Description
Creamy Beef and Shells is a comforting, cheesy pasta dish featuring ground beef simmered in a flavorful tomato and cream-based sauce. This hearty recipe combines savory spices, melted cheddar cheese, and tender shell pasta for an easy weeknight dinner that’s both satisfying and rich.
Ingredients
Scale
Beef Mixture
- 1 lb. ground beef, 85% lean
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (or 1 tsp onion powder)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (or ½ tsp garlic powder)
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tablespoon flour (optional, helps thicken sauce)
Sauce
- 1 cup beef broth
- 16 oz. tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup half and half
Pasta and Cheese
- ½ pound medium shell pasta
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
Garnish
- Fresh parsley, chopped
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Prepare Ingredients: Shred the cheddar cheese from a block and measure out all ingredients before starting. Begin heating a large pot of water for boiling the pasta.
- Cook Beef and Onions: Season the ground beef with salt and pepper. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, crumbling, for 4 minutes. Add diced onions and cook for 5 more minutes until onions soften and beef is fully cooked. Drain excess grease.
- Add Garlic: Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Season and Thicken: Add hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, mustard powder, red pepper flakes (if using), and flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes to combine and slightly thicken.
- Add Liquids and Simmer: Pour in beef broth, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a silicone spatula to loosen browned bits. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, and softened cream cheese. Stir well and let the sauce simmer gently.
- Cook Pasta: While the sauce simmers, boil the shell pasta in salted water according to package instructions, about 7-8 minutes, until al dente. Drain the pasta well.
- Finish Sauce: Reduce heat to low. Stir in half and half. Remove skillet from heat and gradually stir in shredded cheddar cheese until melted and smooth.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Add the drained pasta to the skillet and stir gently to coat thoroughly.
- Serve: Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top. Serve immediately, optionally alongside garlic bread with cheese.
Notes
- Shredding cheese from a block results in creamier melting and better flavor than pre-shredded cheese, which contains anti-caking agents.
- The hot sauce enhances the overall flavor without making the dish spicy; Texas Pete hot sauce is recommended.
- If mustard powder or tomato paste are unavailable, omit them, but they contribute important subtle flavor and help thicken the sauce.
- Other pasta shapes like rotini, farfalle, or fusilli work well as alternatives to medium shells.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 550 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
