes

A delicious recipe when you just feel like Mexican and pasta together in one meal.

Optional Toppings after cooking - chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream, avocado, guacamole, black olives, and chopped cilantro. Think of this casserole as a base for other taco/nacho favorite ingredients.

Storage

In a sealed container, these can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They may be frozen if the container is well sealed for up to 3 months.
To reheat, thaw in fridge overnight (if frozen). Individual portions can be microwaved or the casserole can be reheated in the oven until hot (approx. 20 minutes at 350F).

Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutrition information is an estimate only provided as a courtesy using an ingredient database. Garnish and optional ingredients are not included in the calculations.

Nutrition