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!
Featured Comment
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.
All that cream sauce. All that pasta, just collecting that creaminess. And the perfectly crumbled ground beef, again, soaking up every last drop of that creamy, heavenly goodness.
Ugh, I can’t even talk about this anymore because now I need to make this for dinner. Again. For the 14th time.
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
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
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
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.
Did you make this recipe?
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Just made this for dinner tonight. It was great, and half and half worked well vs heavy cream. I would recommend adding some veggies, maybe peas, peppers, corn… anything. Or add a side salad. But what a yummy comfort food!
Great idea, Sandy. Thanks for sharing.
This was super easy and very tasty! I mixed in spinach for some extra veggie content. Reheated well too. And my 9 month old thought it was pretty tasty too, so much so she needed to cover herself head to toe in the sauce!
Haha, that sounds too cute! Thanks for sharing.
This looks dreamy! Like comfort in a pan.
I can’t wait to make it for dinner.
You’ve knocked it out of the park this week with the chicken lettuce wraps and this dinner. I love using shell pasta!
This looks like some seriously delicious comfort food! I wish I was eating some right now!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I made this in my instant Pot tonight.
Do steps 2 and 3.
My step 4 was stirring through the pasta and adding 2 1/2 cups of beef stock.
Put on the lid, set for 6 minutes on medium.
Sit for a a couple of minutes before releasing the steam (I did quick release).
I added regular cream but only 1/2 cup (if that) You don’t need the flour because the starch from the pasta thickens it naturally.
If the pasta isn’t as soft as I like I always put the lid back on for a few minutes.
It tastes amazing- like everything else on this site 🙂
Thanks for the tips, Vanessa! Did you use the tomato paste at all?
This looks amazing !! I will have to make this for dinner this week.
This looks amazing! I wish it didn’t have cream in the sauce. I’m going to make it anyway maybe only every couple of months.
Amy I was starving when I made this and I served myself a big scoop and ate it only to re-enter the kitchen and notice I forgot to stir in the cream! You could definitely leave it out and it’s still creamy from the cheddar. Just a stronger tomato flavor.
I made this for supper tonight. I followed the directions exactly as written. This stuff is amazing! It reminds me of a fancy “hamburger helper”. The combinations of flavors are spot on! It’s a great comfort food and very addicting! Thanks for another great recipe!
Couldn’t agree more! Thanks for sharing.
Making this tonight and cannot wait! Love your site and your great recipes! I haven’t been disappointed with one yet! 🙂
Update: it was SO GOOD! Definitely reminded me of those good ol’ Hamburger Helpers but much better and so easy!
Awesome!
This looks so good! How large is a serving? I know it says it makes 4, but just trying to figure out the nutritional information. Thanks!
Hi Sabine! You would have to divide the full amount by 4 servings to get the serving size. Hope that helps!
Going to make this tonight for my 4-year old grandson–it looks good and it better taste good! Thank you for posting.
I hope you’ll enjoy it!
can 2% milk be used for the heavy cream?
Yes, of course, but I find that heavy cream is truly best to maintain that creamy consistency.
That sounds like a real stretch. You might get away with whole milk but based on my experience the use of cream is for it’s fat content. Once that is removed, all recipes become iffy that one of the main ingedients has been substituted for.
This does Look so yummy! My hubby is a Diabetic but I’m going to try this! 🙂
Let us know how you like it!
Do you have a nondairy substitute for the heavy cream?
You could try coconut cream instead, but please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Hey Chunga, can you convert this to an IP recipe?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Do you think I could make this in my Instant Pot? How would you alter the cooking liquid after you sauté the beef and onion?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, we cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Hi Marissa,
I’m going to make this one in my IP, too. It looks so delicious, and I know it will work! I haven’t decided yet whether to reserve the beef after browning it and add it back at the end, or leave it in the pot. Either way will work, but I think the beef might be more tender if it’s set aside after cooking, as Chungah suggests.
Generally, you need 2 cups of liquid for every 4 ounces of pasta when cooking in the IP, just for the pasta. Because this recipe has that, plus 2 cups of tomato paste, I think it’ll be fine with the amounts of liquid in the recipe. You can always add a little more liquid at the end, if needed. You know to cook the recipe for half the amount of time recommended on the box of shells, right? It will probably be pretty soupy when you first remove the lid, but give it a stir and let it sit for 1-2 minutes, then stir in the cream and cheese, and it should thicken up nicely. Waiting allows for some evaporation, and that slight cooling ensures the cream won’t curdle and the cheese won’t clump.
Be careful of the flour in step 4, it can settle to the bottom of the pot and cause a burn notice. If you do decide to add the flour (I’m not sure it will need it), add it at the end in a slurry with the cream. Just make sure it’s completely dissolved before adding it to the pot, then stir until it’s well-mixed. Good luck!
Recipe looks like and reminds me of the 1970’s version of Hamburger Helper.
It totally does!
Exactly
Will substituting half and half for the heavy cream make a noticeable difference in taste or texture?
Hi Debra! Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, we cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
It was great made it for my family before vacation;The recipe is super quick and stores great.
I substitute half & half for heavy cream most of the time in lots of recipes and it is fine…just not quite as thick.
Can I substitute the heavy cream with something else? Even if it alters the flavors a little?
You can try coconut cream but please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Creamy Beef & Shells, delicious! Will make again and again
We substituted cottage cheese for the heavy cream
I’ve substituted cashew cream for the cream in a similar recipe and it worked well. I feel like the coconut flavor pairs oddly in an Italian recipe, but works better in Asian recipes. Just a thought! Can’t wait to try the recipe, looks delish!
I use 2% evaporated milk when a recipe calls for heavy cream…..made this dish the other night and hubby loved it…..said I can make any time…
Tonight I used 1% milk and a little Light/fat free sour cream. It turned out fabulous! Tonight I also used all my leftovers!!! Taco beef, Kraft Mac n Cheese, and I didnt’ have sharp cheddar… I used Cheddar Mix and then Italian Mix of Cheeses!!! It was still fabulous!!! Best way to use up food in a whole new way, no one thought leftovers at all!!!! They though it was fabulous!!! Plus, I read one and only one review before I started… it said they used broccoli and not noodles… SO I made steamed broccoli and added 1/2 the meat mixture on it! I put 1/4 of the meat mixture on the Kraft Mac n Cheese, and then I left 1/4 meat mixture for tomorrow to eat on top of the left over baked potatoes!!! This recipe is so versatile !!!! and so yumy!!! I’m thinking of crushing up canned/steamed green beans and stirring them in next time!!! The more the veggies the better!!!
This looks like an amazing weeknight meal — dang, that sauce! Can’t wait to try this one!