Enchilada Stuffed Shells
Enchilada Stuffed Shells are my MOST POPULAR recipe! Full of cheese and enchilada flavor, it makes a dinner everyone will love!
Enchilada Stuffed Shells is my most popular recipes for good reason! They are delicious, easy and everyone loves them! It is one of my most pinned recipes so check it out and make it for your family, you will love it too!!!
Every year for my birthday I used to ask my grandma to make stuffed shells for my birthday dinner and I loved them. Then I grew older and I started asking for tacos for my birthday instead and from then on I always choose tacos or anything mexican over traditional stuffed shells.
Then I met my husband and he loves my enchiladas and he usually orders stuffed shells when we eat out. So one night I had the genius idea to put them both together and this recipe was born. He loved it! My friends loved it. Strangers around the world loved it! And you will too!
These are a great kid friendly meal because kids love pasta and they love cheese and this dish is full of both.
Enchilada Stuffed Shells are a great way to get kids in the kitchen to help with dinner. They can help you stuff the shells which will help get this yummy dinner on the table even faster!
This dinner can come together in minutes and is a great way to use up leftover taco fixins. If you have leftover taco meat and cheese this is the dish to use them in! It will taste like a whole new dinner!
These Enchilada Stuffed Shells are my favorite thing to take when anyone I know has a baby. They are so happy for a home cooked meal and then are even happier when they see these shells. They are my favorite thing to take because they can either eat them right away, save them for another night (they only get better the next day) or pop them in the freezer for the next crazy night.
Can I freeze these?
Of course, these freeze great when properly stored!
Can I use any enchilada sauce?
Sure!! I’m super busy so it is easier for me to grab a can of pre-made enchilada sauce but feel free to use homemade or even green enchilada sauce.
Can these be made without meat?
This is a perfect recipe to switch out the meat in. You can simply skip the ground beef and just use extra refried beans or add in some black beans and corn, that would be delicious!
Ingredients –
- Pasta Shells – You want to use the jumbo pasta shells that are made for stuffing.
- Hamburger – I like to use a lean ground beef for these.
- Refried Beans – You could also use black beans if you prefer.
- Colby Jack Cheese – I like this blend but use what you have on hand.
- Pepperjack Cheese – This adds a good melty cheese with just a little kick.
- Enchilada Sauce – I prefer to use red in this recipe but you can use green if you like.
- Scallions – These are for topping and they are so good on this recipe!
How to make these enchilada stuffed shells –
- Spoon a little enchilada sauce on bottom of 9×13 pyrex dish.
- Mix refried beans, cooked drained hamburger and 3/4 of the shredded cheese.
- Spoon bean, cheese, meat filling into the boiled and cooled shells.
- Place into dish.
- Cover shells with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
- Bake covered at 350 for 40 minutes or until bubbly.
- Top with chopped scallions and serve.
Like this recipe? Here are some more ground beef dinners!
- Slow Cooker Beef Ramen
- Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
- Copycat Meximelts
- Sloppy Joe Sliders
- Chicken Enchilada Bowl
Enchilada Stuffed Shells
Enchilada Stuffed Shells are my MOST POPULAR recipe! Full of cheese and enchilada flavor, it makes a dinner everyone will love!
Ingredients
- 12 ounce Box of Pasta Shells, stuffing size
- Boiled to al dente and cooled
- 2 Pounds Hamburger browned, drained (seasoned with taco seasoning optional)
- 31 ounce can of Refried Beans
- 8 oz Block of Colby Jack Cheese, shredded
- 8 oz Block of Pepperjack Cheese, shredded
- 2 (10 ounce) cans Enchilada Sauce
- Scallions chopped, optional
Instructions
- Spoon a little enchilada sauce on bottom of 9x13 pyrex dish.
- Mix refried beans, cooked drained hamburger and 3/4 of the shredded cheese.
- Spoon bean, cheese, meat filling into the boiled and cooled shells.
- Place into dish.
- Cover shells with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
- Bake covered at 350 for 40 minutes or until bubbly.
- Top with chopped scallions and serve.
Items used to make this dish…
9×13 baking dish: Everyone should 1 or 4 of these in their kitchen, so versatile!
Cheese grater: A good cheese grater is your best friend in the kitchen, I love this one!
Enchilada Sauce: I don’t always have time to make everything from scratch and this is my go to for enchilada dishes!
This is a super simple dish to make and again it freezes well, and it fabulous to take to a potluck or bring a new mama who needs a homecooked meal. Just check out my video below and see just how easy it is to make these Enchilada Stuffed Shells for any night of the week!
those sound awesome!
I don’t think my family would have gone for the cream cheese either… thank you so much for linking these up!
Thank you!!! And thank you for hosting!!!
These look delicious! I’ll add this recipe to my list to try….
Thanks!!!
Fantastic ! My family and I loved it ! I tried the enchilada stuffed bill peppers so I had to try this ! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!
Yay!! I am so glad you guys liked it!
Hey there. Would love for you to stop by my blog hop. http://pinkowl07.blogspot.com/2013/06/sunday-fun-day.html
Putting it on my directory right now!!! :)
These sound really good, love the twist on the classic stuffed shells! Sounds delicious!
Thanks soo much :)
Oh yum! These look so good! I love love LOVE enchiladas. Thanks for sharing at Marvelous Mondays. I am actually stopping by from Sweet Sharing Monday but I saw that you also shared this at MM. :) Pinned!
Thank you!!! We love enchiladas here too!! Thanks for hosting!
Thank you so much for linking up your recipe today. This looks so good! I have made stuffed shells one time in my tenure of cooking. I may have to try this if I can find some GF ones big enough to stuff!
Thanks for hosting!!!! I googled it and there are a few brands of gluten free jumbo pasta shells but where to find them I am not sure, possible Whole Foods? Thanks again for stopping by!
Oh gee, these look amazing. I think this will be going into my rainy and chilly day folder! Thanks for sharing at Simple Supper Tuesday.
Thanks and thanks for hosting!!
Your recipe looks so good! I love Mexican food. =)
I need to make this soon!
Saw your post @ Memories by the Mile.
Thanks!!! Let me know how you like it! :)
Looks yummy! I’m getting hungry! Pinned it!
Sam
The Kitchen is My Dance Floor
http://cooksandcreates.blogspot.com/
(Visiting from Southern Lovely)
Thanks so much!!!! :)
Yummmy!
Would devour two.. four.. no ten of these!
Lol Thank you!!! :)
I had never thought of shells as anything but Italian food. You have opened up my eyes to a whole new world. We love Mexican! What else can I stuff in those suckers…………………?
Me too! Mexican is our favorite! I did see a recipe where they stuffed chicken alfredo in the shells, but that is still italian lol
So glad I clicked! My blog is not food related but grace related but you have to say Grace to get to the food!! And these lookn awesome! I’m signing up for everything you have to follow, you cook like I do!
Blessings!
Lol so glad you like my recipes!!! Hope you try some :) Thanks for coming by :)
Great recipe and easy to make – that’s our kind of dinner!
So glad you linked up with us at the BeBetsy BRAG ABOUT IT Link and Hop.
Thanks for allowing us to add our link to your page!
Have a great weekend~xo
Sharon and Denise!
Thank you!!! And thank you for hosting!!
I actually wanted to lick the computer this looks so good! Pinning it! Making it soon! Thanks for linking up with Pin It! Tuesday! Hope to see you there again next week!
Lol awww thank you!!! Let me know how you like it and thanks for hosting!!
Looks incredible!
Thank you!!!
Just saw these at the Whipperberry party. Oh. My. YUM. They look delicious. Pinning!!
xoxo
Thank you!!!! :)
YUM! These look so delicious! Thanks for linking them up!
Thank you!!!!
This recipe is a huge hit with my family! We’re having a “Taco Bar” potluck at work next Friday & all the general taco fixings have already been signed up for. Then a light blue went off & I was like Enchilada Stuffed Shells! We do not have a oven in the office so I’m wondering how to keep these warm (besides making everyone use the microwave). I was wondering if these can be cooked in the crockpot?
I have not done it before but I believe you could assemble them and place them in the slow cooker to cook, or bake them ahead of time and place them in the slow cooker on warm until lunch.
Pinned! Yummy! Thanks for sharing and for linking up at Ladies Only Blog Share! :)
Thanks soo much!!!
Have you linked up with the Friday Flash Blog Linky Party yet? Link up your ONE best post of the week and check out other people’s awesome entries. You may just get highlighted next week!
Jennifer @ The Jenny Evolution
http://thejennyevolution.com/category/linky-parties/friday-flash-blog/
Headed over now!! THanks!!!
Love this!!! What a great fun twist on the regular enchilada. By the way, I so like your idea of enchilada sauce better then salsa on top… good call! :)
Thank you!! Me too!!
I am so trying these! We love enchiladas! What a fun way to change them up! Visiting from the Ladies Only Blog Share – so glad you linked up with us!!
Yay!! Hope you like them, thanks for hosting and stopping by :)
Oh, YUM. Pinning this right now. I do a spinach & ricotta cheese stuffed shell recipe that goes over marginally with my crew. Cannot WAIT to try it!
Yay!! Let me know how they like it!!!
YUM! Love Mexican and Italian – and even better when they combine ;)
Saw you at Saturday Spotlight and hope you can make it over to Super Sunday at Who Needs a Cape! http://whoneedsacape.com/2013/06/super-sunday-party-3/
Love it! Looks simply scrumptious!
Thank you!!!!
Stopping by from DIY Sunday Showcase. I am not the best of cooks, your Enchilada Stuffed shells is one I can handle!! Pinning. It looks delicious!! ~ Amy @ StowandTellU
Yay, I hope you try them! Thanks for stopping by!!
Looks like a yummy twist! I bet my girls would really like this dinner.
KC
Thank you and thanks for stopping by!!!
What a lovely midweek, crowd-pleasing meal! :) My family would DEVOUR this! Thank you so much for linking up with me this week at Tasty Tuesdays! I’ve pinned this & shared it with my followers! Please be sure to stop back by the party and check out some of the other links!
Thank you so much, and thank you for hosting!!!
Thank you for sharing over at our Super Sunday Linky!
Thank you for hosting!!!
Thanks for linking up at Tasty Tuesday at http://www.organizedsahm.com I am one of the co-hosts this month! Stop by back tomorrow!
Thank you!! I will be there!!!
Oh.My.Gawd.
These look incredible! I can’t wait to try them this week. Found you through Mandy’s Recipe Box – so glad I did!
Yay!!! Let me know how you like them!!! :)
Looks Delish! “pinned” My hubby would enjoy this…might ever become a Fire~House Meal!
Thanks for sharing at our Summer Bucket List Link Party! Keep those ideas coming! We’ll be partying through June!
xoxo
http://www.lifeafteremptynest.com/2013/06/summer-bucket-list-link-party.html
Thank you!!!!! And thank you for hosting!!
Looks wonderful!
Thank you!!!!!
What a fun twist on enchiladas! Definitely going to try these :) Stopping by from A Little CLAIREification
Thank you!!!!! :)
What a new take on enchiladas! Thank you for sharing the recipe with us @ My favorite posts show off weekend blog party :)
Jessica
The Wondering Brain
Thank you for hosting!!!
Mmmm It looks amazing! Thanks for sharing this on my blog hop last week! Here’s this week’s blog hop #9!
Thank you for hosting!!!
Yup, I’m pretty sure these are getting made in my house next week, they look delicious! Thanks for linking up at the TGIF link party last week! I hope you’ll stop by tonight and link up again!
http://www.livingbettertogether.com/2013/06/tgif-link-party-no-2.html
Have a great day!
Rebecca
Yay!!! Let me know how you like them!! :)
Thank you SO much again for linking up at my Best Of The Weekend party!! You will be FEATURED when the party goes live tonight at 8PM EST.
And here’s another secret… starting tonight we’ll have THREE hosts at the party so triple exposure and EVERYONE gets pinned! Yay!! :)
We can’t wait to see you there and please spread the word on social media too if you are able!!
xoxo
Oh thank you sooo much, I am so excited!!!!! Thank you!!!!
Yum! What time is dinner?
I would love for you to share and link up at my weekly TGIF Link Party if you haven’t already this week. Your favorite posts, most popular, recent or new! The party is open every Thursday night and closes Wednesday’s at midnight. Followed by (Not SO) Wordless Wednesday! http://apeekintomyparadise.blogspot.com/. I would be honored if you join us! Have a wonderful week!
Hugs, Cathy
Lol anytime is good with me lol! I already got your party in my directory!! I love it!! You have a great week too!!
OMG I just drooled on my computer!!!! These shells sound fantastic! I can’t wait to try this recipe, thanks for sharing!
Best,
Jen @ YummyHealthyEasy.com
Lol!!!! Thanks soo much!!!!
Could you tell me how big a block of the cheeses you use? It is an 8 oz block? These look so yummy!
Yes they are 8 oz, I updated the recipe with it :) Thanks!!!
I love this idea! What a great way to combine two favorites, enchiladas, and pasta! Brilliant. My family would devour these. I just pinned your great recipe :) Krista @ A Handful of Everything
Thank you so much!!! Hope you guys enjoy it :)
Aaaaamzingly good !! :) great recipe
Trying today! It is just my husband and I so I am going to make 2 8×8 pans and freeze one!
So glad I found this through Pinterest! Made it tonight sans beans since neither DH or I like them. I love forgiving recipes like this that allow me to unload the fridge of that half of an onion and half a can of green chilies I’ve been moving around. I threw sliced jalapeños on DH’s side and won rave reviews. Definitely a do again! Thanks for sharing:-)
Sooo glad you liked it!!! Yes I much prefer recipes that can be easily changed lol!
Could I make this with shredded chicken instead? My husband and I aren’t really ground beef eaters…
You sure can or even just the refried beans :)
How delicious! I have always made lasagna type dishes with those shells, but my number one craving is mexican type dishes. I have got to try this one….it looks pretty quick, inexpensive, filling and a great meal. Great post. I would love for you to stop by Inspiration in Progress tomorrow if you get a chance and link up any of your favorite posts to it. I hope to see you. Pinning and sharing!
My husband and I love this recipe! I add green chiles and use Manicotti to make them more enchilada-like….amazing :)
Ohh the manicotti noodles sound perfect!! We love green chiles here, I will have to add some to my next batch!!! So glad you like them :)
YUM YUM YUM. I’ve made these several times now and they are always a HUGE hit. I add a can of black beans and a small can of green chilis to the mixture and throw it all into a gallon size zip lock bag and pipe the mixture into the shells. We then top it with salsa in addition to the enchillada sauce and cheese before baking.
I am always looking for different things to take to the office “Food Day”, that doesn’t take a paycheck to make. These sound perfect… Any leftovers, more the better….
This recipe was great! So delicious!!! It probably would be even better with sour cream or green chili’s
Do you think you could make these without the refried beans?
Sure! I think it will yield a smaller amount of shells but it should work just fine :)
Made this the other night and it was delicious. This was pretty idiot proof for me since I am not the best cook. Plenty of leftovers. My husband loved it. I had plenty of extra meat bean mixture leftover I went and ahead and put it in the freezer.
Yay!! I am so glad you liked it!! Thank you for stopping by :)
I made these tonight!! I did make the meat with a taco seasoning but I used Old El Paso Cheesy taco mix!! OMG delish
Ohhh I will have to try using that mix sounds soo good!! Glad you liked it!! :D
These sound great! I am going to add this to my weekend menu. We prefer our enchiladas a bit more carnivorously, so I will substitute the enchilada sauce for a chili con carne.
I can even see this as a chicken variety (shredded chicken, green chills, roasted corn and cheese) with either a green tomatillo sauce or a white sour cream sauce. Can’t wait to see how this turns out.
Well this caught my eye and tummy, just made it a little different, I made it with chicken breast in crockpot, shreded the chicken and mixed it with green Chile stuffed in pasa shells with enchlida sauce and cheese. Tummy. Thanks
This was sooo yummy!!
Yay!! I am so glad you liked it!!!
I absolutely love stuffed shells, they’re a total weakness of mine and I love this Mexican twist on the classic!
Im seriously so happy with how these turned out! I had always wanted to try stuffed shells and these came together so easily! They are definitely going in our dinner rotation!
Hi. I have the recipe prepped and ready to stuff shells. I just noticed baking time is not provided. Is 30 minutes about right? I will be multi tasking big time and don;t want to have to run to the oven until timer goes off. It will be covered as well…thank you in advance for the reply as well as for the reipce. It looks yummy. I’m adding sliced black olives to it. I used to make these when I lived in the US with tortilla
Can you assemble it ahead of time & refrigerate it till ready to cook??
Sure!! Just make sure to cover it with plastic wrap and reserve a little sauce incase they absorb too much while waiting to be cooked.
I love this meal…