By Marisol Vargas fortieth-birthday prep week. The party is two weeks out. The menu is finalized. The venue is secured. The two-helper-plus-one model (Renee, Bethany, Ana) is locked in. Brayden is forty-nine weeks old — just shy of eleven months. He has been refusing pureed sweet potato this week because he has decided he wants real food.
The sassy southwest stuffed shells are another fusion dish in the line of the enchilada stuffed shells from January — jumbo pasta shells filled with a southwest-seasoned cream-cheese-and-corn filling (cream cheese, sweet corn, black beans, diced tomato, cumin, chili powder, salt), baked in a casserole dish under a layer of enchilada sauce and shredded Monterey Jack. The casserole is vegetarian (where the January version was beef-based). The pasta-shells-as-vessel makes the dish portable and slice-able.
The technique question is the cream-cheese filling consistency. Too cold and it cannot be piped into the shells. Too warm and it spreads thin and the filling does not hold. The fix is bringing the cream cheese to a soft-spread temperature (about thirty minutes at room temperature) and adding the other filling components at that temperature. The mixture pipes easily through a large-tip pastry bag.
Sunday I made it. Dustin had three shells. Brayden had a tablespoon of plain cream-cheese-and-corn filling from the bowl (no shell, no sauce). The corn was the standout from Brayden’s perspective. He wanted more. I gave him three more spoonfuls.
Sassy Southwest Stuffed Shells
Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 20 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 (1-oz) packet taco seasoning
- 1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (10-oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles (such as Rotel)
- 1 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned and drained)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese, divided
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 (15-oz) can enchilada sauce
- 2 green onions, sliced
- Fresh cilantro, for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the shells. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook jumbo shells according to package directions until just al dente. Drain, rinse with cool water, and set aside on a sheet pan to prevent sticking.
- Preheat oven. Set oven to 375°F. Spread 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce across the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Brown the beef. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef until no longer pink, breaking it into crumbles. Drain excess fat. Stir in taco seasoning and 1/4 cup water. Simmer 2–3 minutes until thickened.
- Make the filling. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in black beans, diced tomatoes with green chiles, corn, cream cheese, sour cream, and 3/4 cup shredded cheese. Mix until cream cheese is melted and everything is well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stuff the shells. Spoon a generous 2 tablespoons of filling into each cooked shell. Arrange stuffed shells in the prepared baking dish, open side up.
- Top and bake. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the shells. Sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes more, until cheese is bubbly and golden.
- Garnish and serve. Let cool 5 minutes. Top with sliced green onions and fresh cilantro before serving.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 485 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 980mg