Mexican Stuffed Shells

​Last night I made Mexican stuffed shells for dinner.  I like to think of it as a fusion of Mexican and Italian cuisines.  I needed a quick and easy dinner that I could throw together in under 20 minutes because I was busy with other projects yesterday.  We ate the shells with a spinach salad and a side of Soupe au Pistou  - a delicious meal.  

Mexican Stuffed Shells
1 pound ground beef                  24 ounces jumbo pasta shells
16 ounce jar salsa                       1 cup cheddar cheese
8 ounces tomato sauce              1 cup Monterrey jack cheese
1 cup frozen corn                        8 ounces sour cream
½ cup chopped olives                4 ounce can green chilies

Cook pasta shells according to package directions. 

Cook beef and drain.

Stir in salsa, tomato sauce, corn, olives, chilies and ¾ cup of the cheeses.  

Stuff shells with filling and place in a casserole pan.  Top with remaining cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes at 375. 

Ryan stuffed the shells for me because I was busy finishing up a cake.  We all loved this dinner.  My daughter ate 11 stuffed shells ... that says it all. 

​Okay the truth is - we will celebrate just about anything at our house.  Monday was Mia's 4th birthday.  It's hard to believe that she's 4 already - probably because she still acts like a puppy.

​We celebrated with one of her favorite treats ...ICE!!!

We gave Mia her very own bucket of ice.  She was super excited about her birthday ice.  I don't really know if it's normal for a dog to love ice as much as she does - but it makes her happy.   

Ciao!

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