The Journal of an Honest Mom

This is one of those recipes that I don’t really think about when I’m making it.

I just make it.

It’s basically spaghetti’s creamier cousin, except I use shell noodles because the kids like them and the sauce gets all inside the shells, which makes everything better.

This one also made the prep-day list because everybody will eat it, it reheats well, and I can put it in a Thermos for school lunches. Dinner that also handles lunch the next day is always a win around here.

And it’s really simple.

What You’ll Need

– 1 box shell pasta
– 1½–2 pounds ground turkey
– ½ onion, diced
– Garlic, minced
– Italian seasoning
– Paprika
– Ground mustard
– Garlic powder
– Onion powder
– Salt
– About 2 cups beef broth
– About 15 ounces marinara sauce
– ½ cup heavy cream
– 8 ounces mild cheddar cheese, shredded
– Mozzarella or Italian-blend shredded cheese, for the top

You can absolutely use ground beef instead of ground turkey. I happened to have ground turkey, so that’s what I used.

Also, a note about the salt because this matters: check your beef broth before you start salting everything.

If you’re using low-sodium beef broth, add a little salt when you season the meat. If you’re using regular beef broth, I would skip the salt on the meat or use very little. The broth is going to add plenty.

Let’s Make It

Start a pot of water for your shell noodles and cook those according to the package directions.

While those are cooking, add your ground turkey, half of a diced onion, and garlic to a large pot.

Let everything cook together until the turkey starts to brown.

Then season it.

I used Italian seasoning, paprika, a small amount of ground mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and a little salt because I was using lower-sodium broth.

I am very much a season-with-your-heart person here. Taste your food. You know what your family likes.

Once the meat is browned and seasoned, pour in about 2 cups of beef broth and around 15 ounces of marinara sauce.

If you don’t have marinara, tomato sauce works too.

Let that cook together for a little bit so the meat, broth, tomato sauce, and seasonings have a chance to become one sauce instead of a bunch of things you just dumped into a pot.

By this point, your shells should be ready.

Drain them and add them right into the meat sauce.

Mix everything together and let the pasta and sauce cook together for a few minutes.

Now for the part that makes this different from regular spaghetti.

Pour in about ½ cup of heavy cream and add 8 ounces of shredded mild cheddar.

Mix that in until the cheese has melted and the sauce is creamy.

Then cover the top with mozzarella or an Italian cheese blend.

I don’t mix this part in.

Just sprinkle it over the top, let it get nice and melty, and you’re done.

That’s it.

Nothing complicated. Nothing fancy.

Just a big pot of creamy, cheesy shell pasta that everybody will actually eat.

For Prep Day

Let the pasta cool before putting it into your containers and refrigerating it.

During the week, we can pull it out for an easy dinner, but my favorite part is being able to use the leftovers for school lunches.

Warm it up in the morning, put it in a Thermos, and lunch is handled.

Which is exactly the kind of meal I want on prep day.

If I’m already cooking, I want that food to solve as many problems for Future Me as possible.