A hearty and delicious dinner, this Cheesy Beef & Shells is an easy winner among the whole family. Quick and easy.

Cheesy Beef & Shells Close up in cast iron skillet topped with parsley.

I’m a pasta lover and I also love quick and easy meals – feeding 3-4 kids everyone is always hungry and want it fast.

These Cheesy Beef & Shells makes the perfect dinnertime recipe. With easy ingredients, it is adult and kid approved.

A little of this recipe goes a long way, and that is what I really like about it. But you can also make a double batch to have more on hand.

With the combination of beef, cheese, pasta and spice – this really tastes great and is not bland at all.

Another fun part is that you can really doctor it up to your liking as well. Although we love it just the way it is.

So if you are wanting an easy dinnertime meal that is super simple, you need to add these Cheesy Beef & Shells to your list.

Some of my other favorite pasta recipes that we have on our site include: French Onion Pasta, Skillet Lasagna and Chicken Spaghetti.

Overhead image of Cheesy Beef & Shells in cast iron skillet topped with parsley.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Super easy and done in 30 minutes.
You can swap out your pasta if you’d like.
This is hearty and goes a long way.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST):

Ground beef
Yellow onion
Garlic cloves
All-purpose flour
Beef broth
Tomato sauce
Italian seasoning
Paprika
Garlic powder
Sea salt
Small pasta shells
Heavy cream
Cheddar cheese

Ingredients needed to make Cheesy Beef & Shells.

HOW TO MAKE CHEESY BEEF & SHELLS, STEP BY STEP:

In a large skillet, cook the ground beef until just browned. Transfer the cooked beef to a separate bowl.
Cook the diced yellow onions in the leftover oil until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and continue to sauté for about 45 seconds.
Sprinkle the all-purpose flour over the onions and garlic. Then, slowly pour the beef broth into the skillet, stirring the entire time (this should start to thicken into a sauce).
Turn the heat to high and allow the sauce to boil for 1-2 minutes.
Then add the tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, sea salt, and pasta shells to the skillet.
Combine the ingredients thoroughly, then cover the skillet and simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked.
Turn the heat to low. Remove the lid and pour the shredded cheese and the heavy cream into the skillet. Mix the ingredients in until the cheese has fully melted and combined with the pasta.
Add the cooked beef back to the pasta skillet and gently fold in.
Allow the pasta to cook for a few minutes longer to heat the beef. Serve warm and enjoy!

Step by step photos on how to make Cheesy Beef & Shells.

CAN I USE A DIFFERENT MEAT?

Absolutely, if you are not a ground beef fan, you can also use ground turkey or chicken for this recipe.

WHAT OTHER PASTA CAN I USE?

You can use any other small pasta for this recipe such as rotini, penne, etc.

The cooking time on the past might be different than it is for the shells so make sure you take that into consideration.

WHAT IS THE BEST CHEESE TO USE?

We like to use cheddar in this recipe and usually go for that, but you will want to make sure that you are using block cheese.

Bagged shredded cheese has more preservatives in it and melting becomes more challenging.

CAN I ADD SOME SPICE TO THIS RECIPE?

If you are a fan of a little kick you can absolutely add in some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to get that.

I would add it in at the end so you can taste and see if you need to adjust your levels.

Wooden serving spoon holding some pasta out of the pan.

HOW TO STORE:

This can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container where it will keep for up to 3-4 days.

You can also freeze this recipe, place in a freezer bag or container and it should keep for up to 3 months.

To defrost, remove from the freezer into the refrigerator until thawed. To reheat, place in the microwave until heated through.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

You can easily double this recipe.
Other meats can be used such as turkey and chicken.
This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
Make sure you are using block cheese.
Add some spice by adding in some red pepper flakes or cayenne.
Other small pasta can be used.

Overhead image of pasta on white plate garnished with parsley.

Want that easy and delicious dinner recipe? Then you cannot go wrong when making this Cheesy Beef & Shells.

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If you’ve tried this CHEESY BEEF & SHELLS or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!

Cheesy Beef & Shells