Achiote Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells

Chef Tony Reed
Servings

6

Prep Time

25 minutes

Cook Time

1 hours

Cuisine

Latin/South American

Category

Main Course

Jumbo pasta shells meet taco night in the boldest fusion mashup you didn't know your weeknight needed. Spiceology Achiote Blend brings earthy warmth and vibrant color to a savory cream cheese-laced meat filling. Layer it all in a casserole pan and let the oven do the heavy lifting.

Achiote Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells

Ingredients

  • 1/8 cup Spiceology Achiote Blend

  • 12oz Barilla jumbo shell pasta
  • 1lb ground beef (80% lean/20% fat)
  • 8oz cream cheese (room temperature)
  • 1 16oz bottle of La Victoria chunky salsa (or any chunk salsa in your cupboard)

  • ΒΌ cup of La Victoria taco sauce (or any red taco sauce)

  • 2 cups grated cheddar cheese (or pepper jack is great too!)

  • crushed tortilla chips (I prefer Josephina’s Tortilla Chip Brand)

  • olive oil

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 Β°F.

  2. Boil jumbo pasta shells to al dente. Once al dente run the pasta under cold water to prevent pasta from continuing to cook itself. Toss in olive oil, set aside in a medium-size bowl.
  3. In a medium-size pan, cook your meat until brown. Once brown, drain fat off of the meat in a colander. Add meat back to the pan with Achiote Blend and cream cheese. Stir until cream cheese is completely melted into and seasoning is evenly distributed. Remove from heat.
  4. In a 9x13 in a pyrex pan, cover the bottom with the chunky salsa, spread evenly.
  5. Take each jumbo pasta shell and fill with a tablespoon of your meat sauce. Place each shell on top of the chunky salsa.
  6. Once the pan is full of stuffed pasta, drizzle the taco sauce evenly over the pasta and cover them with shredded cheese then top with crushed tortilla chips.
  7. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
  8. Serve immediately.
Recipe Products
Blend

Achiote Blend

Key Ingredients

Garlic Powder, Turmeric Root Powder, Cumin, Monosodium Glutamate, Annatto