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Taco Stuffed Shells

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4.5 from 2 reviews

These quick and easy vegetarian Taco Stuffed Shells are filled with black beans, corn, red pepper, red onion, quinoa, enchilada sauce and PLENTY of melty pepper jack cheese. Garnish with all your favorite taco night toppings and get ready for your family to ask for seconds!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 12 oz. jumbo shells, cooked al dente
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small red onion, diced
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15 oz.) can corn, drained
  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon chiles in adobo
  • 8 oz. shredded pepper jack cheese, divided
  • 4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
  • 28 oz. can enchilada sauce

Garnish:

  • sour cream
  • fresh chopped cilantro
  • sliced jalapeno

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cook jumbo shells according to package directions until al dente. Toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper and set aside to cool.
  3. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and pepper along with a couple large pinches of salt and pepper.
  4. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
  5. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
  6. Add black beans, corn, quinoa, cumin, chili powder, chiles in adobo, and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper.
  7. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of enchilada sauce along with 1/2 the pepper jack cheese.
  8. Add 1 cup sauce to a baking dish. Fill shells with about 2 heaping tablespoons filling and place in the baking dish.
  9. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the shells. Top with cheddar and remaining pepper jack cheese.
  10. Cover and bake for 20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted.
  11.  Broil for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese starts to get dark golden brown.
  12. Garnish with sour cream, cilantro and jalapeno and enjoy!

Notes

Salt your pasta water moderately. This is the first chance that you have to season the pasta so it's important to make sure your water is as salty as the ocean. I recommend adding about 2-4 tablespoons of Kosher salt to the water as soon as it comes to a boil.

Cook noodles just until al dente. I recommend cooking the noodles for the lowest recommended cooking time and then testing them about 1 minute before the timer goes off to see if they're done. Strain the noodles as soon as they are al dente. This will ensure that they don't end up being mushy after baking.

If your fam isn't into spicy foods, omit the chiles in adobo and/or chili powder. You can add a dash more cumin in their place if you'd like or just leave them out entirely. We like to add just a teaspoon of diced chiles in adobo for some smoky heat but there's plenty of flavor in there without them!

Split it into two batches and freeze one for dinner later! This recipe makes a TON of shells (about 40 in fact), so I like to separate these taco stuffed shells into two 9x13 pans and freeze one for later! Cover the pan well with a few layers of saran wrap and tin foil and then freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before you plan to bake the shells, then just follow the directions in the recipe card for baking.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/mexican-stuffed-shells/