Jumbo pasta shells filled with a seasoned beef mixture, topped with taco sauce, and covered in melted cheese. These taco-stuffed pasta shells make the perfect appetizer or game day staple.
I just rediscovered this shells recipe and I can’t believe I missed out on making these for a few years. These are seriously the BEST football food. They’re spicy and cheese and easy to eat with your hands. My husband and I literally had only these for dinner the other night and while that probably wasn’t the healthiest of choices (oops), boy was it delicious.
These taco stuffed pasta shells are a bit of a labor of love but are definitely worth it. Nothing in this recipe hard to do. They just take about an hour from start to finish. And then you’ll gobble them up very quickly. I’ll walk you through step-by-step instructions on how to make them below.
Jump to RecipeIngredient List
- 1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 box Jumbo Shells
- 2-3oz shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup taco sauce (I use Ortega Medium Taco Sauce)
- A handful of tortilla chips, crushed
How to Make Taco Stuffed Shells
Prepare the baking sheet. Line a cookie sheet or flat baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.
Boil water. First, bring a large pot of water to a boil (large enough to fit the box of shells). Once boiling, carefully place the jumbo shells into the water, trying not to break any.
Cook shells until al dente, meaning they are still a little firm to the touch. They will continue to cook in the oven so you don’t want to over cook them in this stage. Drain the pasta shells and run cool water over them to stop them from cooking further.
Make the taco beef mixture. In a skillet, cook the ground beef until done. Once everything is brown and cooked, add the chili powder, then the cream cheese. Stir until cream cheese fully melts and everything is combined.
Stuff the shells. With a regular spoon, stuff each shell with the taco beef. This part can get messy and be a little tedious. Gently fill the jumbo shell until it is about 3/4 full. Each shell will hold about a teaspoon of taco beef. Top each shell with a line of taco sauce poured over the beef. Place on baking sheet.
Bake #1. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Add cheesy goodness. After the first bake, remove the shells from the oven and carefully top them with shredded cheese. I love cheese so I am pretty heavy handed when covering them.
Bake #2. Bake the shells again for 10-15 minutes to let the cheese completely melt.
Top & Enjoy! Remove the baked shells from the oven and top with crushed up tortilla chips.
Variations & Substitutions
Not into ground beef? No worries. Swap the beef for ground turkey and they will come out tasting great.
Gluten free option. My sister is gluten free and when we make these we swap the jumbo pasta shells for Tostito’s scoops and she loves them. Everything else in the recipe stays the same.
Up the spice. We add Cholula or Tabasco sauce on top of the baked shells for an extra kick.
Common Questions
Yes! If your family somehow doesn’t manage to eat them all in one sitting then you can totally store these for another 2-3 days. You can wrap them in aluminum foil or place them in a storage container.
If it’s just a little crack, they are usable. However, I would make a couple of extra pasta shells just in case. If you do have any break, then fill it with taco sauce and give yourself a little snack while stuffing the rest of them. 😉
Need more recipe ideas?
- Baked Buffalo Chicken Dip — these shells plus this dip = YUM.
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Filling — if you want to continue with the themed of “stuffed” food.
- Red Wine Brownies — if you’re looking for an easy finger food style dessert option.
Taco-Stuffed Pasta Shells
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 skillet
- 1 large pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 box Jumbo Shells
- 1/4 cup taco sauce
- 3 oz shredded cheddar cheese
- handful crushed tortilla chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with foil and spraying with nonstick spray.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove. Add the jumbo shells.
- Cook until al dente. Don't overcook. You will continue to cook them in the oven later. Once al dente, drain and run cold water over them to stop them from cooking further.
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef until done. Then sprinkle the chili powder over the cooked beef and add the cream cheese. Stir until all the cream cheese has melted and is evenly incorporated throughout the ground beef.
- Fill each jumbo pasta shell with about 1 tsp of the taco beef mixture—filling it about 3/4 of the way full.
- Top each filled shell with a line of taco sauce.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of each shell.
- Return to oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese is fully melted.
- Remove the baked shells from the oven and sprinkle crushed tortilla chips over each shell. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can swap ground beef for ground turkey.
- You can make these gluten free by swapping the jumbo pasta shells for Tostito’s scoops.
- Take the spice up a notch by adding some Tabasco sauce at the end.
