Description
These Enchilada Stuffed Shells bring together everything you love about enchiladas and pasta in one cheesy, saucy, crowd-pleasing bake.
Ingredients
Scale
1 lb jumbo pasta shells
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
2 cups enchilada sauce
4.5 oz can diced green chiles
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
Sour cream, for drizzling (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and cook shells
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
- Boil the jumbo shells in salted water according to package directions until they are al dente. Drain well.
- Make the flavorful sauce base
- In a large skillet or saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the chopped onion and sauté until it becomes soft and translucent, roughly 7 to 9 minutes.
- Add minced garlic; cook for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Season with chili powder, cumin, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Pour in the enchilada sauce and diced green chiles. Stir and bring to a simmer; let the mixture thicken slightly, around 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Prepare the stuffing mixture
- In a mixing bowl, combine the shredded rotisserie chicken with 1 cup of the prepared sauce, 1 cup of cheese, and 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, and mix until everything is well coated and evenly distributed.
- Assemble and bake
- Spread a thin layer of the sauce across the bottom of a large casserole dish.
- Spoon the chicken and cheese filling into each shell, then neatly line them up over the layer of sauce.
- Spoon the remaining sauce evenly over the assembled shells.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese over the top.
- Bake and garnish
- Bake for about 30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and everything is heated through.
- Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Garnish with chopped cilantro and drizzle with sour cream before serving.
Notes
To save time, prep the filling ahead and refrigerate. Bake straight from fridge with added time. Swap chicken for beans or veggies for a meatless version.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2–3 stuffed shells
- Calories: ~500 kcal
- Carbohydrates: ~38 g
- Protein: ~28 g