This recipe combines two family favorites: pasta and tacos. Loaded with cheese, this twist on tacos will surely bring the family to the dinner table.
Tacos in Pasta Shells
Ingredients:
18 jumbo pasta shells
1 pound ground beef
1 package cream cheese with chives (3 oz), softened
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon melted butter
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup shredded Cheddar
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack
1 ½ cups crushed tortilla chips
1 cup sour cream
Directions:
1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
2. Cook pasta shells, rinse, and drain.
3. Brown ground beef in skillet, drain fat.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low, add cream cheese and chili powder. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Toss shells with melted butter, then fill with beef mixure.
6. Arrange filled shells in a 13×9 inch pan. Pour taco sauce over shells and cover with foil.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
8. Uncover, top with cheeses and crushed chips, then continue to bake for another 15 minutes.
9. Serve topped with sour cream.
How to Make This Recipe Healthier
Many parents want to make their dinners healthier. Eating healthy dinners will help keep everyone in your family properly fed and will help stave off obesity. Healthy meals don't have to be boring or taste awful! Here are some suggestions for making this taco pasta shell recipe healthier.
First, use the leanest ground beef you can find at the store. The leaner the ground beef, the lower the fat content. While fat does give beef a richer flavor, it also doesn't lend itself well to healthy eating. Lean beef has a lot of protein without the high fat content of fattier beef. Aim for 93/7 and leaner.
Second, use reduced fat or light cream cheese. The taste difference between light cream cheese and regular cream cheese is negligible, so you don't have to worry about your end result tasting bland. Reduced fat cream cheese is fairly easy to buy; you should find it right next to the regular cream cheese.
Finally, use reduced fat cheddar cheese. Many stores will sell shredded reduced fat cheddar. If you're unable to find some, try to find some regular reduced fat cheddar and shred it yourself. It will take some extra effort, but some cooks swear by shredding your own cheese. By making all of these simple changes to this recipe, you'll make it a lot healthier for your family without sacrificing taste.
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Pasta Shell Tacos
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Ingredients
- 18 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 package cream cheese with chives (3 oz), softened
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon melted butter
- 1 cup taco sauce
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack
- 1 1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
2. Cook pasta shells, rinse, and drain.
3. Brown ground beef in skillet, drain fat.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low, add cream cheese and chili powder. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Toss shells with melted butter, then fill with beef mixure.
6. Arrange filled shells in a 13×9 inch pan. Pour taco sauce over shells and cover with foil.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
8. Uncover, top with cheeses and crushed chips, then continue to bake for another 15 minutes.
9. Serve topped with sour cream.