One of the things I did not think about while planning my no-spend month, was the number of meals I would have to cook.
So. Many. Dirty. Dishes.
Aaron and I have enjoyed looking through old Pinterest boards and cookbooks to find recipes I used to make before we started using Home Chef and I became too lazy to actually shop for my own ingredients. One of the recipes I found that we were most excited about was Taco Stuffed Shells. I love anything stuffed in a shell, but this recipe might be my favorite of all time.
Many years ago I was tasked with collecting recipes from listeners at the radio station I worked for at the time and cultivating those recipes into a cookbook. We did not get nearly enough recipes from listeners to create a whole cookbook, so everyone at work pitched in. This Taco Stuffed Shell recipe came from my boss and his wife (along with many other recipes). I have revised it a little over the years to make it easier and I love it.
What you will need:
- Jumbo Shells (I usually make 14-16)
- 1 pound ground turkey (you could also use ground beef)
- 1/2 cup salsa (I never measure this, I just dump some in)
- 4 ounces cream cheese (you can also use Greek yogurt)
- 1tsp Chili Powder
- 1tsp Paprika
- 1/2tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Oregano
- 1/2 cup Mexican Blend shredded cheese
- 1/2 cup Cheddar shredded cheese
*You could also substitute a taco seasoning for all the individual spices.
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350.
Start boiling the pasta. The original recipe called for 12 shells, I usually make 16 and fill around 14 of them. I like to have extra in case they break while cooking.
While the shells are boiling, brown the ground turkey in a non-stick pan.
Once there is no pink left, add in the spice mixture. Full disclosure, I don’t usually measure the spices, I just dump them in my hand and guess. I also don’t add in water with the spice blend. Aaron likes the meat to be drier, so I just add the spices and stir the mixture until everything is combined.
Once the spices are mixed in well, add in 4oz of cream cheese. Cover the pan and let the cream cheese melt for a minute or two, then stir to combine.
Once the cream cheese has melted, remove meat mixture from heat and allow to cool. While the meat and the shells are cooling, pour the salsa into the bottom of a 9×13 pan. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of salsa. I don’t measure it out, I dump enough to cover the bottom.
Once the shells and the meat are cool enough to handle, fill each shell with the meat mixture. Each tablespoon can usually hold 1-2 tablespoons of filling.
As you stuff the shells, place them in the 9×13 pan.
I keep filling shells until the filling is gone, then I eat the extra shells. Now you top each shell with the Mexican Blend cheese and the Cheddar Cheese. If you only have one of the two, that is fine too.
Welcome to the next part of this recipe I don’t measure. Are you seeing a pattern here? I don’t measure out the cheese. I just place small handfuls on each shell. Can you ever have too much cheese?
The answer is no. Once I have all the shells covered, I cover the dish with foil and stick it in the oven for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes I remove the foil and let it bake for another 10-15 minutes to brown the cheese. You can also bake the shells with no cheese for 30 minutes, then add the cheese for the last 15. That seems like an extra step to me and I ‘m all about easy, so I add the cheese before I bake.
Remove from the oven when all the cheese is melted and let it cool for a few minutes before you serve it up.
We like to eat ours with some extra salsa. I have also added sour cream in the past, they are delicious without any extras though.
I hope you give these a try. Let me know if you make any revisions to the recipe, I would love a new twist.
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