Enchilada Stuffed Shells

These stuffed shells are a sure crowd pleaser! I mean who doesn’t love beans, cheese and enchilada sauce together?! Super easy to prepare and make. I have to thank one of my bestest friends, aka biffy for the inspiration behind this recipe! Before she introduced me to shells this way, I had only ever made stuffed shells with the same old boring ricotta and spinach type mixture. Never again! Well, I mean, I will continue to make shells with ricotta and spinach, but beans and cheese are much better!And to think I was missing out for so many years on this genius idea! Each bite is filled with beans, veggies and cheese. You would think you are eating an enchilada, but nope, it is in the form of a pasta shell!UGH…My mouth is watering, I just want to pick the cheese off of the shells right now! I mean, I do have some left overs..Hmmm. Through out the years, I have made this dish numerous times! It is the perfect idea for a family dinner, a meal prep for the week, or even as an entertainment dish for when you have guests coming over! I served this dish with a thick and creamy black bean soup with roasted poblano peppers (stay tuned for the recipe!) and guacamole with pineapple bits.

Of course you can, swap out of some of the ingredients for low fat versions, or you can omit the cheese all together for a “skinnier” meal (I have tried these shells with reduced fat and fat free cheese, still very tasty!) Feel free to experiment and see what works best for you!

Note: You can prepare the beans any style / way you want, but I do recommend using the recipe below! I love a little kick of spice to my beans, so I have included my go to recipe. These “fire” beans are loved by so many of my friends!

Enchilada Shells

Servings 26 shells

Ingredients

For the beans:

• 2 16 oz cans Old El Paso Fat Free Refried Beans
• 3 tsps Olive oil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsps garlic powder
• 2 tsps red chili powder
• 2 tbsps Old El Paso Original Taco Seasoning
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp siracha sauce
• 2 tbsps Ortega Original Taco Sauce
• 2 tbsps sour cream
• Salt & pepper to taste

For the sauce:

• 1 19 oz can Old El Paso Mild Red Enchilada Sauce
• 2 tsps sugar
• 2 tsps parsley
• 2 tsps oregano
• 2 tsps garlic powder
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 8 oz package Kraft Expertly Paired For Taco Cheese combination of Cheddar and Asadero cheeses

For the stuffing & shells:

• 1 yellow bell pepper diced
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 1 white onion diced
• 2 roma tomatoes diced
• 1/2 cup green onions chopped
• 26 Barilla Jumbo Pasta Shells (12 oz package) boiled and cooked according to package

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Boil & cook pasta shells according to package instructions. Let drain & cool. Set aside. 

2. For the beans: In a large pot, heat oil and then add in oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, garlic powder and red chili powder. Once spices start to sizzle, add in 2 cans of beans and begin to mix. Add in taco seasoning, 1 tbsp water and mix until well combined. Next add in siracha sauce, taco sauce, sour cream and salt/pepper according to taste. Continue to stir and mix well. Let the beans heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside. The beans will start to thicken up as they cool.

3. Enchilada sauce: I find that the canned enchilada sauce lacks some flavor, so I like to add in the following spices: sugar, parsley, oregano, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. You can open the can of enchilada sauce, and just add the spices into the can and mix well.
4. Veggies: Dice up bell peppers onions and tomatoes. Set aside in a medium bowl.

5. Combine the veggies with the beans and mix well. Add in 1/2 cup of cheese into this mixture, and mix until combined. This will be your stuffing for the shells! You can sprinkle additional spices on top of this mixture, if you desire! I do!

6. Coat a 5 qt & a 3 qt baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread enchilada sauce on bottom of both baking dishes. Spoon bean, veggie and cheese mixture into each shell. Then sprinkle with cheese. Place stuffed shell open side up in the dish. Repeat and place until all shells are filled. Once both dishes are filled, pour the remaining enchilada sauce on the shells and bake for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, take out the pan and top shells with remaining cheese and then bake for another 7-10 minutes or until the cheese melts.

7. Top with green onions & sour cream!

Recipe Notes

• I used a 5 qt pyrex baking dish and 3 qt baking dish.  You can try and squeeze in all 26 shells into one 5 qt dish, but if not, feel free to use another dish.