Air Fryer Taco Stuffed Shells

If you haven’t noticed already, I kind of like thinking outside of the box when it comes to recipes. These Air Fryer Taco Stuffed Shells are a super easy viral Tik Tok recipe! With a slightly crunchy outside and gooey cheese and meat on the inside, this makes a great texture and flavor pairing. Make it as an appetizer for game days, movie nights or parties. Or you can make it as a main dish with some of your favorite taco night favorites. If you want something different, but super tasty, then you have to try my Air Fryer Taco Stuffed Shells recipe!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

• jumbo pasta shells
• carnitas
• cheddar cheese
• non-stick cooking spray
• sour cream
• taco seasoning

HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER TACO STUFFED SHELLS:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta shells according to package instructions. Shells should be fully cooked, not al dente. Drain pasta and rinse with cool water. Cupping a pasta shell in your palm, place about a tablespoon of the carnitas into the shell. Wedge a stick of cheese over the carnitas.

Wrap a second shell over the open side of the stuffed shell to form a “lid.”

Spray the bottom of the air fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray. Set the stuffed shells in the basket of the air fryer, leaving just a bit of space between each shell.

Continue assembling the stuffed shells. Once the air fryer basket is filled, you can begin cooking the batch. Spray the tops and exposed sides of the stuffed shells in the basket.

Cook at 400°F for 13 minutes until the shells are crispy and light golden brown.

Remove shells from the basket and keep warm while cooking the remaining batches. To make sauce, stir together the sour cream and taco seasoning.

Air Fryer Taco Stuffed Shells

Print Recipe

A fun mash-up of two recipes, these Air Fryer Taco Stuffed Shells make a great dinner or appetizer that everyone will love!

• Author: Julia
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 13 minutes
• Total Time: 43 minutes
• Yield: 24 1x
• Category: Appetizer, Main Course
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 pound box of jumbo pasta shells (about 48 shell
• 2 cups carnitas
• 24 ounces cheddar cheese cut into 1 ounce sticks
• Non-stick cooking spray

Dipping Sauce::

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning more or less to taste

Instructions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta shells according to package instructions. Shells should be fully cooked, not al dente. Drain pasta and rinse with cool water.
2. Cupping a pasta shell in your palm, place about a tablespoon of the carnitas into the shell. Wedge a stick of cheese over the carnitas.
3. Wrap a second shell over the open side of the stuffed shell to form a “lid.”
4. Spray the bottom of the air fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Set the stuffed shells in the basket of the air fryer, leaving just a bit of space between each shell.
6. Continue assembling the stuffed shells. Once the air fryer basket is filled, you can begin cooking the batch.
7. Spray the tops and exposed sides of the stuffed shells in the basket. Cook at 400°F for 13 minutes until the shells are crispy and light golden brown.
8. Remove shells from the basket and keep warm while cooking the remaining batches.
9. To make dipping sauce in bowl stir together sour cream and taco seasoning, serve and enjoy!

Notes

1. You can use various fillings in these, see my tips above.
2. Feel free to play around with your cheese to find what works best for you and other fillings.
3. These should be crispy but yet have a nice chew to them, if they are too crispy the shells were not cooked long enough.
4. I only recommend using a basket-style air fryer, not an oven-style air fryer.