Creamy Beef and Shells

I've been a bit under the weather and not at all feeling like cooking. Colds are not friends of cooking. 

I'm not usually a fan of these types of pasta dishes. They remind me too much of the 70s and the casseroles mom would make to last a decade. 

This was an easy recipe. Everything that it calls for you most likely have in your inventory. This is one of those "clean out your pantry" type of recipes. 

The only thing I wish I didn't add was as much Italian seasoning it calls for. I'm not a huge fan and it little goes a long way for me.

And one miss step...I kinda used the cheddar cheese I bought for this with the tacos I made last night for book club. So I improvised and used parmesan. 

Creamy Beef and Shells

Recipe from Simply Stacie

Serves 6

• 4 cups pasta shells uncooked
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 cup yellow onion finely chopped
• 2 tsp garlic minced
• 1 lb ground beef
• ⅔ cup tomato paste
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parsley to garnish

Prepare pasta shells according to the package directions.

Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with cooking oil and sauté onions and garlic medium high heat until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add ground beef and chop into crumbles with a wooden spoon, cook until no longer pink (about 4 minutes).

Lower heat to medium low and add tomato paste, beef stock, Dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, and paprika. Stir until well combined and a thick sauce forms.

Stir in heavy cream and cheese, the cheese will melt into a creamy sauce. Add cooked and drained pasta shells and stir until evenly covered in sauce. Garnish with dry or fresh parsley and serve warm.