Recipe for Mexican Stuffed Shells

Picky eaters must be a thing of our kids’ generation. Do you remember your mom cooking multiple meals to please everyone at the table? Don’t think so.

So if you want to bring tradition back (or, really, make dinner prep so much easier for you), stand firm and make one meal that tantalizes a few taste buds. This one works for the Mexican and Italian food lovers in your crowd.

The flavors of the south west—salsa, green chiles, Monterey Jack cheese—are combined with familiar ground beef and tomato sauce and stuffed into large pasta shells. Fried onions mixed in with the beef adds a fun, onion-y crunch that transcends borders.

Voila (French, we know).

Dish with us: What’s your trick for pleasing picky eaters?

PoshMom.com food blogger, Amy Currie, a mother of three and long-time chef, is the author of Memoirs of a Home Cook, Every Great Recipe Has a Story.

Mexican Stuffed Shells
Serves 6 to 8
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

1 pound lean ground beef
12 ounce jar salsa
8 ounce can tomato sauce
½ cup water
4 ounce can chopped green chilis, drained
2.8 ounce can fried onions
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
12-18 large stuffing pasta shells, almost al dente

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a medium skillet, brown meat. Drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine salsa, tomato sauce, and water. Add half of the sauce to the meat. Add the chilies, half of the cheese, and half of the fried onions to the meat mixture and stir to combine.

Pour half of the remaining sauce in the bottom of a 9 x13” baking dish. Stuff the shells with meat mixture and place on top of sauce. Pour remaining sauce over shells. Cover and bake 25 minutes.

Uncover, top with remaining cheese and onions, and bake 5 more minutes.