Can’t decide between taco night and pasta night? Good—don’t. These creamy taco stuffed shells are loaded with beefy, cheesy goodness, then drenched in warm queso and baked to bubbly perfection. Basically, it’s comfort food with a spicy little identity crisis.
Table of Contents
🌮 Why you'll be obsessed with this recipe
(Because plain ol’ taco night just isn’t cutting it anymore)
- Big flavor, easy prep, zero boring leftovers—your future self will thank you
- Ready in 30 minutes—or assemble ahead to bake later when life’s chaotic
- The perfect twist on Taco Tuesday (and yes, it freezes like a dream)
- Stuffed with seasoned taco meat and smothered in a creamy homemade Velveeta queso—comfort food maxed out
- Great for back-to-school chaos, meal trains, or feeding the teen hoard without complaints
A crispy salad is about all you need to serve with this creamy taco stuffed pasta casserole. I like to serve garlic breadsticks with it if I have some on hand.
🧾 Ingredients you'll need for this creamy taco stuffed shells casserole
Nothing fancy here—just the usual suspects that turn into something ridiculously craveable when baked together. If you’ve got taco meat, queso, and cheese, you’re already halfway to dinner greatness.
- Jumbo pasta shells – The big ones. Don’t try to use elbow macaroni and pretend it’s the same.
- Lean ground beef (90/10) – We want flavor, not a grease puddle.
- Queso – Homemade or store-bought, no judgment. But if you want to go full hero mode, I’ve got a homemade queso recipe right here.
- Green onions – Because every good casserole deserves a little crunch and color.
- Fresh cilantro – Totally required, unless you're one of those people who think it tastes like soap.
- Taco sauce – Mild, hot, or “call the fire department”—you do you.
- Taco seasoning – From a packet or homemade, as long as it brings the flavor.
- Shredded cheese – Mexican blend, cheddar, whatever melts and makes people go “ooooh.”
Want to make this ahead or freeze it for later? I've got the full freezing + reheating guide, plus tips, storage, FAQs, and more in this free, printable Taco Stuffed Shells Kitchen Cheat Sheet PDF..
📖 Recipe
Creamy Taco Stuffed Shells with Queso
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 12 ounces jumbo shell pasta
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- 1 ounce taco seasoning
- ⅓ cup water
- ⅓ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 ½ cups queso, Restless Chipotle homemade or store bought
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
- green onions
- taco sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Cook jumbo shells according to package instructions. Do not overcook - they'll fall apart.
- Drain, rinse, and let cool.
- Brown ground beef in a heavy skillet.
- Sprinkle taco seasoning over the top.
- Stir in water and simmer until the water is absorbed.
- Stir in cilantro.
- Spray a 13x9 inch casserole dish with non-stick spray.
- Gently hold a jumbo shell in the palm of your hand and fill it with meat mixture. It should hold about 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons.
- Place in the casserole dish.
- Repeat with the remaining shells until all the meat is gone.
- Pour the queso over the shells, spreading to cover them with it.
- Sprinkle with the shredded cheese.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melty and the casserole is heated through.
- Drizzle with taco sauce, sprinkle with green onions and serve.
To bake after freezing
- Remove the casserole from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
- When ready to fix dinner just bake as directed in the recipe instructions.
Notes
- Don't add salt! The taco seasoning is salty (I suggest getting a low sodium variety) and the queso is salty. If you salt the meat it will be WAY over salted.
- For easy stuffing use a cake decorating bag without an end in it. Fill it with the meat and squeeze it into the pasta.
- Don't overcook the pasta! It will fall apart when you try to stuff it.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
🔪 Here’s how to make this taco stuffed shells recipe step by step
If you can brown beef and boil water without setting off the smoke alarm, you’re good. This is less of a recipe and more of a delicious assembly job—like lasagna’s spicy cousin who shows up with queso and zero shame.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the jumbo pasta shells according to the package—al dente, please, not gummy. Drain and set aside. Brown the ground beef in a skillet, add the taco seasoning (yes, follow the packet), and stir in the chopped cilantro like you boought extra on sale.
- Spoon the taco meat into the cooked shells and line them up in a casserole dish like little flavor-packed soldiers reporting for duty.
- Pour queso all over the top like your life depends on it, then sprinkle with shredded cheese—because restraint has no place here.
- Bake until it’s hot and bubbly, then drizzle with taco sauce and toss on some green onions for flair. Serve hot, and take all the credit.
📚 If you loved this, here are a few more cheesy recipes to try
Pasta is one of our favorite meals any day of the week! Sometimes EVERY day of the week! Check out my one pot philly cheesesteak pasta or chicken spaghetti!
Here are more of our family favorite casseroles.
- Beef Burrito Casserole – All the flavor of a drive-thru burrito without the shame of eating in your car. Layers of beef, beans, cheese, and tortillas baked into a bubbly, glorious mess.
- Mexican Lasagna – It’s what happens when tacos and lasagna make questionable choices after too many margaritas. Saucy, cheesy, and absolutely not authentic—but you won’t care.
- Chile Chicken Bubble Up – Canned biscuits, spicy chicken, and cheese all baked into one glorious skillet of comfort. It’s a hot mess—in the best possible way.
I have always loved stuffed shells so when I realized I was out of taco shells late on a Taco Tuesday I had two choices-
- Figure out an alternative to taco shells
- Serve PB&J
I love pb&j sandwiches but not so much for dinner, so I hunted the pantry for a tortilla alternative and came up with some jumbo shells I was planning to make into a regular stuffed shells recipe later in the week.
We LOVED it! It instantly became a family favorite.
Teresa Carol says
"Your creative way of using the giant shells is an excellent idea! Now, making it a 'Taco Mac' with small shells sounds perfect!
Thank you, Marye!
xo
Marye says
You're so welcome!