Mexican Stuffed Shells

4.12 from 9 votes

Easy Mexican Stuffed Shells get stuffed with juicy taco meat and three kinds of cheese, topped off with a quick-fix Mexican marinara! It's a fun twist on pasta night and one the entire family will love!

Prep Time35

Cook Time25

Total Time1

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Keyword: Mexican Stuffed Shells

Servings:

Calories: 578kcal

Author: Kelly Anthony

Ingredients

½ (12-ounce) package jumbo shells
2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
½ yellow onion, finely diced
4 jalapenos, seeded and diced
1 pound 90/10 ground beef or ground turkey
1 (1-ounce) packet taco seasoning
1 (8-ounce) package softened cream cheese
1 cup freshly grated Cheddar, separated
1 cup freshly grated Monterey Jack cheese, separated
¼ cup milk
1 (24-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 ½ teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400° and have ready a greased 9x13" casserole dish.
Cook ½ of a 12-ounce package of shells (about 20 shells) to al dente according to package directions, drain, and set aside to cool.
While waiting on the shells to cook, begin on the filling. Add the oil to a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and allow to come to temperature. Add the onion and diced jalapenos and sauté for 3-4 minutes, just until softened.
Add the beef, break it apart with a wooden spoon, and sprinkle over the taco seasoning. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the beef is fully cooked through.
Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cream cheese, ½ cup Cheddar, ½ cup Monterey Jack, and milk. Stir occasionally until melted. Remove from the heat and set aside.
To make the sauce, in a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the tomato sauce, sugar, salt, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and pepper.
Add about ¾ cup of the sauce to the bottom of the casserole dish. Fill each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the beef filling (a cookie scoop works great for this task) and place them seam-side up in the casserole dish. Once your shells are filled, pour the remaining sauce across the tops of them, and sprinkle with the remaining cup of shredded cheeses.
Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the edges are hot and bubbly, about 5 minutes more. Serve and enjoy.

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