But Mom! Everyone else is doing it!
I don’t know who the first person was to come up with the idea of stuffed shells filled with taco fillings, but it’s definitely a good idea. I kept seeing taco shells around the internet, so I had to make some, Budget Bytes style.
I made this recipe affordable by using homemade enchilada sauce (takes less than ten minutes), homemade taco seasoning (takes about two minutes), and beans cooked from dry in my slow cooker (cooked ahead of time and kept in the freezer until used). It took a little thinking ahead, but it definitely saved some bucks.
This recipe ended up being a little more work than I anticipated and I dirtied more dishes than I like to, but in the end it was well worth it. It made a HUGE batch of ten large servings, nearly all of which went into my freezer. I’ve been eating these amazing shells for almost a week now and have yet to get tired of them!
I didn’t realize that the ground beef I bought was in a 1.5 lb. package instead of just one pound, so thats part of why it made so much. You could also do this with just beans and no meat if you want it even less expensive!
I paired this with some cilantro lime rice and I was a happy, happy girl.
Taco Stuffed Shells
Taco Stuffed Shells
Servings 10Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.49)
- 1 1/2 lb. ground beef ($6.09)
- 2 cups black beans ($0.56)
- 2 cups pinto beans ($0.56)
- 1 recipe taco seasoning ($0.34)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 12 oz. jumbo shells ($2.78)
- 1 recipe red enchilada sauce ($0.77)
- 2 cups shredded cheese ($2.50)
- 3-4 whole green onions ($0.19)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large skillet over medium heat with the olive oil until soft and transparent (about 5 minutes).
- Add the ground beef and continue to cook until browned. Mix together the taco seasoning ingredients while the beef is browning. Once the beef is fully cooked through, add the taco seasoning and stir to combine. Drain the beans and add to the skillet. Stir until combined. Taste and season with salt as needed (I used about 1 teaspoon).
- Allow the beef and bean filling to sit while you cook the pasta shells. Bring a large pot to a boil, add the shells and cook just until tender. Be sure not to over cook the shells or they will be soft and difficult to fill. While the pasta shells are cooking, prepare the enchilada sauce.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drain the shells in a colander and rinse with cold water until they are cool enough to handle. Spray the inside of a 9×13 inch casserole dish with non-stick spray. Fill the shells with the beef and bean filling and place in the casserole dish. It’s okay if they’re not aligned neatly or if they topple over and spill some filling, it will still be good.
- Once all of the shells are filled and in the casserole dish, pour the prepared enchilada sauce over top and then add the shredded cheese. Cook in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through (all ingredients are already cooked, so there is no real danger of undercooking here. You just want to get it all HOT).
- Slice the green onions and sprinkle over top after it comes out of the oven. Serve hot!
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Notes
Nutrition
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Step By Step Photos
Start by dicing the onion and mincing the garlic. Add them to a LARGE skillet with the olive oil and cook over medium heat until soft and transparent.
Add the ground beef and continue to cook until it is FULLY browned.
While the beef is browning, mix up your taco seasoning (or use a store bought packet).
Once the beef is fully cooked, add the taco seasoning and stir until combined.
Add the drained beans (because WE LOVE BEANS!). Stir until combined. Taste and add more salt if needed (I added about one teaspoon).
Next, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Make sure to not let them get too soft or they’ll be all wobbly and difficult to fill. Also, while the pasta is boiling away, you can quickly prepare the enchilada sauce (because it only takes 5-10 minutes).
Drain the pasta and rinse it with cool water until it’s cool enough to handle. Spray a LARGE casserole dish with non-stick spray. Fill the shells and place them in the casserole dish. I found the easiest way to fill them is to hold a shell in one hand and fill it with a spoon using the other. Now, the shells WILL topple over and spill their guts, but that’s okay because when you serve it you’ll just be scooping everything up anyway.
Pour the enchilada sauce alllll over the whole thing. This is where it starts to get really good. Preheat your oven to 350, too.
Cover that sucker with cheese and pop it in the oven. Cook it at 350 for about 30 minutes or until the whole thing is hot and the cheese is nice and melty on top.
And then you’re in taco shell heaven. Oh yeah, sprinkle the green onions over top after it comes out of the oven.
As usual, I portioned the whole thing out before refrigerating. I actually ran out of containers, that’s how much it made. Most of these containers ended up in the freezer after they cooled in the fridge. I also added a scoop of cilantro lime rice to each container. I’ve been having very, VERY happy lunches ever since! :D
team Taylor – You can definitely add some water to help the spices incorporate. Mine might have had some wateriness in the bottom of the skillet already, I can’t remember!
i am making this right now. my beef is 90% lean and when i added the taco seasoning, it looks like i could use some water? did you have to add water? i was also looking to see if you drained the meat, did you just use the grease for the liquid?
thanks :)
This is going to be on my table soon let me tell you that! Thanks!
Lynn – THANK YOU! hahahah “beens” :P
Cheap – Awesome tips! Thanks!
Steve – yeah, I’d just do a mix of beans. It will still be awesome!
cool, i have some pasta i need to get rid of. want to remove the meat; any suggestions anybody? i guess more beans. anything else?
cool, i have some pasta i need to get rid of. want to remove the meat; any suggestions anybody? i guess more beans. anything else?
Oh wow, I’ve got to make this recipe! There’s only a couple of things I might suggest to make it a bit more budget friendly.
We have taken to buying our shredded cheese at Costco. A 5 lb. bag of shredded cheddar/mozzarella is about $10. I bring it home and put it into 3 or 4, 2-quart freezer bags. One bag goes in the fridge and the rest in the freezer–pulling it out as needed to thaw in the fridge. It works great and it’s half the price (or less) of what I can buy in a 2-cup bag at the grocery store.
The other thing is that you spent $4 a pound for hamburger. This is something I also buy “in bulk” when it’s on special. Unfortunately with price increases, the best I can do now is 80% lean on special about once a month for $1.99/lb. I’ll buy about 4 or 5 lbs. and spend 5 minutes at home to “break it down” to freezer bags with a pound per bag–and a bag with 2 plastic wrapped half pounds.
It’s just the 2 of us most of the time and I measure a “pound” for 2 at 12 ounces. It’s enough for 2 hamburger patties or a dozen meatballs or “Maid-Rites” for 2 or tacos for 2. Two years ago I could still get “London Broil”/bottom round or boneless chuck for $1.99 on special and I’d have it ground but that’s now about $3.50 on special. Plus, when I have ground beef that lean, I keep a package of breakfast sausage links handy to add a bit more fat for flavor and cooking–each link is an ounce and costs about $.15 on special.
Just a couple of thoughts. I love the idea of using dry beans to save money and actually create better flavor. Thanks.
I hate being the spelling person, but you spelled beans “beens” in step 2 of the written directions.
This looks awesome :)
I seriously LOVE this idea. They look amazing. I like to do surprise lunches for my coworkers periodically and this would be PERFECT. And SO much less expensive than other lunches I have prepared. Thanks for all of your wonderful budget friendly ideas. =)
These look delicious! I will definitely be making these one day.
Mimi – You probably could, although the baking time will probably change because it has so much further to go to get from frozen to hot. Also, you might want to use something other than glass because the quick temperature change could cause it to break. Maybe try one of those disposable aluminium casserole dishes.
Could you freeze the whole pan after putting the enchilada sauce on? Then put the cheese on & bake the day of?
Cassie – I put them in the refrigerator at work, bu they’re still pretty much frozen solid by lunch time. So, I just microwave them until they’re hot! It takes a little stirring or moving the food around, but it usually only takes about 5 minutes :)
I have a question about your leftovers, Beth. I know you freeze them in individual portions. Do you bring them out the day/night before so that they’ll be ready to eat by lunchtime? Or do you let them thaw the morning of?
Okay, this looks AMAZING. Definitely making it this weekend with ground turkey.