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Nostalgia, flavor, and ease all in one pot! I know you will all love this One-Pot Italian Shells and Cheese!
The one-pot pastas on my site are some of my most popular weeknight recipes — and for good reason! When school starts back up and calendars start to fill, it’s nice to have an option you can get on the table in just about 45 minutes.
This particular recipes is a riff on Hamburger Helper’s “Italian Shells & Cheese,” as well as the classic Hamburger Helper recipe I developed a few years ago. This time, I added Italian sausage, cheddar, and ricotta for an extra creamy twist. It’s classic, all-American take that is sure to be a hit on the table.
ingredients:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic Cloves
- Ground Mild Italian Sausage
- Kosher Salt
- Onion Powder
- Dried Oregano
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Tomato Paste
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Low-Sodium Beef Broth
- Tomato Sauce
- Dried Pasta Shells
- Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
- Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
step-by-step:
step one: brown the sausage
Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or pot set over medium-heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon, until the sausage is cooked through and no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of excess fat, if needed.
step two: season the sausage
Add the salt, onion powder, dried oregano, black pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using). Stir to combine and cook for about 2 minutes, allowing the spices to lightly toast. Add the tomato paste, stir, and cook for 1 minute or until the paste has totally melted and combined with the meat.
step three: make the sauce and cook the pasta
Add the red wine vinegar, beef broth, tomato sauce, and pasta. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a very subtle simmer. Cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid has absorbed and the pasta is al dente, 13 to 15 minutes.
step four: ADD THE CHEESE, GARNISH, AND SERVE!
Remove from heat and mix in the ricotta and cheddar cheese. The pasta should be hot enough to melt the cheeses, but if needed, you can put it over low heat. Once combined, season to taste with salt, if needed. Garnish with more cheddar cheese and parsley and serve immediately.
recipe faqs:
It’s super important to make sure that your ricotta is at room temperature so that it doesn’t best seize when added to the hot pasta. I let mine sit out on the counter while I am making the pasta and it does the trick! If you forgot to take it out of the fridge beforehand, I’d omit it altogether to avoid ruining the pasta (it’s still a fabulous dish without it)!
Definitely! I’ve had readers use everything from ground beef to ground turkey before. Just know that you may need to increase the amount of dried spices a bit since the sausage I used is more flavorful than regular ground meat.
Yes! Just use your favorite gluten-free pasta (mine is Jovial Foods brown rice pasta!).
I can’t wait to hear what you think about this One-Pot Italian Shells and Cheese — I know y’all will enjoy it.
looking for more one-pot pasta recipes? try these!
One-Pan Italian Sausage and Orzo
One-Pot Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff
One-Pot Italian Shells and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion (from about 1/2 large onion)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2½ cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 12 ounces dried pasta shells
- 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for serving
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or pot set over medium-heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon, until the sausage is cooked through and no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of excess fat, if needed.
- Add the salt, onion powder, dried oregano, black pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using). Stir to combine and cook for about 2 minutes, allowing the spices to lightly toast. Add the tomato paste, stir, and cook for 1 minute or until the paste has totally melted and combined with the meat.
- Add the red wine vinegar, beef broth, tomato sauce, and pasta. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a very subtle simmer. Cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid has absorbed and the pasta is al dente, 13 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and mix in the ricotta and cheddar cheese. The pasta should be hot enough to melt the cheeses, but if needed, you can put it over low heat. Once combined, season to taste with salt, if needed. Garnish with more cheddar cheese and parsley and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Eat Love Eats.
I just made this for dinner and it is absolutely delicious! Thank you, Alex!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Glad you loved it!
I’ve now made both the classic hamburger helper and this one. Love both of them but love the sausage in this one! Definitely follow the tip for the ricotta to leave it out to get to room temp, my sauce did not turn out grainy.
I can’t wait to add this to my rotation!
Hi! I made this tonight and it was wonderful! Does it freeze well? Currently on the hunt for dishes that freeze well in preparation for a new baby!
Super tasty but wish I hadn’t added the ricotta. It turned the sauce really grainy. I think the recipe would have been perfectly fine without it, so next time I make I will just omit that.
Delicious! Made this tonight and it was a hit with the whole family. I used medium cheddar (it’s what I had) and worked out well. Thanks for another fantastic recipe, Alex!
Great recipe! Made 1.5x recipe – great flavor and reheats well as leftovers!
Meant to say ricotta!
This was so tasty! My sauce turned out a little grainy – what did I do wrong? Should I let the cottage cheese melt more over low heat?
My ricotta did the same thing. It looked like a broken sauce as soon as I added it. No idea why it happened but it was still delicious
Temper the ricotta with some hot pasta water. The cold cheese is curdling when added as described.
I cant wait to make this! Obsessed with the OG hamburger helper recipe and I know this will be a hit too! I was wondering- could I swap ground beef for the sausage? If so, would you double the seasonings for the meat?
Definitely! I would suggest an additional half of each seasoning.
I made this with ground beef and added a half of the seasonings, delicious! I like it a tad bit better with the sausage personally. And would opt for Alex’s classic hamburger helper if using ground beef, but that is just my preference!
Super easy and tasty weeknight meal. My kids gobbled it up!
Yay! Glad you enjoyed, Maria!