Beef Enchilada Stuffed Shells

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I love the giant pasta shells.  I think they are so cute and “up” the presentation factor when serving a pasta dish.  They are a little more time consuming, but so well worth it, I think.   I have stuffed the shells  with cheese, ground beef and Italian stuff, Italian sausage and Italian stuff, and chicken and dressing.  Recently I decided to stuff them with beef and enchilada stuff.

This dish makes 20 shells so is a good dish to take to a potluck as one shell a person is plenty for that type of occasion.  If making for a potluck, I would add 1/2 c. sliced ripe olives.  I leave the olives out if cooking for hubby.  At home, this is a great one-dish meal needing only sliced tomatoes or a side salad to complete dinner.

I make my own Enchilada Sauce, but 2 (10 oz.) cans can be substituted.  I cut the corn for this from a leftover cob of corn, but would use frozen if I had not had the leftovers.  Any kind of bean can be used for this.  I just choose to use pinto.  I had some “going stale” tortilla chips so I crushed them and added them to the top.  This is entirely optional but does add a nice little crunch to the dish.

I am sure that they would freeze well, but I haven’t tried that yet.

Beef Enchilada Stuffed Shells

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped red pepper
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 to 1 1/2 c. frozen whole kernel corn
1 can (15 oz.) pinto, kidney, black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Enchilada Sauce (see recipe below)
20 large pasta shell, cooked according to package directions
1-2 c. Mexican Blend Cheese or 1 c. each cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 c. crushed corn or tortilla chips  (optional)

Brown ground beef with onion, red pepper, and garlic.  Drain if necessary.  Add corn, beans, cream cheese, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper and 2/3 c. Enchilada Sauce.  Let cook 10-15 minutes.  Cool beef mixture slightly.  Place about 2 heaping tablespoons beef mixture into each cooked shell.  Place in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.  Sprinkle each shell with some of the cheese.  Pour remaining Enchilada Sauce over the shells.  Top with crushed chips.  Cover, bake 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Remove cover and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake 15 minutes longer.  Let set a few minutes before serving.  Makes 10 servings of two shells each.

Enchilada Sauce

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce, can rinsed with 1 can water
1 1/2 c. additional water
1 T. minced garlic
1 to 2 T. chili powder (I only use 1)
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. salt
1 t. oregano
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies, drained 

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan, adding 1 can water to tomato sauce can to rinse it out.  Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

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