Taco Stuffed Shells

So even though I have been super busy with work, I have religiously stuck with cooking at least three times a week. I even went as far to create a binder with meal plans laid out for each month, ingredients needed, and cost of each meal. I hope to revert back to it in the future to make life a little easier as a Mom.

A lot of these upcoming meals were made a while ago... but I got so far behind posting them because of all that has been going on. I'm thinking for upcoming posts that I will only submit my favorite meals for you since why would you want to see that ones that didn't impress me :)

Taco Stuffed Shells (www.budgetbytes.com) $14.65

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1½ lb. ground beef
• 2 cups black beans
• 2 cups pinto beans
• 1 taco seasoning packet
• 1 tsp salt
• 12 ounces jumbo shells
• 1 can enchilada sauce
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 3-4 whole green onions

Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large skillet over medium heat with the olive oil until soft and transparent (about 5 minutes). 

Add the ground beef and continue to cook until browned. Mix together the taco seasoning ingredients while the beef is browning. Once the beef is fully cooked through, add the taco seasoning and stir to combine. Drain the beans and add to the skillet. Stir until combined. Taste and season with salt as needed (I used about 1 teaspoon).

Allow the beef and bean filling to sit while you cook the pasta shells. Bring a large pot to a boil, add the shells and cook just until tender. Be sure not to over cook the shells or they will be soft and difficult to fill.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drain the shells in a colander and rinse with cold water until they are cool enough to handle. Spray the inside of a 9×13 inch casserole dish with non-stick spray. Fill the shells with the beef and bean filling and place in the casserole dish. It’s okay if they’re not aligned neatly or if they topple over and spill some filling, it will still be good.

 

 

Once all of the shells are filled and in the casserole dish, pour the prepared enchilada sauce over top and then add the shredded cheese. Cook in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through (all ingredients are already cooked, so there is no real danger of undercooking here. You just want to get it all HOT).

Slice the green onions and sprinkle over top after it comes out of the oven. Serve hot!

Dan rated this a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I liked it because there were a lot of leftovers which meant I was off the hook cooking for a few days :)