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The Cheesy Beef Shells I Made Up on a Whim 🥩
I came up with these on a night when I had ground beef thawed, a box of shells in the pantry, and three half-used bags of cheese in the fridge that needed a job. No plan, just instinct, which is honestly how most of my good ones happen. Seasoned beef, melty cheese, and shells all tossed together in a rich, savory sauce. Gabriella and Anthony took one bite and asked when I was making it again, and that is when I knew it was a keeper. If you grew up on the boxed stuff, think of this as its much better cousin.
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Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef I use 80/20, but any fat will work
- 1/2 white or yellow onion diced
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt more to taste
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz uncooked shells
- 2 cups Mexican blend cheese
- Parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a large, deep pan, brown ground beef with onions and 1 tsp salt on medium heat. Drain excess fat, if desired.
- Once browned, add tomato paste and cook down for 3-4 minutes before mixing into beef.
- Add garlic powder, Italian seasoning and paprika. Mix.
- Add beef broth and heavy cream and bring to a boil on medium high.
- Once boiling, add uncooked pasta and reduce heat to medium. Cook until al dente (14-15 minutes) stirring often so it doesn’t stick. Once al dente, turn off the heat and add cheese and mix.
- Top with parsley and enjoy!
Nutrition
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see it! Tag me on Instagram @thecookingmawma and let me know what you think. I bet your family is going to go crazy for this one.
Tips for Making This Recipe
Mexican blend is the move here. It melts smoother than anything you shred off a block, and it’s what takes the sauce glossy instead of grainy.
Stir it often. The shells cook right in the sauce, which is the whole point, but it also means they’ll grab the bottom of the pan the second you walk away. If it tightens up before they’re al dente, splash in more broth.
Leftovers keep 3–4 days and reheat great with a splash of milk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use ground turkey instead of beef?
Can I make it all in one pot?
My kids are picky, will they eat this?
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I doubled this so I could just make a full box of pasta. All three of my kids liked it; the flavors are pretty safe, which is good. Love that it’s a one-pot meal. Can’t beat that. It goes without saying: drain the beef fat, but maybe you could add that to the instructions. Bonus: 99% of the ingredients you should have on hand. You can buy the other 1% extra and store it, so you don’t have to worry about having it the next time. Changes:
Half and Half instead of heavy cream
Penne instead of shells (that’s what we had)
Didn’t have parsley; some kiddos topped with parm cheese. teenagers.
Other than that, I think we followed it by the book.
Thanks, Matt! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it! May I ask – what fat % did you use for the ground beef? I typically use 80/20, so in that case, I do agree that the fat can be drained. Anything less fatty like a 90/20 probably wouldn’t need to be drained as it doesn’t release as much.
Thanks again for leaving a review. I really appreciate it.
So easy and delicious! I hope you all love it!