Creamy Beef and Shells
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Quick, easy, budget-friendly ground beef and pasta made so quickly! An absolute weeknight hero and a crowd-favorite for the entire family!
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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.
why you’ll love this creamy beef and shells recipe
- Weeknight superhero. Whip this up in just 30-40 minutes, making weeknight dinners effortless.
- The cream sauce. This dreamy, velvety cream sauce is what dreams are made of. And the shells just collect every single drop of all that creamy heavenly goodness.
- Budget-friendly. Using ground beef, this is a great economical, budget-friendly dinner for the entire family.
- Freezer-friendly. Not only does this come together so quickly, but this recipe also freezes beautifully, perfect to keep in your back pocket for a rainy day.
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.
what to serve with creamy beef and shells
Tools For This Recipe
Creamy Beef and Shells: Frequently Asked Questions
Not at all! Ground pork or ground turkey can be used instead of ground beef.
Tomato sauce, in the US, is tomato puree typically cooked down for a thick, smooth consistency with a relatively sweet flavor. Passata is simply uncooked tomato purée. You can use passata in place of tomato sauce, but it is not a completely equal substitute.
Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) has one of the highest fat contents with about 36-40% fat. Half and half or whole milk are suitable substitutes, but will yield a lighter result.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop.
Creamy Beef and Shells
Video
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
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.
Equipment
Did you make this recipe?
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So easy and so good! The sauce was perfect, creamy and delicious. I didn’t have to add any extra seasonings. The only thing I would do different next time is be sure to cut my onion in smaller pieces so it cooks into the sauce better. It was so comforting and quick on a rainy snowy night.
I have been making this and the family loves it. My grandson, now 20 even asked me for the recipe so he could make it himself. The only change I made to the recipe was I use 1 lb of shells instead of 8 oz. Which feeds all 8 of us, so it is creamy and no need to be thickened.
i made this but tweaked it a bit. I used 1 pound of shells, with all that sauce it’s needed. I also added paprika and 4oz of cream cheese. i was perfect and delicious!
Just made this for dinner. Not sure why we needed oil for the ground beef. And we were leary of using cheddar cheese and tried it. But I think we’d use mottserella cheese next .
I’m going to take a wild guess and blame the inconsistency on AI but this recipe currently does not make sense. I was able to figure it out but 1. I put the beef drippings to the side, not the ground beef itself 2. It says 1.5 cups of sharp shredded cheese is needed but then is never actually listed in the recipe. Usually I love Chungah’s recipes but this one irritated me a bit with the inconsistencies.
Hi Jess! It’s unfortunate that you believe this is AI as there are real people behind this website.
As for the inconsistencies that you mention, the crumbled beef should have been set aside as it is returned back in step #7. The cheese is also mentioned in step #7.
7. 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.
You can view the video located in the recipe box (not AI produced) that shows the recipe step by step.
The recipe is super vague. The reviews are fake. Read them. Anything for a buck!
Hi Joe. This is a professionally tested recipe that has been cooked by many and reviewed by over 900 people. Making a comment like this without trying the recipe and disregarding the very actual people that work tirelessly to deliver real-life recipes on this website free of charge to you is frankly a bummer. Good luck to you.
I’ve made this several times lol. And it’s damn delicious.
This is the first dish I made for my husband when we met and started dating. We have been together for about 4 years, and married for 2. Our daughter loves this meal as well. I have brought it for lunch, and my coworkers always ask me for the recipe. Jana, I credit this dish for helping me get the man of my dreams! Keep it up! There are people who really appreciate what you do!
It’s not anyone’s fault that you have no ability to cook. I’ve used countess recipes on this site, it’s one of my main “go to’s” for inspiration when I’m mentally blocked on what to serve. Save it. No one cares about your bunk opinion.
If you have issues with this recipe, there’s always a blue box of Kraft Mac & Cheese. The directions there are probably more up your alley.
Hi Joe! Seen any mental health professionals lately? Cause I think it might be a good idea. The amount of bitterness and paranoia you’ve managed to cram into that one simple statement is concerning. I don’t need any more detail in this recipe as I’ve managed to make it on several occasions for my family very successfully. They’ve loved it each time, not to mention several of her other recipes. I’m not creative enough in the kitchen for my liking or theirs so I have a great appreciation for the efforts she pours into this site – as do my three growing teen boys. They each have very healthy appetites and a preferences for international foods & flavors that I’m certainly not capable of conjuring up recipes for on my own. I’m not sure what you’re doing with your comment, or if you’re even real, but if you are I hope you’ve found some joy and a reason to look on the bright side since you felt compelled to reach out in and spew random, unnecessary negativity about this talented lady on those unfortunate enough to bother reading your drivel. Best of luck Joe! I sincerely hope that life is treating you better today!
I have made this recipe for my family many times, there’s nothing vague about it and the result is quite satisfying. We love it. If you haven’t made it yourself, your review has no value.
Can I use chicken broth instead
This creamy beef and shells recipe sounds absolutely delicious and like a perfect comfort food for a chilly evening! I appreciate the tip about adding a bit of pasta water at the end; that’s a genius way to ensure the sauce stays silky smooth and clings beautifully to the shells. I’m definitely going to try this, especially since it sounds like a relatively quick weeknight dinner option.
My family absolutely loves this dish. I did add some crushed pepper flakes. Making it again
Made 1/2 recipe tonight. Perfection. Weighed out 4 oz medium shells and even had to keep adding beef broth to thin out a bit toward the end. Hubs even commented how good it was. Thank you for posting this recipe. It’s a keeper!
Made far too much sauce and I didn’t even add all the tomato sauce. I also took a lil cream and cornstarch and added it to the sauce to help it thicken more. But it’s soupy so gonna need more pasta
I made this tonight and it was delicious. My changes were to use 1 c. Beef broth instead of 2, I reduced the heavy cream to 1/2 c. to save some calories (haha) and approx 1.5 cups cubed Velveeta instead of shredded cheese. As others mentioned, I used 1 lb. of pasta shells.
YUM~O!
I made this last night, and man, it was delicious!
Wonderful flavors, it’s like a party in your mouth!
I will definitely be making this again soon!
Delicious! The sauce is amazing so be sure to serve with bread to soak up the sauce. Will definitely make it again.
Wifes favorite creamy pasta dish! Enough said. We used the 8 ounce of pasta & it was plenty for the two of us. I prefer a lotta sauce so extra was fine for me. Definitely in the rotation for us. Crunchy bread for dippin’ and we’re talking full meal deal there folks. Thanks for the recipe….enjoy your posts.
I’ve been wanting something like chili mac so I gave this a try. I had to use a little more cream and a lot more cheese. I would like to give this recipe a try using some low sodium taco seasoning instead of Italian seasoning.
Also using Fresh herbs in this would be fantastic!
4 out of 5 stars
This was amazing!! I substituted arrabbiata pasta sauce instead of tomato sauce. I highly recommend for a bit of a kick!
I’ve made the creamy beef and shells recipe multiple times now. It’s a family favorite. I use ground beef 90% of the time. I’ve tried using ground turkey too but the results are a little different not bad just a little different tasting.
Can someone share the nutritional info for this meal?
Would be different for everyone depending on the items used. You would have to calculate them yourself to get the exact info. Hope this helps!
I think the author meant to write 1 lb of medium shells instead of 8oz. I made 1 lb and it was perfectly saucy without being soupy or dry. Delicious and easy! Lots of leftovers