Quick & Easy: Shellchiladas

Who knew combining pasta and enchiladas would make such a good weeknight dinner?

It’s a small venture away from something you typically see. Jumbo shells, enchilada-style? As you may or may not know, my husband and brother-in-law are half Mexican so I could see why they were skeptical at first. After a few bites, I noticed head nods and soon enough, cleaned plates.

Credit for “shellchiladas” goes to the hubby.

Serves: 3

Ingredients:
12 jumbo pasta shells
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 (10 oz.) can enchilada sauce
1 tbspn minced onion
¼ tspn dried oregano
¼ tspn ground cumin
¼ tspn dried basil
½ cup refried beans
Shredded ‘Mexican 4-Cheese Blend’

Optional Garnishes:
chopped tomatoes
shredded lettuce
cilantro
hot sauce
crema mexicana (or sour cream)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚.

Cook pasta shells according package directions.

While shells are cooking, cook beef in a large skillet until almost all brown. Add onions to beef and cook until onions are fragrant and translucent. Stir in oregano, cumin and basil.

Add about 3/4 can of enchilada sauce and 1/2 can of refried beans. Mix well.

Using a small spoon, fill each shell with beef mixture until each shell is plump. Be gentle! You want to be careful not to tear the shells.

Place shells into a 9x13 baking dish. I lined mine with aluminum but they did stick when I took them out, so I would be careful. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the shells, cover and place the dish into the oven for 20 minutes.

During the last 5 minutes of cooking, sprinkle the shredded cheese over the shells and cook uncovered for the remaining period.

Garnish with desired toppings!