By Mid-January in Tulsa. The cold has settled in. The apartment’s baseboard heaters are running on cycle and the bedroom thermostat is set to sixty-eight at night and seventy during the day. Brayden is fourteen weeks old. He is making consonant sounds this week — not full babbling yet but the small “guh” and “buh” that comes before babble.
The enchilada stuffed shells are a hybrid — the jumbo pasta shells from Italian-American Sunday dinners filled with the seasoned-beef-and-cheese filling from Mexican-American Tuesday enchiladas, baked in a casserole dish with enchilada sauce instead of marinara, topped with shredded Monterey Jack instead of mozzarella. The recipe is a Pinterest find from 2019 that I had been meaning to make all of 2021 and that I finally got around to this Sunday because it makes enough for three nights and the casserole reheats well.
The trick is layering. Sauce on the bottom of the dish, then the stuffed shells in a single layer, then more sauce, then cheese. Cover with foil for the first twenty-five minutes (so the shells finish cooking through), uncover for the last ten (so the cheese browns). The shells come out tender and the cheese is browned in patches and the casserole holds its shape on the plate without becoming soup.
Sunday I made it. The kitchen smelled like cumin and cheese for three hours. Brayden slept through most of the cooking on the couch in his bouncer seat with the white-noise machine running. Dustin came home from a long Saturday at the shop on Saturday night and ate two helpings standing up at the counter before he’d even taken his work jacket off. The casserole carried us through Sunday dinner, Monday dinner, and Wednesday dinner.
Enchilada Stuffed Shells
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 20 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
- 1 can (10 oz) red enchilada sauce, divided
- 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup sour cream, plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional, for garnish)
- Sliced green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the shells. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook jumbo pasta shells according to package directions until just al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and lay flat on a lightly oiled baking sheet to prevent sticking.
- Brown the meat. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef or turkey, breaking it up as it cooks, until no longer pink, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat.
- Season the filling. Add taco seasoning and water to the skillet. Stir and simmer for 2 minutes until absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, sour cream, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Mix until well combined.
- Prep the baking dish. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce evenly across the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Fill the shells. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the meat filling into each cooked shell. Nestle filled shells snugly into the baking dish in a single layer, open side up.
- Top and bake. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the stuffed shells. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese over the top. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
- Finish and serve. Remove foil and bake an additional 10–15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and lightly golden. Garnish with cilantro and green onions. Serve warm with sour cream on the side.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 520 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 48g | Fiber: 6g | Sodium: 890mg