Mexican Stuffed Shells

What happens when Mexican and Italian food combine?  Mexican stuffed shells!  Last Sunday I decided to put a Mexican twist on stuffed shells and man was it unique and delicious!  I found the initial recipe online (thank you pinterest) but I ended up modifying some ingredients and adding a few.  So without further ado, mexican stuffed shells!

Ingredients

1 LB ground turkey (or ground beef)

1 package taco seasoning mix

1/2 package jumbo stuffed shells

4 oz light cream cheese

1 can of (vegetarian) refried beans

1 jar of salsa

1 jar of taco sauce

Shredded cheese (for topping)

Sour cream (for topping)

• Brown the ground turkey in a large skillet, then drain
• Add the taco seasoning packet to the turkey per the instructions
• Once the taco seasoning has been absorbed by the ground turkey add the cream cheese and mix well, then set aside to cool
• Cook the shells, drain and allow to cool
• Heat up the refried beans so that they can be easily place inside the shells
• Spray an 8x8 pan (or a 9x13) with nonstick spray and add a layer of salsa to the bottom of the pan
• Next - stuff your shells!  Add approximately a tablespoon of refried beans and then a spoonful of the ground turkey mixture.  Repeat this until all the shells are full. 
• Once all the shells are stuffed - cover (or drizzle) them with taco sauce and top with cheese
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 - 40 minutes until the cheese is melted and the shells are bubbly
• Let the dish sit for a little while and serve with sour cream and salsa (optional)

Mexican stuffed shells!  Note - the shells are pictured without the taco sauce and cheese toppings.

Once again this dinner was awesome and the shells made great leftovers for the next day!