Mexican stuffed shells and sweet corn cake (Pan de Elote)

MEXICAN STUFFED SHELLS

January 13, 2014 by Aimee Berrett 

PREP TIME 25 mins COOK TIME 45 mins TOTAL TIME 1 hour 10 mins

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground beef 

• ½ cup diced yellow onion

• 2 TBS taco seasoning

• 4 oz cream cheese

• about 8 oz jumbo pasta shells (some may break - I used 21, but started with 25)

• 10 oz enchilada sauce

• 1 cup salsa

• 1¼ cup cheddar cheese

• ½ cup mozzarella cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1 Bring a large pot of water to boil

2 Boil your pasta shells for about 10 minutes, or until cooked al dente according to package directions. Rinse shells when they're done cooking.

3 Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

4 Meanwhile cook up your ground beef and onions over medium high heat until cooked thoroughly.

5 Drain excess grease from the pan. Add in the taco seasoning and stir to mix.

6 Mix in the cream cheese and cook until the cheese is melted throughout. Set aside.

7 Combine your enchilada sauce and salsa in a small bowl.

8 Pour about half of your enchilada sauce salsa mixture into the bottom a 9x13 pan and spread around to cover.

9 Fill each jumbo shell with a heaping 1 TBS of meat mixture and place into the pan with the sauce.

10 Repeat util all the shells or meat mixture is gone.

11 Pour the remaining enchilada sauce salsa mixture over the top of the shells.

12 Wrap pan in aluminum foil.

13 Bake for 30 minutes.

14 Remove foil and top with cheeses.

15 Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

 Enjoy this delicious twist of Mexican stuffed shells topped with sour cream!

Pan de Elote (Sweet Corn Cake) Hispanic Kitchen 

Prep Time: 20 minutes  Cook Time: 60 minutes  Yields: 8 people

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 CUPS CORN (USE FRESH CORN IF POSSIBLE)

• 3 TABLESPOONS FLOUR

• 1 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER  •

1/3 TEASPOON SALT

• 2 JUMBO EGGS

• 14 OUNCE CAN SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

• 4 TABLESPOONS BUTTER SOFTENED

• 1/2 TEASPOON VANILLA •

1 CUP JACK CHEESE SHREDDED

• RED SUGAR SPRINKLES OPTIONAL

One of the main features of pan de elote is its different textures and flavors. As it bakes, the corn rises to the top and the cheese settles to the bottom, creating a delicious sweet and savory dessert.

During my last trip to Mexico in 2011, one of the foods I really wanted to try was pan de elote. This sweeter version of cornbread is a cross between warm bread pudding and custard. Made with a few simple ingredients, it's a classic, and delicious, Mexican dessert.

Since I was visiting during the month of December, I now associate this cake with the holidays. I really enjoy dessert recipes that can all be added to the blender and be pretty much done. This is a dessert recipe that I will prepare often!

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray or grease an 8-inch cake pan and set aside. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder, and set aside.

2 In the blender, add eggs, 1/2 of the condensed milk, butter, vanilla and cheese. Pulse to combine. Add in the flour mixture and corn and pulse a few more times. The batter will be lumpy.

3 Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until center is firm and cake is golden brown. Cool for 30 minutes before removing from pan.

4 Pour the remaining sweetened condensed milk over the cake and sprinkle with colored sugar.