Mexican Stuffed Shells

Ingredients
18 jumbo pasta shells
1 lb. ground turkey (could substitute ground beef)
4 oz. cream cheese
Approx. 2 cups salsa
Approx. 2 cups shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend)
Sour cream, black olives, and chives for topping (optional)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 350°.  Cook the pasta shells according to package directions. While shells are cooking, brown the ground turkey with the all the seasonings in a frying pan.

2. When the shells are done, drain and lay them out on a cutting board to cool and dry off a little (if you leave them in the pot too long, they begin to stick together and are very difficult to work with!).

3. When the meat is done, add the cream cheese and mix until it melts. Then remove from heat and allow it to cool down.

4. Pour some salsa into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Stuff the shells with the meat mixture and arrangement in the baking dish. Cover with the remaining salsa. (I didn't actually measure out the salsa, I just used an amount that looked good)

5. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove from oven, add the cheese (again, I didn't measure, just estimated a good amount), and bake for another 10-15 minutes without the foil until cheese is nice and melted.

We topped ours with some sour cream, chives and black olives, and served with a box of Zatarain's black beans and rice. It was a great meal!

The inspiration for this dish was found here.