Creamy Beefy Shells — Easy Weeknight Pasta for a Crowd

Pasta Please!

Creamy Beefy Shells are the kind of dinner that makes you look like you spent hours in the kitchen when really you spent about thirty minutes and dirtied exactly two pans. This is what I call a Lazy Mom Dinner — and I mean that as the highest possible compliment. Five ingredients plus seasonings, one big skillet, and a crowd of hungry people who are about to be very happy. I make this regularly for my family of seven and it disappears every single time. If you need a quick, easy, crowd-friendly pasta that tastes next level without the next level effort — this is your recipe. (Stephanie’s video is embedded in the recipe card and her story continues after the recipe.)

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Stephanie Longstreth

Creamy Beefy Shells

A quick, easy, crowd-friendly weeknight pasta with ground beef, spaghetti sauce, and heavy cream. Five ingredients plus spices and dinner is done in about 30 minutes!

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Servings: 8

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Video Notes

Ingredients

  

• 16 oz medium shells cooked according to package and drained
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 1-2 lbs ground beef
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 1/2 cups water rinse out jar
• 1 tbsp beef bouillon
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Mozzarella and Parmesan to taste optional but highly recommended!

Method

 

1. Cook shells according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté chopped onion until softened.
3. Add ground beef, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook until meat is browned. Drain excess fat if any.
4. Add spaghetti sauce. Pour water into the empty sauce jar, put the lid on, shake well, and pour into the skillet.
5. Add beef bouillon. Stir to combine and simmer for about 5 minutes.
6. Turn off heat and stir in heavy cream. Add mozzarella and Parmesan if desired.
7. Add cooked shells and mix well. Season more to taste and serve.

Video

Notes

You know I used more than 1 tsp of garlic powder! Adjust all seasonings to your taste. Don’t skip rinsing the sauce jar — you get every last drop of flavor that way. My kids gobble this up every time I make it!

There are recipes you make because you have to get dinner on the table. And then there are recipes you make because you actually want to — because you know everyone is going to love it and you are going to feel like a kitchen rockstar when they do. Creamy Beefy Shells somehow manages to be both. It is fast enough for a busy weeknight and delicious enough to feel special.

The secret is in the sauce — literally. A jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce, a splash of heavy cream, and a little beef bouillon turn a simple ground beef and pasta situation into something that tastes rich, hearty, and completely next level. And here is a tip straight from my kitchen: when that sauce jar is empty, do not throw it away just yet. Add a little of your measured water into the empty jar, put the lid back on, give it a good shake, and pour every last drop of that sauce into your skillet. Nothing wasted. Every bit of flavor accounted for.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

It starts with browning ground beef with onion and seasonings — garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper — until everything is beautifully cooked and fragrant. Then in goes the spaghetti sauce, the water (rinsed right through that jar), and a tablespoon of beef bouillon that takes the whole thing to another level of savory, rich flavor. I love using Ragu for this recipe. Let it simmer for just five minutes, turn off the heat, and stir in the heavy cream. That is where the magic happens.

And if you really want to take it over the top — and you do — add a handful of mozzarella and a sprinkle of Parmesan right at the end. Chef’s kiss. Then fold in your cooked shells and you are done.

Tips for Making Creamy Beefy Shells

Cook your shells according to the package directions and drain them well before adding them in. Medium shells are perfect for this recipe — you want them to soak up all that creamy, saucy goodness rather than water it down. Drain any excess fat from the ground beef before adding your sauce — a little fat is fine and adds flavor, but too much will make the dish greasy. And do not skip the beef bouillon. My favorite is Better Than Bouillon — it is one of those ingredients that quietly does a lot of heavy lifting in this recipe.

This recipe makes a generous eight servings, which means it is perfect for feeding a crowd or stocking your fridge with leftovers that reheat beautifully the next day. My kids gobble this up every single time I make it — and honestly, so do I.

More Easy Pasta Dinners for a Crowd

If Creamy Beefy Shells is your kind of dinner, here are a few more crowd-friendly pasta dishes that are just as easy and just as satisfying:

• Big Baked Ziti — cheesy, bubbly, and feeds a crowd without breaking a sweat
• Simple Lasagna — The Easiest Cheesiest Crowd-Pleaser — the name says it all and it delivers every single time
• Cajun Chicken Pasta — The Easiest 30-Minute Dinner for a Crowd — one skillet, big bold flavor, on the table in thirty minutes

Creamy Beefy Shells — About Stephanie’s Recipes

Stephanie’s recipes are a little bit of everything — treasured old family recipes passed down through generations, dishes she has developed and made her own over the years, great finds from church ladies (because if you want a good recipe, ask a church lady!), and inspiration from food bloggers and corners of the internet. Sometimes she flexes her culinary muscles and creates something spectacular. But most of the time? Quick, easy, and absolutely delicious. Because at the end of the day, Stephanie cooks for her family and her people — and the best recipe is the one that brings everyone to the table, keeps them there a little longer, and leaves them happy and full.

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