Shells and Beef

Bite into nostalgia with this creamy and savory gluten-free Shells and Beef, a modern twist on a childhood classic dish!

One variation of dinner from every mother growing up was this; pasta, canned soup, and cheese. Mix it all together and you have a delicious, yet mysterious casserole filling your plate at dinner time. A cream-of-something soup with wheat pasta was a meal every 90’s kid had at some point.

Now that we’re older (and wiser) we can still make these nostalgic dishes fit for our diets today. Introducing Shells and Beef, a classically delicious dish that has stood the test of time! Instead of using canned soup and wheat pasta, this dish uses a homemade beefy mushroom cream sauce over the best quality gluten-free shells you can find. Best of all, it comes together in only 30 minutes!

No More Mystery

Forget “Tuna Surprise Casserole” or any other creamy pastas that got a bad reputation in decades passed. Working and busy moms used to love utilizing canned soup as a starter ingredient, and we don’t blame them! While canned soup had its moment in the past, we can utilize fresh ingredients for the same effect without all the sodium.

Using gluten-free shells also brings this dish up a notch. Go online to find some large or small shell shapes that are gluten-free and make this amazing dish. The shells are the perfect shape for catching all that beefy cream sauce in every bite!

Ingredients in Shells and Beef

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 6 oz. mushrooms, sliced thin
• 1 lb. lean ground beef 90/10
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed and minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ cup chicken broth or water
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 lb. gluten-free shell pasta, cooked and drained
• 1 cup reserved pasta water
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Freshly chopped basil, for topping

How to Make Shells and Beef

Heat your largest skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil.

To the sizzling pan, add the onion, mushrooms, and ground beef. Break up the meat and sauté for 8-10 minutes until fully cooked and browned. If there is a lot of fat in the pan from the meat, drain until you have about 2 tablespoons of oil left in the pan.

Add the garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper to the pan and cook for another minute.

Deglaze the pan with the stock or water. Bring to a simmer. Add the heavy cream and reduce the heat to medium low.

Meanwhile, cook and drain your pasta until al dente. Carefully save some starchy pasta water for later.

When the cream sauce has thickened, or after about 5 minutes, add the cooked and drained pasta to the sauce. Toss over low heat.

Add a few tablespoons of pasta water to the pan to emulsify the sauce, stirring frequently. Add in the Parmesan.

Garnish with chopped basil and serve.