Southwestern Stuffed Pasta Shells

Looking for a spin on traditional stuffed pasta shells? Try this southwestern version loaded with cheesy chicken, corn, and black beans!

This dish works well for a crowd and can easily be doubled (or tripled) for a big group. Serve it up with some extra corn chips and a green salad for an ideal weeknight meal. Don’t miss some of my other Southwestern-inspired dishes like this popular Hatch Chile Mexican Street Corn Dip, these Meatball Stuffed Mexican Torta Sandwiches, my Grilled Corn With Cilantro Cowboy Butter, or my Cream Cheese Layered Taco Dip with Fiesta Ground Beef. 

INGREDIENTS FOR SOUTHWEST STUFFED PASTA SHELLS:

Ya’ll know how much I love fusion recipes. Pasta… good. Cheesy… great! Nestled together with fiesta frills and enchilada sauce… GIMME!

• Pasta Shells
• Olive Oil
• Red Onion
• Jalapeños
• Cream Cheese
• Chicken Breasts
• Frozen Corn
• Black Beans
• Chicken Stock
• Shredded Mexican Cheese
• Taco Seasoning
• Salt
• Red Enchilada Sauce
• Corn Chips
• Cilantro
• Green Onion

HOW TO MAKE SOUTHWEST STUFFED PASTA SHELLS:

These little pockets of yumminess come together in just 35 minutes and will quickly become a family favorite. 

1. Cook pasta shells according to directions and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat and add red onion and jalapeños. Cook 2-3 minutes until vegetables have softened.
3. Add in cream cheese, shredded chicken, corn, black beans, and chicken stock and stir until cream cheese is fully melted. Mix in ½ cup shredded cheese, taco seasoning, and salt.
4. Coat bottom of casserole dish with ½ cup of enchilada sauce.
5. Take each shell and stuff with 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture and place in casserole dish, seam side up. Repeat with remaining shells.
6. Top shells with remaining ½ cup of enchilada sauce.
7. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup of cheese and crushed corn chips on top.
8. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
9. If desired, garnish with cilantro, green onion, and sliced jalapeños.

OTHER UNIQUE PASTA RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

Cheesy Crab Rangoon Dip Stuffed Pasta 

BLT Pasta Salad with Fresh Herbs

Buffalo Chicken Baked Pasta 

Super Easy Peanut Sesame Noodles 

Southwestern Stuffed Pasta Shells

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Looking for a spin on traditional stuffed pasta shells? Try this southwestern version loaded with cheesy chicken, corn, and black beans!

Serves: 8

Ingredients

FOR THE PASTA SHELLS:

• 12 oz. Jumbo Pasta Shells
• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
• ¼ cup Diced Red Onion
• 2 Jalapeños, seeded and diced
• ¼ cup Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 lb. Chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded
• ⅔ cup Frozen Corn, thawed
• ½ cup Black Beans, drained
• 2-3 tbsp. Chicken Stock
• 1 cup Shredded Mexican Cheese
• 1 tbsp. Taco Seasoning
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 cup Red Enchilada Sauce
• ½ cup Corn Chips, crushed

OPTIONAL GARNISH:

• Fresh Cilantro, chopped
• Green Onion, sliced
• Fresh Jalapeños, sliced

Instructions

1. Cook pasta shells according to directions and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat and add red onion and jalapeños. Cook 2-3 minutes until vegetables have softened.
3. Add in cream cheese, shredded chicken, corn, black beans, and chicken stock and stir until cream cheese is fully melted. Mix in ½ cup shredded cheese, taco seasoning, and salt.
4. Coat bottom of casserole dish with ½ cup of enchilada sauce.
5. Take each shell and stuff with 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture and place in casserole dish, seam side up. Repeat with remaining shells.
6. Top shells with remaining ½ cup of enchilada sauce.
7. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup of cheese and crushed corn chips on top.
8. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
9. If desired, garnish with cilantro, green onion, and sliced jalapeños.

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NOTES ON THIS RECIPE:

• I prefer shredded chicken in this recipe, but if you’re a fan of ground beef, you could easily sub in 1 lb. of ground beef for the chicken, keeping everything else just as is!
• If you like some added heat, double up on the jalapeños for that extra kick. Oh, and make sure to pile some on top after baking! Not a fan of spicy foods? Go ahead and sub the jalapeños with chopped green bell pepper! 
• Store any leftovers in the fridge, covered, and consume within 2 days. To reheat: simply place them in a microwave-safe dish, sprinkle with a little water, cover, and warm for 2 – 3 minutes or until piping hot. Sometimes I like to top them with more cheese before heating up (Because extra cheese is never a bad idea!). 

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