Southwest Taco Stuffed Shells with Queso Fresco
These stuffed taco shells are a must-try! Try these southwest tacos stuffed shells for your next Taco Tuesday meal…everyone will love them!
Everyone always associates pasta with Italian food, but that does not always have to be the case. Pasta is a very versatile product that gets overlooked in many dishes we serve our families. Pasta can be served in:
- homestyle family casseroles
- Italian dishes
- Asian inspired dishes
OR
- you can put your spin on a traditional favorite that every family loves…tacos!
Taco Tuesday is a must in our house each week. The problem is that it gets old making the same traditional Mexican inspired dishes each and every week. Even though I diversify the playing field each week with different Tex-Mex style dishes, some form of tacos always makes the menu because everyone in the family loves them!
While meal planning, I am always thinking of ways to come up with something new and fun for Taco Tuesday that also incorporates some vegetables. I try my hardest to make my family meals balanced, quick to get on the table as well as delicious. Sometimes that task proves to be more difficult than others, but then it hit me and I knew how to spice up our traditional tacos to incorporate it all together.
Taco Stuffed Shells! Yes…this is perfect!
Our family is a huge fan of Barilla Pasta so I knew they would have exactly what I needed at my local Walmart to make our stuffed tacos go off without a hitch for dinner.
They were delicious and so easy to make! Making this Tex-Mex dish for our family made me realize that now is the time to stop associating pasta with Italian food all the time! Barilla Pasta is a staple in my home and has me thinking outside the box now!
Try the best Mexican-inspired dish you will ever eat that also sneaks in vegetables so you know your family is getting a well-balanced meal for yourself! They are sure to get gobbled up on Taco Tuesday at your house! At least, that’s what happened at mine! :)
Southwest Taco Stuffed Shells with Queso Fresco Cheese
Ingredients
- 3/4 box of Barilla Pasta Jumbo Shells
- 1 lb ground beef (can substitute turkey burger)
- 1/2 medium onion (chopped)
- 1/2 green bell pepper (or any color you have on hand)
- 1 carrot stalk (finely diced)
- 1/2 small jalapeno pepper
- 3/4 cup frozen corn
- 3/4 cup canned black beans
- 1 taco seasoning packet
- 2/3 queso fresco cheese
- 1 1/2 cups water
Other items needed:
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, bring water to a boil.
- While waiting for the water to boil, add hamburger meat, onion, bell pepper, carrots, and jalapeno into a large skillet to brown.
- Once the water begins to boil, add in Barilla Pasta Jumbo Shells and cook al dente.
- After the meat has been browned, add the taco seasoning packet and water.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and cover for approximately 5-10 minutes.
- Add frozen corn and 1/3 of the queso fresco cheese into the taco meat to heat up and melt the cheese. (should take about 5 minutes)
- Stir together well.
- Once the shells have cooked to al dente, remove them from heat and drain into a strainer then rinse with cool water. Set aside until meat is finished cooking.
- Lay out parchment paper on the kitchen countertop and place each jumbo shell separately so they do not stick to one another. (great way to get the kids involved with helping cook dinner)
- Before adding the black beans to the taco meat, make sure you rinse them well in a strainer. Add black beans at the last minute to heat up. Mix only occasionally so you don’t mash up the beans.
- Stuff each shell with taco mixture.
- Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 5 minutes to reheat.
Get the printable Stuffed Tacos Recipe below.
Southwest Taco Stuffed Shells with Queso Fresco Cheese
Ingredients
- 3/4 box of Barilla Pasta Jumbo Shells
- 1 lb ground beef can substitute turkey burger
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1/2 green bell pepper or any color you have on hand
- 1 carrot stalk finely diced
- 1/2 small jalapeno pepper
- 3/4 cup frozen corn
- 3/4 cup canned black beans
- 1 taco seasoning packet
- 2/3 queso fresco cheese
- 1 1/2 cups water
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, bring water to a boil.
- While waiting for the water to boil, add hamburger meat, onion, bell pepper, carrots, and jalapeno into a large skillet to brown.
- Once the water begins to boil, add in Barilla Pasta Jumbo Shells and cook al dente.
- After the meat has been browned, add the taco seasoning packet and water.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and cover for approximately 5-10 minutes.
- Add frozen corn and 1/3 of the queso fresco cheese into the taco meat to heat up and melt the cheese. (should take about 5 minutes)
- Stir together well.
- Once the shells have cooked to al dente, remove them from heat and drain into a strainer then rinse with cool water. Set aside until meat is finished cooking.
- Lay out parchment paper on the kitchen countertop and place each jumbo shell separately so they do not stick to one another. (great way to get the kids involved with helping cook dinner)
- Before adding the black beans to the taco meat, make sure you rinse them well in a strainer. Add black beans at the last minute to heat up. Mix only occasionally so you don’t mash up the beans.
- Stuff each shell with taco mixture.
- Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 5 minutes to reheat.
Notes
How to Make Taco Stuffed Shells
Serve these taco stuffed shells with fresh pico de gallo, homemade guacamole, and salsa.
How do you spice up your Taco Tuesday nights? Let me know in the comments below!
More Easy TexMex Dinner Ideas To Try
Tex-Mex Taco Salad Bowls
Tex-Mex Fish Tacos
Southwest Beef Enchiladas
Those looks so yummy! How fun :) We ironically did an Italian inspired twist on tacos this week as well, making taco pockets like calzones. I love combining cultures to create new meals. We’re definitely going to be trying these soon!