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Per serving
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- 1
Brown the beef
Heat a large deep pan or Dutch oven over medium-high and add the olive oil and ground chuck. Break the meat up and brown until almost cooked through, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. One pot, one job — no need to drain unless it's genuinely swimming in grease.
- 2
Build the base
Turn the heat to medium. Push the beef out to the edges, add the diced onion to the center (a little more oil if the pan looks dry), and cook 4–5 minutes until soft. Add the sliced garlic and cook about 2 minutes until lightly golden, then stir in the red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds more.
- 3
Add tomatoes and stock
Hand-crush the plum tomatoes (or give them a quick pulse in the blender) and add them along with the 4 cups of beef stock. Bring to a boil, then drop to a simmer. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- 4
Cook the shells right in the sauce
Stir in the medium shells. Simmer, stirring often so nothing sticks to the bottom, until the pasta is nearly al dente. This is the whole trick: the shells cook in the sauce instead of a second pot of water, so they drink up all that flavor and you dirty exactly zero extra pans.
- 5
Make it creamy
About 3 minutes before the pasta is done, stir in the heavy cream and mix well. Keep cooking and stirring until the shells hit a perfect al dente and the sauce clings. Stick with cream here — milk or half-and-half tends to break.
- 6
Finish and serve
Pull the pot off the heat and stir in the grated Pecorino Romano. Taste, adjust the salt and pepper, then fold in the torn basil. If it tightens up before serving, loosen it with a splash of hot stock. Serve with extra Pecorino.
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One-Pot Creamy Beef and Shells
Created by: OnePotWonders
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb ground chuck
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 5 garlic
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 28 oz plum tomatoes
- 4 cup beef stock
- 1 lb pasta shells
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano
- 1/4 cup basil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Brown the beefHeat a large deep pan or Dutch oven over medium-high and add the olive oil and ground chuck. Break the meat up and brown until almost cooked through, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. One pot, one job — no need to drain unless it's genuinely swimming in grease.
- Build the baseTurn the heat to medium. Push the beef out to the edges, add the diced onion to the center (a little more oil if the pan looks dry), and cook 4–5 minutes until soft. Add the sliced garlic and cook about 2 minutes until lightly golden, then stir in the red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds more.
- Add tomatoes and stockHand-crush the plum tomatoes (or give them a quick pulse in the blender) and add them along with the 4 cups of beef stock. Bring to a boil, then drop to a simmer. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook the shells right in the sauceStir in the medium shells. Simmer, stirring often so nothing sticks to the bottom, until the pasta is nearly al dente. This is the whole trick: the shells cook in the sauce instead of a second pot of water, so they drink up all that flavor and you dirty exactly zero extra pans.
- Make it creamyAbout 3 minutes before the pasta is done, stir in the heavy cream and mix well. Keep cooking and stirring until the shells hit a perfect al dente and the sauce clings. Stick with cream here — milk or half-and-half tends to break.
- Finish and servePull the pot off the heat and stir in the grated Pecorino Romano. Taste, adjust the salt and pepper, then fold in the torn basil. If it tightens up before serving, loosen it with a splash of hot stock. Serve with extra Pecorino.