Description
Creamy Beef and Shells is creamy, rich, flavorful, and cheesy—ready in 30 minutes and family-approved!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces medium pasta shells
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small sweet onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 (15 oz) can marinara sauce
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, freshly grated
Instructions
1. Cook pasta per package instructions in a large pot of boiling salted water; drain well.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, 3–5 minutes, breaking it up. Drain excess fat; set aside.
3. In the same skillet, add diced onion and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute until lightly browned.
6. Gradually whisk in beef stock; stir to combine.
7. Add marinara sauce; stir in Italian seasoning, dried parsley, oregano, and smoked paprika.
8. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, 6–8 minutes.
9. Stir in cooked pasta and return the beef to the skillet.
10. Stir in heavy cream until heated through, 1–2 minutes; season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. Stir in sour cream.
12. Fold in cheddar cheese until melted, 1–2 minutes.
13. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley if desired.
Notes
Use 80/20 ground chuck for best flavor; avoid 70/30 for this pasta unless you drain well.
Pasta should be saucy, not dry—add a splash of marinara or stock if needed.
Cook shells just to al dente so they don’t get mushy in the sauce.
Sauté extra veg (bell peppers, zucchini, carrots) with the onion and garlic until tender.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop, One Pot
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 plate
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 370mg
- Fat: 23g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Carbohydrates: 39g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 66mg