Cheesy Italian Shells
INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb ground beef
2 cups GF pasta shells
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/3 cup canned coconut milk
1/3 cup marinara sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Dairy free mozzarella cheese
DIRECTIONS:
SERVINGS: 3-4 PREP/COOK TIME: 15-20 MINUTES
Cook ground beef in skillet over medium heat.
Once meat is cooked add tomato paste, coconut milk, and seasonings: onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Give it a stir and simmer over medium low heat until everything is incorporated well, about 5-10 minutes.
Now add in your cooked noodles and about 1/4 cup of mozzarella cut into small pieces and let it melt a bit. Top with fresh basil and serve.
This gluten-free, dairy-free one pot recipe is sure to impress!
Growing up in the 90s was the prime time for box meals like “Hamburger Helper” and “Rice a Roni” in American kitchens. Easy one pot meals were exactly what parents were looking for and being a mom now, I can relate. When creating this dish I was inspired by my favorite “Hamburger Helper” dish growing up, it came out PERFECT and the best part is that I’m giving you the details on how to make it gluten-free/dairy-free!
Let’s talk about noodles for a second. This dish can be made with any type of noodles! I suppose it doesn’t have to be shells…but they do make the perfect noodle boat for the delicious sauce.
I personally love the Banza brand of pasta, it’s made using chickpea flour and you cannot taste the difference! It is my favorite gluten-free brand, but there are plenty of others out there! If you are going with traditional noodles vs a gluten-free option, my only recommendation is to check the ingredients — the fewer, the better!
Next let’s discuss the sauce. I use a combination of a jarred marinara sauce with tomato paste. For the jarred marinara sauce I prefer Raos but feel free to experiment, again always checking your ingredients - you want real foods listed here like tomatoes, onion, garlic, pepper, carrots, etc. No need for fillers in a tomato sauce, because of how tomatoes are canned and preserved.
Last but not least, let’s discuss the “creamy” aspect of this dish - the coconut milk and the mozzarella! So to make this dish dairy-free I like to use a canned coconut milk vs heavy cream. The texture is almost identical and there is barely a taste to the coconut milk, especially with the tomato sauce/herbs overpowering it. Canned coconut milk is an ingredient I highly recommend having in the pantry at all times because it can be used in so many recipes to replace dairy! For the mozzarella I used a dairy free mozzarella from Miyokos creamery. I love the cheese-wheel-style mozzarella they have, and it melts so creamy in this dish!
Finally, finish things off with some fresh basil. If you don’t have fresh basil growing right now, you need to check it out next time you’re at the store and see if they have a plant you can put in a windowsill somewhere! It is so easy to maintain, and fresh herbs make a huge difference!
Hope your family loves this dish as much as we do!
Make sure to tag us on social media if you give it a try!
