This Creamy Beef and Shells reminds me of my Mom's Hamburger and shells casserole recipe. Heads up - It's gonna be cheesy, melty, and give you a rich mouthfeel texture.
This quick, easy, and tasty One Pot Creamy Beef and Shells perfect for busy nights just like this Oven Baked Juicy Chicken Thighs and Rice.
Pasta Shells with ground beef and tomato sauce
When you're looking for a easy and creamy beef pasta recipes, then this recipe tops my list.
It's an easy 30-minute beef and shells recipe with a creamy and comforting meat sauce.
Also read: 30 Weeknight Dinner Recipes when You're Bored of Everything
It's super easy to make and is so budget-friendly. You need basic seasonings lying around in your kitchen like Italian seasoning, Paprika, Mustard Powder, Salt and black pepper.
Also you'd want to check out these Ground Beef recipes for dinner.
Small Shell Pasta recipe with ground beef
Small Pasta Shells are easy and quick to cooking and that makes it a good news for us who have got less time to spend in the kitchen. Small shell pasta can be served with pasta sauces and it takes no more than 10-minutes to cook.
Also read: 50 Brilliant Ways to cook Pasta for dinner
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients that you will need to make Creamy Beef and Shells recipe.
- Ground Beef - You can even use ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Diced Onions - Adds depth of flavor and a bit of sweet bite to the pasta.
- Minced Garlic - Adds that kick and makes ground beef super tasty.
- Seasonings - Italian Seasoning, Smoked Paprika, Mustard Powder, Salt and Pepper.
- All Purpose Flour - It helps in soaking up the excess liquid in the sauce.
- Beef Broth - Adds that savory taste to the mix.
- Tomato Sauce - I just love it with tomato sauce it reminds me of my childhood.
- Uncooked Medium Pasta Shells - You can go with any small pasta you have at hand.
- Heavy Cream - Adds that creamy texture and makes ground beef juicier.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese - I love that stringy texture of cheddar. If you haven't got it just go with a bit of Parmesan Cheese and Mozzarella.
- Fresh Chopped Parsley for garnish
How to Make the Best One Pot Creamy Beef and Shells?
I've got the steps summarized for you in here. Read them through to get an idea of what you'd be doing in the recipe.
Step 1: Heat Olive Oil in a skillet. Add ground beef. Break apart with a spatula and cook for 5-7 minutes or until brown and no-longer pink.
Step 2: Add diced onions and cook until translucent. Then add minced garlic, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, mustard powder, and Italian Seasoning. Cook until fragrant.
Step 3: Stir in all purpose flour over the ground beef mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the flour soaks up all the moisture from the beef and the raw-smell of flour goes away.
Step 4: Add in beef broth and canned tomato sauce, to the mixture and stir well. Turn up the heat to medium-high and bring the broth mixture to a boil.
Step 5: Add the uncooked pasta and stir well. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer for 10-12 minutes and let the pasta cook completely until tender. Stir in between, every few minutes to make sure the pasta doesn't stick to each other.
Step 6: Once the pasta is fork-tender, add in heavy cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Cover with a lid and allow the cheese to melt for 2-3 minutes.
Garnish & Serve: Top it off with more cheese and garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Serve right away.
Tip 💡: If you prefer a healthy version of this recipe, go with lean meat like chicken or lean ground turkey or lean turkey sausages.
Recipe Variations:
- If you prefer a little heat 🥵 - The go with chili paste or red pepper flakes
- If you prefer a mild cheese 🧀- Go with Ricotta Cheese.
- If you prefer a healthier version 💪 - You can go with ground turkey and low-sodium chicken broth.
- If you prefer a lighter version 🩵 - Skip out the cream and cheese.
What Can I Use instead of Heavy Cream?
Instead of heavy cream you can use:
- ½ cup of milk whisked well with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
- ½ cup greek yogurt or ½ cup sour cream (it will add a tangy flavor to your dish)
- ½ cup evaporated milk or half and half. (The sauce won't be that thick but the flavors will be similar)
What Can I use instead of Canned Tomato?
When you don't have canned tomato on the hand simply go with Pasta sauce or Marinara sauce or you can just combine some of Pasta sauce with marinara and you'd be good to go.
Important Tips 💡
- Always add cream at the end. And add the cream slowly stirring continuously because it has a bad rep for curdling.
- Serve it with crusty bread - Serve this with homemade crust bread.
- Sneak in Veggies - Well picky eaters would never have veggies but you could easily sneak in veggies like collard greens, arugula, kale or spinach.
How many Calories in creamy beef and shells?
One cup of Pasta with ground beef which weighs around 235g has 375 calories of which 24gm of protein, 12 grams of fat, and 47g of carbs.
If you prefer to cut down the calories in this recipe then skip heavy cream and go for coconut milk or coconut cream instead.
And, go with chicken broth and ground chicken breast or lean ground turkey for a lean source of protein.
However, I have not tried this recipe with coconut milk, coconut cream or ground chicken or ground turkey. So, I won't be able to comment on how it'll taste.
How to Store?
Let the pasta cool down completely. Portion them individually into plastic freezer bags and squeeze out as much air as you can.
Lay the bags flat in a single layer in the freezer as this will help them freeze quicky.
When you want to reheat: Thaw the pasta overnight in the fridge and reheat over low heat, stirring lightly until completely heated through.
Side Dishes for Creamy Beef and Shells?
Hamburger Helper can be so boring on its own. Here are some of my favorite sides to try with this.
- Mixed green Salad and some French Bread.
- Warm bread with butter or margarine.
- Tossed Kale with a but of minced garlic and chopped tomatoes.
- You can even serve it with roasted carrots or asparagus or roasted broccoli.
One Pot Pasta Shells with ground beef and tomato sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lbs ground beef
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2½ cups beef broth
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 8 ounces medium pasta shells uncooked
- ½ cup heavy cream at room temperature
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Fresh Parsley chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
- Add Ground Beef and break it apart using a spatula. Cook until no longer pink for about 5-7 minutes. Drain any excess fat.
- Add diced onions and cook until the onions are translucent, about 3-minutes.
- Then, stir in minced garlic, italian seasoning, paprika, mustard powder, salt, and pepper. Cook until the garlic is fragrant.
- Sprinkle Flour over the Beef Mixture and cook until the raw smell of Flour goes away, anywhere around 2-3 minutes.
- Gradually add Beef Broth and canned tomato sauce, stirring continuously. Turn up the heat to medium-high and bring the broth mixture to a boil.
- Add the uncooked pasta and stir well and then immediately cover it with a lid and reduce the heat to a medium. Simmer Pasta for 10-12 minutes or until the pasta is fork tender. Stir every few minutes to keep the pasta from sticking to each other.
- Once the pasta is cooked, turn off the heat and add heavy cream. Stir well to prevent curdling.
- Top the dish with cheese and all it to melt over the warm and hearty pasta.
- Stir the cheese and serve with fresh chopped parsley.
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