Mexican Stuffed Shells

Stuffed shells have quickly become a favorite meal around here. They are one of the few meals that I think you can reheat and they taste just as good. These classic stuffed shells were such a hit, that I decided to try a new twist. These have ground meat, cream cheese, homemade taco sauce, and then are topped with cheese and green onions. These would be super easy to make and then freeze half, to do that you would freeze the stuffed shells before baking, then go straight from the freezer to the oven and just cook a little longer.

These were such a breeze to make and even easier to reheat and eat for the next few days. These are a great comfort food and they are perfect served with a side salad. You can easily use a canned jar of taco sauce, but the version I posted is so much better. You just don't know what you are missing. These are not too spicy so you can feel free to top them with your favorite taco toppings, onions, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, or whatever you enjoy.
Source: The Way to His Heart

Ingredients:
1 lb. of Ground Beef
1 package of Taco Seasoning, or 4 tablespoons of this version
4 oz. of Cream Cheese
14-16 Jumbo Pasta Shells
1.5 cups of Salsa, use your favorite
1 cup of Taco Sauce
1 cup of Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 cup of Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
Additional Toppings: Green Onions, Red Onions, Guacamole, Sour Cream, Olives

Directions:
First, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Now, prepare the pasta shells according to the recipe on the box. Drain and set aside to let them cool. Separate them on a baking sheet so they don't stick together.

While the pasta is boiling, brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Drain the meat and add the taco seasoning and 3/4 cup of water. Simmer for 5 minutes. After that, add the cream cheese and simmer until it has melted. Blend all of the ingredients together. Set aside to cool.

Now, pour the salsa on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Stuff each shell full with the beef mixture and place in the baking dish, open side up. Cover the shells with the taco sauce and place foil over the pan. Bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes has passed, remove the foil and cover the shells with the shredded cheeses. Bake for 10-15 more minutes.

Serve warm and add any additional toppings.


Enjoy!

Happy Cooking,
The Barbee Housewife