Creamy Beef and Shells
I upgraded the well-known hamburger helper to a more flavorful and luxurious dish. My creamy beef and shells are ready in just 30 minutes, making it the perfect recipe for a quick dinner on a busy weeknight. They are rich, flavorful, and cheesy; even kids will love them!
I made sure that the flavors and textures in this easy meal are to die for; no wonder it’s one of the most popular recipes on the blog. Pasta is my love language; I alternate between this dish and my famous crack chicken casserole. These two are probably the most requested recipes in my house.
Table of contents
This delicious and simple dish is full of flavors and textures. I used sweet and tangy marinara sauce, herbs and seasonings, and gooey cheddar cheese. I can easily feed my family of four and have some leftovers, too. When I have more spare time, I make this recipe, portion it, and freeze it—a great trick to have dinner for kids readily available.
Why you will love this recipe
- Fast and easy: It takes me less than 30 minutes to make it and has just a few steps.
- It is a comfort dish: Pasta always sounds good, but with cheese and beef, it becomes the best comfort food.
- Mix it up: I like how versatile this recipe is; I can add, remove, or change ingredients based on what I have on hand.
- No expensive items: No expensive ingredients or tools are needed for this recipe, which is crucial for me when cooking during busy weeknights.
What you will need
This probably looks like a hamburger helper to you, but I am here to tell you that it is better. It’s a spin on it. I used fresh onion, garlic, herbs, and seasonings to make it more flavorful. What are the secret ingredients that take it over the top? Heavy cream and sour cream – create the most luxurious, rich, and creamy sauce.
- Pasta shells – I prefer and recommend medium pasta noodles. They hold a lot of meat and sauce, which is very important for this recipe.
- Ground beef – I use 80/20 for a nice blend of lean meat and flavor.
- Beef stock – Organic low-sodium beef stock is best for full flavor without all the extra salt.
- Marinara sauce – I use my homemade marinara sauce, but store-bought is also great.
- Heavy cream and sour cream – For the richest and thickest creamy sauce.
- Cheddar cheese – I shred my cheese from a block of fresh cheese for the best results. The pre-shredded stuff has a wax coating to prevent it from sticking, which causes it not to melt right. It also affects the flavor.
How to make it
- Cook the pasta: First, I bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta by following the instructions on the packaging, cooking it al dente.
- Brown the meat: In a skillet over medium-high heat, I add the ground beef and cook, stirring and breaking it with a wooden spoon until nicely browned. After that, I drain the excess fat, then, set it aside.
- Make the sauce: In the same large skillet, I sauté the sweet onion and add the garlic. Next, I sprinkle the flour, stir, and cook for about a minute.
- Liquid: Slowly I pour in the stock and also stir. After that, I add the marinara sauce, the herbs, and seasonings. Finally, I let the whole thing boil and thicken.
- Combine: At this point, I add the cooked pasta, browned meat, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Then, I stir in the sour cream and, after that, the shredded cheese.
- Serve: Once the cheese has melted, I serve it while still hot!
Expert tip
A word about ground beef
There are different fat ratios in the ground beef packages you buy. Ground beef (70/30) is the most common and the least expensive because it has the most fat. It is 70% lean with 30% fat. It will give you the juiciest burgers, though, with a lot of flavor and a lot of grease. I would avoid it for this pasta recipe; if you decide to use it, make sure to discard the grease.
Ground round (85/25) comes from the round of the cow, so it is very lean with only 25% fat. Ground chuck (80/20) was taken from the chuck portion of the cow and only has 20% fat. With less fat, it also has less flavor, which makes this a good choice for seasoned mixtures like taco mix, chili, soup mixtures, and this pasta recipe.
More tips to consider
- The pasta should be saucy, not dry; add more marinara sauce if needed.
- To prevent the pasta from being soggy, make sure to cook it just al dente so that when you combine it with the sauce, further cooking will not make it too mushy.
- Equally important is to drain the beef grease, just leave in 1-2 tablespoons for extra flavor.
- If you add more vegetables like bell peppers, zucchini, and carrots, remember to saute them with the onion and garlic until tender.
Recipe variations and add-ins:
- Other sauce: Instead of marinara sauce, I like to make this recipe with my creamy homemade vodka sauce.
- Add vegetables: To make this a more filling dish, I add veggies like chopped zucchini, mushrooms, and yellow and orange bell peppers.
- Different cheese: I have made this with several other cheeses with excellent results. I love it with pepper jack, and my kids like it when I mix Monterey jack with mozzarella.
- No cream: If you do not have sour cream, you can substitute it with cream cheese or Greek yogurt.
- Swap the meat: I made this ground meat pasta with ground turkey, chicken, pork, or sausage. I like it with sausage. It adds so much flavor.
- Heat it up: I like spicy food, so I add some jalapenos or poblano peppers. Make it spicer also by using red pepper flakes and 1/2 cup of buffalo sauce.
- Gluten-Free: Make it gluten-free use gluten-free flour and gluten-free pasta.
- Whole-wheat. Make this recipe using whole wheat pasta for an alternative high in fiber.
- Bacon: Cook some crispy bacon, chop it and stir it into the pasta, to take this recipe over the top!
Serving suggestions:
This pasta dish is a favorite dinner in my house. I usually make my delicious homemade breadsticks and a classic Caesar salad to go with it. My husband, as a true Eastern European man, has it with some tangy bread and butter pickles on the side
While my son, who is a fan of toppings, enjoys it with homemade salsa, guacamole, and avocado slices. Don’t forget the tortilla chips, tequila, and margaritas! I usually serve something Italian for dessert, such as lemon tiramisu, cannoli poke cake, Italian butter cookies, or gelato.
How to store leftovers:
- Refrigerate: Let it cool completely and transfer it to an airtight container before putting it in the fridge. Consume it within 3 days. Keep in mind that once chilled, the pasta will absorb more sauce. Therefore, when reheating add a bit more heavy cream or beef stock.
- Freeze: Actually, you can freeze this for a few weeks, simply thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. This way, when you reheat, you will not be breaking the pasta into pieces.
- Make-Ahead: Another great option that is perfect for those who do meal planning is to freeze the sauce and simply add cooked pasta on the day you want to serve it. Also, you can pre-cook the pasta and freeze it. Before freezing, remember to drizzle some oil to prevent sticking.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you boil your pasta too long, it will turn mushy. Because you will be cooking it again during the last four minutes of preparation, you only need to boil your shells to just under al dente. Shells are easy to overcook, at about eight minutes, I start checking mine two minutes before al dente. After draining them, rinse them in cold water and keep them moist so they do not stick together. Do not add oil, or the sauce will not stick.
Although the recipe calls for shells, you can use a different pasta shape. But there are a few that I suggest over others. The basic ones I like for a recipe like this include shells, cavatappi (a corkscrew with ridges), rigatoni (a ridged tube), elbow macaroni, and shellbows (a hybrid of elbow and shells).
The answer is both yes and no. You will be throwing away flavor along with the grease when you discard it. But it depends on the fat content in the beef. If you used the kind that has too much fat, you have to discard it, or the meal will be too greasy. I like to leave about 1-2 tablespoons in the pan.
If you used extra lean meat and there is not much grease, you can keep that tiny amount and not discard it. Hence, I strongly recommend that you use 80/20 ground meat for this one as it would be more flavorful. And since this dish has sauce, do not worry about it getting too dry.
More pasta recipes:
Creamy Beef and Shells
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 (15oz 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
- Cook pasta per package instructions in a large pot of boiling salted water and drain well.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, breaking it with a wooden spoon. Drain excess fat and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add diced onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, for about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in beef stock and stir to combine. Add marinara sauce and stir in Italian seasoning, dried parsley, oregano, and paprika.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 6-8 minutes.
- Stir in cooked pasta, and add back beef.
- Next, stir in heavy cream until heated through, about 1-2 minutes. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
- After that, stir in the sour cream.
- Next, fold in the cheddar cheese until melted, about 1-2 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley if you'd like.
