We love Mexican food & usually alternate between tacos & burritos. This is a great alternative to mix it up! A friend recommended these years ago and Taco Pasta Shells are an easy weeknight recipe.

I ended up adding some black beans into the meat mix (I add beans to everything). You could probably make it with just beans for a vegetarian version.

Taco Pasta Shells

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground lean turkey

1 package low-sodium taco seasoning

4 oz. fat free cream cheese

14-16 jumbo pasta shells

1.5 cup salsa (Any kind is good, but I like using this Rick Bayless salsa)

1 cup taco sauce (I like to use one of the Rick Bayless sauces for more flavor)

2 cups reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese (you can also do 1 cup Cheddar, 1 cup Monterey Jack

Optional Toppings:

Fat free sour cream

Guacamole

Black Olives

Green Onions

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° and put a large pot of water on the stove to boil.

In a large frying pan, cook the ground turkey and taco seasoning. Prepare according to package directions.  Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Make sure you stir well and then set the pan aside and let the turkey cool completely.While you’re cooking the turkey, cook the pasta shells according to the directions. Drain the shells and set them out individually on a baking sheet or a cutting board so they don’t stick together. If you leave them in the pot too long and they start to stick, you can always spray a little olive oil on each shell.To assemble, first pour salsa on the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking dish. Next, stuff each shell with the turkey mixture and place them in the pan – make sure the open side is facing up. Cover the shells with taco sauce.

Cover your dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and cover the shells with the shredded cheese. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Now you’re ready to serve! Top each serving with other garnishes such as guacamole, black olives, green onions or more salsa and sour cream.

One more weeknight recipe:

BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Pizza

1/2 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese