Creamy Beef and Shells

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A quick/easy ground beef recipe, this is a pasta dish that will be on your dinner table all week long! So creamy and so comforting!

why i love this recipe

• All that cream sauce
• All that pasta, just collecting that creaminess
• The perfectly crumbled ground beef, again, soaking up every last drop of that creamy, heavenly goodness
• Made in 30-40 min, a true weeknight superhero

I cannot even begin to tell you how much of this pasta I ate on probably 13 different occasions. Well, first, I should tell you that no plating of any kind was involved here. Nope. This is clearly a straight-out-of-the-skillet type dinner. Just grab your fork and dig right in. Ugh, I can’t even talk about this anymore because now I need to make this for dinner again for the 14th time.

tips and tricks for success

• Use your favorite meat. Ground beef, chicken or turkey will all work very well here.
• Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in leafy greens for those picky eaters. Spinach, kale, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options.
• Add the cream slowly. Always add the heavy cream at the very end, pouring very slowly to prevent curdling.
• Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
• Freeze as needed. Let cool completely; portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Lay the bags flat in a single layer in the freezer (this will help them freeze quickly). To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Creamy Beef and Shells

Yield: 4 servings

Prep: 15 minutes minutes

Cook: 25 minutes minutes

Total: 40 minutes minutes

A quick/easy ground beef recipe, this is a pasta dish that will be on your dinner table all week long! So creamy and so comforting!

4.8 stars (525 ratings)

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Ingredients

• 8 ounces medium pasta shells
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• ½ medium sweet onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, about 1 1/2 cups

Equipment

• Cast Iron Skillet

Instructions

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
• Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat. Set aside.
• Add onion to the skillet, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
• Stir in garlic and Italian seasoning until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
• Gradually whisk in beef stock and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 6-8 minutes.
• Stir in pasta, beef and heavy cream until heated through, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in cheese until melted, about 2 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

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