My roommate showed me this last summer and I haven’t stopped making it since
Oven-Baked 3-Ingredient Lazy Cream Cheese Salsa Shells
This simple pasta casserole turns a few everyday ingredients into a creamy, flavorful comfort-food dish with a bright salsa kick. Tender pasta shells are combined with softened cream cheese and chunky tomato salsa while still hot, allowing the cheese to melt into a smooth sauce. A short bake in the oven makes the dish hot, bubbly, and ready to serve with almost no effort.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Medium pasta shells | 12 ounces |
| Cream cheese, softened and cut into cubes | 8 ounces |
| Chunky tomato salsa | 2 cups |
Directions
1. Prepare the oven and baking dish
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a medium-sized casserole dish and set it aside.
2. Cook the pasta
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook until they are just tender. Drain the pasta thoroughly.
3. Create the creamy salsa sauce
Return the hot, drained shells to the warm cooking pot. Add the cubed cream cheese and chunky salsa. Stir everything together while the pasta is still hot, allowing the cream cheese to melt completely and coat the shells in a smooth, creamy sauce.
4. Transfer to the casserole dish
Pour or spoon the coated pasta into the prepared baking dish. Spread it out evenly across the dish.
5. Bake and let it rest
Place the casserole in the preheated oven and bake for 20–25 minutes, until the pasta is heated through and the edges are bubbling. Remove from the oven and let it stand for about 5 minutes before serving warm.
