Pasta enchiladas are jumbo pasta shells stuffed with a spicy blend of seasoned ground beef and cheese, then topped with enchilada sauce and even more cheese.
Although I am the voice of The Mountain Kitchen, David does help me with recipe ideas. I always run my ideas by him to see what he thinks. One day on our way back to the mountain from town we started dreaming up a recipe for pasta shells stuffed with Mexican goodness. We had it all planned out and even picked out the name for the recipe. I still needed to experiment with that homemade enchilada sauce from scratch before I made it. We were excited, but with so much going on it was a while before I was able to make the recipe.
I finally got around to making the stuffed shells, but before I made them, I decided to see if anyone else had made a dish like this. I will admit it is disappointing to learn we were not the first ones to come up with this recipe. There are a lot of great recipes floating around out there. I promise this one is an original.
Let’s Make Pasta Enchiladas!
How To Make Pasta Enchiladas
Bring a large pot of water (as salty as the sea) to a boil in a large pot. Cook pasta shells per package instructions.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Meanwhile, in a pan add ground beef and brown.
Drain the browned hamburger and return to the pan.
Add the seasoning mix and a ½ cup of water. Allow the hamburger to simmer until almost all the liquid evaporates and the seasoning is well-distributed into the ground beef.
When the pasta shells are done, drain the water and allow them to cool enough to touch.
Pour enough of the enchilada sauce just to cover the bottom of a 10×10 baking dish.
Stuff each shell with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture. Place shells into the baking dish open side up.
When the pasta shells are all filled, evenly cover the stuffed shells with the enchilada sauce.
Top the pasta shells with cheese. Bake until the cheese is bubbling and everything is warmed through; about 30 to 35 minutes.
Garnish with sour cream, pickled jalapenos, green onions, and cilantro or whatever garnish you desire.
As promised you now have another recipe to use that enchilada sauce on. So what are you waiting for? Go for it!!
Pasta Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (chuck)
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
- ½ cup water
- 16 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 ½ cup enchilada sauce
- 2 cups cheese shredded
Garnish Suggestions: sour cream, cilantro, pickled jalapenos, chopped scallions etc.
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water (as salty as the sea) to a boil in a large pot. Cook pasta shells per package instructions.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, in a pan add ground beef and brown. Drain the browned hamburger and return to the pan. Add the seasoning mix + ½ cup of water and allow the hamburger to simmer until almost all the liquid has evaporated and the seasoning is well distributed into the ground beef.
- Once pasta shells are done, drain and allow to cool enough to touch.
- Pour enough of the enchilada sauce just to cover the bottom of a 10 x 10 baking dish.
- Stuff each shell with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture. Place shells into the baking dish open side up. When the pasta shells are all filled, evenly cover the stuffed shells with the enchilada sauce.
- Top with shredded cheese and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until cheese is bubbling and everything is warmed through.
- Garnish with sour cream, pickled jalapenos, green onions, and cilantro or whatever garnish you desire.
SJG says
The melted cheese on top looks amazing!!
The Mountain Kitchen says
I had never used store brand cheese from The Fresh Market before. I was amazed by how good this cheese was. Very creamy and rich!
Rachel says
Umm this is culinary genius. First time I’ve seen mexican stuffed shells – so very original to me! Y’all are the best duo.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks for the kind words Rachel. You’ve gotta try this carbolicious treat! 😉
Julie is HostessAtHeart says
What a brilliant idea. This dish looks delicious!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Julie, you will have to try it. So good and even better the next day!!
Anna Buckley says
Yum, yum, yum Debbie! The weather in Melbourne is starting to get cold (in fact we barely had a summer), this will be perfect for tonight’s dinner.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Anna,
Your summer is Australia must be like ours was last summer here in the states. We had to wear jackets on the 4th of July, which is usually one of the hottest times of the year!! Our beloved Shenandoah River never got warm enough to swim in either. We have below average temps right now too. Spring will arrive eventually I guess… Hope you enjoy the pasta enchiladas!
Debbie