Mexican Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 16 jumbo pasta shells
• 1 1/2 c. salsa
• 1 c. taco sauce
• 1 c. Cheddar cheese
• 1 c. Monterrey jack cheese
• Toppings:
• 3 green onions, chopped
• sour cream
• 1 medium can black olives, drained

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a pan, brown the ground beef; add taco seasoning and prepare according to taco seasoning package directions.
3. Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Stir together and mix well. Set aside and cool completely.
4. While ground beef is cooking, cook pasta shells according to package directions, probably about 13 minutes; drain. Set shells out individually on baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.
5. Pour salsa on bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Stuff each shell with 1-2 tablespoons of the meat mixture. Place shells in 9×13 pan open side up. Evenly cover shells with taco sauce. Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
6. After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes with foil removed. Top with green onions or olives if desired.
7. Serve with sour cream, black olives and salsa.
8. Makes 16 stuffed shells.