TACO-STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Taco-Stuffed Pasta Shells image

Give stuffed pasta shells a burst of taco flavor with ground beef, cilantro and salsa. We think they make quite a good pair-and you will, too.

Provided by My Food and Family

Categories Home

Time 50m

Yield 7 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

1/2 cup milk
20 round buttery crackers
1 lb. lean ground beef, cooked, drained
1 container (16 oz.) BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Cottage Cheese
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Mexican-style diced tomatoes, drained
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, divided
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup TACO BELL® Thick & Chunky Salsa
1 pkg. (12 oz.) jumbo shell macaroni, cooked
1-1/2 cups KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese

Steps:

Heat oven to 350°F.
Pour milk over crackers in large bowl; let stand 2 min. or until crackers are softened. Add meat, cottage cheese, tomatoes, egg and 1/3 cup cilantro; mix well.
Mix tomato sauce and salsa until blended; pour 1/2 cup into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Fill each pasta shell with 2 Tbsp. meat mixture; place over sauce in prepared dish. Top with remaining meat mixture and tomato sauce mixture; sprinkle with shredded cheese. Cover.
Bake 30 min. or until shells are heated through and shredded cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 530, Fat 19 g, SaturatedFat 9 g, TransFat 1 g, Cholesterol 100 mg, Sodium 1070 mg, Carbohydrate 0 g, Fiber 3 g, Sugar 0 g, Protein 33 g