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three large pasta shells on an ordinary plate with open tops filled with cooked ground-beef crumbles and dark refried black beans, sitting in smooth red ancho-tomato sauce with fine white cotija crumbs, with no cream-cheese filling, melted cheddar blanket, corn, bread or garnish
Rachel Kim

Taco Stuffed Shells

Refried black beans hold the beef inside these shells without a cream-cheese filling. Cook the pasta until tender before stuffing, because the finished shells only need a short covered warm-through in the sauce. Ancho and tomato make a smooth base that sits around the pasta rather than a chunky salsa layer baked over it. Leave the shell openings facing upward so the filling stays put as you spoon sauce around them. Cotija goes on after the heat is off, keeping its crumbly texture beside the soft pasta and giving the dish a salty finish without another melted cheese lid.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 18 jumbo pasta shells about 6 oz
  • 4 quarts water for pasta
  • 1 tbsp fine salt for pasta water
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small red onion finely diced and divided
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 can 15 oz tomato sauce
  • 3/4 cup low-sodium beef broth divided
  • 2 tsp ground ancho chile divided
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt for filling and sauce
  • 1 lb 90% lean ground beef
  • 3/4 cup plain refried black beans
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 oz cotija cheese finely crumbled

Method
 

  1. Bring pasta water and its tablespoon salt to a boil in a large pot. Cook shells for the package time until tender, then drain gently and separate on a plate so they do not stick together.
  2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a deep 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook half the red onion for 5 minutes, then stir in garlic for 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce, 1/2 cup broth, 1 teaspoon ancho chile and 1/4 teaspoon filling-and-sauce salt; simmer for 8 minutes.
  3. In a second skillet, brown beef and remaining onion for 8 minutes, breaking beef into small crumbles, until it reaches 160°F. Drain excess fat and stir in remaining ancho chile, cumin and remaining filling-and-sauce salt for 30 seconds.
  4. Add refried black beans and remaining 1/4 cup broth to the beef and stir over low heat for 2 minutes until combined. Remove from the heat and stir in lime juice.
  5. Divide filling evenly among the 18 shells. Arrange them open-side up in the tomato sauce in one snug layer, spooning a little sauce between them rather than filling their openings.
  6. Cover and simmer over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes until the filling reaches 165°F. Remove from the heat, scatter cotija over the shells and serve 3 per portion with sauce.