This creamy beef and shells recipe is incredibly simple to make. It's a hearty and comforting family meal that you'll enjoy again and again!
This recipe is perfect for when you want something quick and cozy. This meal isn't fancy, but it sure tastes good. Chili powder and garlic powder are great all-purpose seasonings, so I threw them in here. You could even change up the seasonings if you wanted to. Some canned tomato sauce, a little beef broth, and a splash of cream at the end dresses up ground beef in under 30 minutes. I garnished it with a little fresh parsley for a pop of color and bit of herby flavor.
You can even add some cheese to this recipe if you want to give it some Hamburger Helper vibes (mind you, I do have a separate recipe for Hamburger Helper), but you can't go wrong with extra cheese, right? I'd add a cup of grated cheddar and stir it in towards the end if you want to take that route. I can guarantee that would be popular with the kiddos. 😉
Beef and shells recipe notes & tips:
- I recommend using the leanest ground beef you can find, because then you can skip the step of draining the fat.
- If you don't have any shells on hand, you can definitely sub with a different kind of pasta.
- If you really need to, you can leave the cream out, but I do love the richer flavor it adds to this recipe.
Other simple ground beef recipes you'll love:
- Easy Cheesy Taco Pasta
- Easy Hamburger Soup
- Easy Taco Casserole Recipe
- Creamy Taco Soup
- Easy Ground Beef Stroganoff
Will you make this creamy beef and shells recipe?
Questions? Let me know in the comments below.
Easy Creamy Beef and Shells
This creamy beef and shells recipe is incredibly simple to make. It's a hearty and comforting family meal that you'll enjoy again and again!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces medium uncooked shells
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or use 3 cloves minced garlic)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
- 1/3 cup beef broth
- 1/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
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Boil water for your pasta and cook it al dente according to package directions.
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In a skillet, sauté the onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes over medium-high heat (ok if it browns a little).
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Add the beef to the pan and cook it until it's browned, breaking it up with your spoon as you go along (about 5 minutes). If there's a lot of excess fat, spoon most of it out.
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Stir in the garlic powder and chili powder, then add the tomato sauce and beef broth. Give it a good stir and cook it for 4-5 minutes or so (reduce the heat so it's gently simmering). The sauce should reduce a bit, but don't let it go dry.
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Stir in the cream and season with salt & pepper as needed. Let the cream warm through and then toss with the drained pasta shells. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- Serves 4-6 depending on how much people eat.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Anecia Mascorro says
Would using chicken broth change the flavor up a lot, or do you think the beef would be enough that it’d still work and taste good?
Natasha says
I don’t see why not ☺️
Naomi Robinson says
Looking forward to making this soon!
Natasha says
Enjoy! 🙂 XO
Lauren says
Amazing! I made the recipe exactly as you wrote it first and it was delicious, so of course the next time I had to add to it. The second time, I added a generous splash of balsamic vinegar and about a 1/2 tsp of onion powder and that was good, too. Thanks for sharing a great, quick dinner!
Natasha says
Awesome!! That makes me happy... so glad you like it. Love the balsamic idea! XO
Kaniz Sabah says
Hi Natasha,
I made this pasta yesterday with Penne as I could not find the Shell pasta. My husband and I loved it! It was so simple to make and did not take much effort. I am really looking forward to some great cookbooks by you. Keep sharing the amazing work. Much love.
- Kaniz
Natasha says
I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it!! Thanks for your sweet comment! 🙂
Kate says
The only meat I have on hand is mild sausage (leftover from the tuna pasta I made last night, yum!). Would it be ok to use that instead of beef or would it taste weird with the beef broth?
Natasha says
I think it would be fine. 🙂
Helga says
My son loved it 😁😁 we are just two, so leftovers today and he thinks is still so good 😁😁
Natasha says
I am so pleased to hear that!! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Julie Robbins says
This was so easy and soooooo good. No leftovers! Will make this again.
Natasha says
So glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Sylvie says
Just perfect with slightly less cream. I also added corn kernels in the end.
Natasha says
Wonderful!
Julianne Casper says
What about using sour cream
Natasha says
Sure, if you want a bit of a tangy taste.
Lissa says
Can I use half and half?
Natasha says
There’s a chance the tomato sauce will curdle it and it’ll go a bit grainy, but if you don’t mind, it’ll still taste fine.
Ranu says
Can you use milk instead of cream?
Natasha says
I'd probably just leave it out. Milk is notorious for curdling (especially with tomato sauce), and I don't really think it would add much to the sauce.
Samantha says
What If you only have beef stock and not broth, will that work as well?
Natasha says
That's totally fine!