Italian Basil Beef And Shells

Italian Basil Beef and Shells features tender pasta, seasoned ground beef, and a creamy basil pesto sauce. It’s an easy, comforting casserole perfect for family dinners or casual entertaining.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian, Southern

Keyword beef-and-shells, Italian-basil-beef, italian-basil-beef-and-shells

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 40

Resting Time 5

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 725kcal

Author Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

1 16 oz box medium-size shells
1 medium onion diced
olive oil
1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
2 tsp dry Italian seasoning
1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 8 oz chive and onion cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 cups half and half
3 Tbsp butter melted
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
1 6 oz prepared Basil pesto
1/3 cup sundried tomatoes rinsed and chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray, Set aside.
Cook the pasta shells in salted water per the package instructions until al dente. Drain well.
In a large pot over medium-high heat cook the diced onion in a few drizzles of olive oil for 2 minutes until softened. Add the ground beef. (Tip: Using a large pot doubles as the mixing bowl)
Season the beef with Italian seasoning, garlic salt and red pepper flakes. Continue to cook the beef until no pink remains. Drain all excess fat from the pot.
To the ground beef add the cream cheese, half and half and butter. Stir until the cream cheese has completely melted.
Remove the pot from the heat and add 2 cups shredded cheese, basil pesto, sundried tomatoes, Parmesan and cooked pasta. Mix well.
Pour 1/2 of the pasta mixture into the bottom of the prepared dish and sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded cheese. Top with the remaining pasta mixture and 1 cup shredded cheese.
Bake for 40 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Check at 30 minutes and cover with foil, if needed.
Let stand on the counter for 5 minutes then serve garnished with fresh parsley.

Notes

Pesto - Thanks to prepared pesto, the dreamy sauce for this dish just couldn't be any simpler to make. Keep in mind, different brands of basil pesto vary in intensity of flavor as well as sodium content. So, be prepared to adjust the amount when adding the pesto to make the sauce. If your preferred brand has a super strong flavor then adjust the amount according to your personal preference. Add it in small amounts and taste as you go.
Protein - You can make this casserole using ground turkey, ground chicken or Italian sausage in place of 1 1/2 pound ground beef.
Tomatoes - You can substitute Italian seasoned diced tomatoes in place of the sun dried tomatoes minus the juice of course, so drain them well. Changing ingredients in recipes always changes the flavor a bit, but sometimes cooking is about improvising and using what you have on hand. Rest assured, it will still be very tasty.
Cheese - You can use a combination of mozzarella cheese and provolone cheese, sharp cheddar cheese or monterey jack cheese.
Red Pepper Flakes - You can use black pepper in place of crushed red pepper flakes for a milder flavor.
Fresh Basil - You can replace the fresh parsley with fresh basil or rosemary.
Garlic Cloves - In place of garlic salt use 1 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 medium garlic cloves finely minced.

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