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Zesty Mexican Stuffed Shells

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PREP TIME
15 min
COOKING TIME
70 min
TOTAL TIME
90 min
SERVINGS
5 servings
Dinner
Zesty Mexican Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
  • 36 jumbo pasta shells
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
  • 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 3/4 cup picante sauce
Instructions
1
First, preheat your oven to the temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or 175 degrees Celsius).
2
Next, fill a large container with water and add a small amount of salt. Place the container on the stovetop and bring the water to a rolling boil.
3
While the water is boiling, cook elbow macaroni in it until it reaches your desired level of doneness. This should take around 8 to 10 minutes, and you'll know it's done when the pasta still has a bit of bite to it.
4
Once the macaroni is cooked, carefully pour off any excess water and set it aside.
5
Then, heat a large skillet over the medium-high heat setting on your stove. Add beef to the hot skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's nicely browned and crumbly.
6
After the beef is cooked, remove any excess grease from the skillet using a paper towel. Then, add water and taco seasoning mix to the skillet.
7
Simmer the mixture in the skillet over medium-low heat until it thickens up, about 5 minutes.
8
Next, combine refried beans, Cheddar cheese, and green chiles into the cooked beef mixture.
9
Continue to cook and stir the mixture until the cheese is fully melted and the entire thing is smooth.
10
Now, fill pasta shells with the beef mixture.
11
Meanwhile, combine tomato sauce and picante sauce in a separate saucepan over medium-low heat.
12
Once the sauces are heated through, spread half of it at the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.
13
Arrange the stuffed shells side-by-side in the baking dish, leaving some space between them. Then, top with the remaining sauce.
14
Finally, cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake it in your preheated oven for 40 minutes.
15
Once the dish is done, let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.