Creamy Beef and Shells is an easy ground beef recipe that your family will love! Serve it with Garlic Bread with Cheese for an easy Italian dinner with simple ingredients!

Be sure to try my heart Beef Vegetable Soup recipe next!

A skillet with Creamy Beef and Shells

Creamy Beef and Shells

I promise you- the extra ingredients that I have listed in this recipe are all SO entirely worth the outcome. It might seem strange to have a dab of hot sauce or mustard powder in here, but they really compliment and enhance the other flavors in this recipe. (And don’t skimp out on the cream cheese! It’s heavenly.)

This sauce has the perfect balance of every flavor. It’s creamy, but still has a distinct tomato flavor with a perfect ratio of ground beef and pasta.

You will be super proud of yourself when you taste it. My husband’s exact reaction: “Mmmm…. (4 seconds later)… Oh my GOSH! This is REALLY good!” -all of those flavors roll in after a few seconds and that’s what makes this recipe so great.

Okay- let’s do it!

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Shred the cheese and measure out all ingredients prior to beginning. Begin heating the pasta water for boiling.

Cook and crumble the ground beef over medium-high heat. Add onions halfway through and cook until softened. Drain any grease. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, seasonings, and flour. Cook for one minute.

Cooking ground beef and adding tomato sauce for Creamy Beef and Shells

Add the beef broth and use a silicone spatula to ‘clean’ the bottom of the pot.

Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and softened cream cheese. Let the sauce simmer while you boil the shells for 7-8 minutes or as instructed on package.

Decrease heat to low. Stir in the half and half. Remove from heat and gradually stir in the shredded cheese until well-combined.

Mixing cream and cheese into tomato sauce for Creamy Beef and Shells.

Add the drained pasta shells and stir to combine. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with garlic bread with cheese.

Adding pasta shells to a creamy tomato sauce to make Creamy Beef and Shells

Pro Tips

  • Tomato Sauce: I use Hunt’s tomato sauce in this recipe, tomato passata can also be used.
  • Shred the cheese from a block. It will melt and taste much better than bagged shredded cheese, which contains cellulose to prevent it from clumping in the bag (which also makes it melt less creamy.) I use Cracker Barrel sharp yellow cheddar.
  • The hot sauce enhances all of the other flavors in the dish. It won’t make it spicy. I use Texas Pete hot sauce.
  • If you don’t have mustard powder or tomato paste, they can be omitted, but they do add subtle yet excellent flavor to the sauce. The tomato paste also helps to thicken the sauce.
  • A variety of different pastas will work in this recipe, including rotini, farfalle (bowtie), and fusilli.

Storage

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Creamy Beef and Shells on a white plate with a fork.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links)– Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

  • Kitchen Scale– Perfect for weighing the pasta or ground beef if needed.
  • Deep 13-inch skillet– You’ll have this one forever.
  • Box Grater– Always shred cheese from a block for best flavor and meltability. (Yes, that’s actually a word! 😂)

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Creamy Beef and Shells with fresh parsley sprinkled on top.

Creamy Beef and Shells

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
5 from 42 ratings
Servings: 4 people
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Creamy Beef and Shells is an easy ground beef recipe with shell pasta smothered in a creamy and flavorful tomato sauce.

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric
  • 1 lb. ground beef, 85% lean
  • Salt/Pepper
  • 1 small diced yellow onion, can sub 1 tsp onion powder
  • 3 cloves minced garlic, can sub 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 the sauce
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 16 oz. tomato sauce
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cups half and half
  • 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • ½ pound medium shell pasta
  • Fresh parsley, to garnish
  • Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving.

Instructions

  • Shred the cheese and measure out all ingredients prior to beginning. Begin heating the pasta water for boiling.
  • Season the ground beef with salt/pepper. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the beef. Cook and crumble it for 4 minutes. Add the onions and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the onions are softened and the beef is cooked through. Drain grease.
  • Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, mustard powder, red pepper flakes, and flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the beef broth and use a silicone spatula to ‘clean’ the bottom of the skillet.
  • Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and softened cream cheese. Let the sauce simmer while you boil the shells for 7-8 minutes or as instructed on package. (Optional, add a few teaspoons of salt to the boiling water.)
  • Decrease heat to low. Stir in the half and half. Remove from heat and gradually stir in the shredded cheese until well-combined.
  • Add the drained pasta and stir to combine. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with garlic bread with cheese and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Notes

Shred the cheese from a block. It will melt (and taste!) much better than bagged shredded cheese, which contains cellulose to prevent it from clumping in the bag (but also makes it melt less creamy.) I use Cracker Barrel sharp yellow cheddar.
The hot sauce enhances all of the other flavors in the dish. It won’t make it spicy. I use Texas Pete hot sauce.
If you don’t have mustard powder or tomato paste, they can be omitted, but they do add subtle but excellent flavor to the sauce. The tomato paste also helps to thicken the sauce.
A variety of different pastas will work in this recipe, including rotini, farfalle (bowtie), and fusilli.

Nutrition

Calories: 532kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 42g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 127mg, Sodium: 1258mg, Potassium: 1000mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 1154IU, Vitamin C: 13mg, Calcium: 395mg, Iron: 5mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Stephanie