I’m Italian and although my husband is not, his dad lived with a Sicilian family in New York for some time. We also spent two weeks in Rome so we are pretty stuck up about our Italian food. So when I came across this recipe I knew it’d be difficult to talk my husband into it. My husband called it a ‘unholy marriage between Italian shells and Mexican tacos.’ But I said the picture looks so good-lets just try it. He finally agreed and I whipped it up. His first response was, “it’s good but it’d be good in a tortilla too.’ As we continued to eat it I turned to him, ‘It’s like homemade Hamburger Helper.’ ‘That’s it! It’s really good when you put it that way!!’ I know we probably sound stuck up-but just with Italian food. But if you like Italian food and Mexican-try mixing them together with this yummy dish.
Mexican Stuffed Shells
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 package low-sodium taco seasoning
4 oz. cream cheese
14-16 jumbo pasta shells
1.5 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce (This is a smooth, tomato based sauce found in the Mexican section)
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup monterey jack cheese
3 green onions
Sour cream
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a frying pan cook ground beef; add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions. Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and cool completely. While ground beef is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to directions; drain. Set shells out individually on cutting board/baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.
Pour salsa on bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place shells in 9×13 pan open side up. Cover shells with taco sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes, with the foil removed. Top with any condiments you’d like (green onions, black olives, etc.) Serve with sour cream and/or more salsa.
Found Recipe from: The Way to His Heart
Our Sweet Life As We Live It 