Taco Filled Pasta Shells

When it comes to family dinner, the one thing that I like to do is to take familiar ingredients and combine them into different dishes. Being married to an Italian, pasta is a staple in our diet. I didn't grow up eating a lot of pasta - I think we might have had spaghetti every couple of weeks and occasionally, some lasagna. As such, I feel the need to find different flavors for pasta so that I can include it more frequently in the menu.

(must not have snapped a picture after adding the cheese and baking!)

Taco Filled Pasta Shells

20 ounces ground turkey
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
4 ounces neufchâtel cheese
1/2 (12-ounce) box American Beauty Large Shells (15 shells)
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup multi-cheese shredded cheese
1 ounce crushed tortilla chips (24 chips)

Cook the meat until no longer pink, drain. Add taco seasoning, following packet instructions. Add cream cheese to the pan, cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until melted. Transfer to a bowl and allow to chill for an hour.

Cook shells according to package directions. Drain, toss with butter.

Spoon salsa into a greased 9" square baking dish. Fill each shell with meat mixture. Set into dish on top of the salsa. Repeat. Once all shells are filled, top the dish with the taco sauce.

Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover the dish, sprinkle with cheese and crushed ships. Bake 15 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and onion.

According to my recipe software, a serving, of 3 shells is just under 500 calories.

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