Try my twist on the traditional taco with this Taco Stuffed Manicotti Casserole. Don’t worry, there’s no fiddling around trying to stuff a delicate, cooked Manicotti shell in this recipe. Just fill the uncooked shells with the disturbingly delicious taco mixture and let the oven do the rest. Make your family the happy recipients of this impossibly easy Taco Stuffed Manicotti Casserole tonight.

What You Need For Taco Stuffed Manicotti Casserole:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1/2 cup diced yellow onion

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup fresh diced tomatoes

1/4 cup ketchup

(2) 15 oz cans tomato sauce – to be divided

3 cups salsa – to be divided

(1) 1.25 oz pkg taco seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese – to be divided

8 Barilla Manicotti Shells (from 8 oz pkg) – uncooked

How To Make Taco Stuffed Manicotti Casserole:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium sauté pan, brown ground beef (no large chunks, must be fine) and drain fat . Add onion, green onion, corn, tomatoes, ketchup, 1 can tomato sauce, 2 cups salsa, taco seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook this mixture for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.

Transfer beef mixture to a mixing bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove from refrigerator and fold in 2 cups of the cheddar cheese. Stuff this mixture into the uncooked Manicotti shells.

Coat the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish with 1/2 of the remaining can of tomato sauce. Arrange pasta shells side by side over tomato sauce and top with remaining hamburger mixture. Pour the remainder of tomato sauce (1/2 can) and remaining 1 cup salsa evenly over the top. Sprinkle top with remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese, cover and bake Taco Stuffed Manicotti Casserole at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.