Monday Meals: IP Creamy Shells and Cheese

Instant Pot Creamy Shells and Cheese

Confession 1: I haven’t used my Instant Pot all summer. I’m trying to get back in the cooking swing of things and a find that a meal that includes pasta usually provides us with two dinners. I made this last Wednesday evening knowing our Thursday evening would be crazy, and it was a hit.

Confession 2: I do like the Instant Pot although it took some time for us to become friends. I received one for Christmas last year and when I’m in the normal swing of things, I’d say I use it once a week. Once I got over the fact that it isn’t really “instant,” I decided I do find it useful enough to incorporate into my meal planning. Once everything is in the pot, I do like that I have that time free to pack lunches, get a quick workout in, or my favorite past time: taking a quick power nap.

All of my IP recipes come from Pinterest, but I hadn’t tried this one yet.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow or sweet onion, diced

1 pound lean ground beef

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 (16 oz) box medium pasta shells, uncooked

1 (24 ounce) jar pasta sauce

3 cups water

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup heavy cream

2 ounces cream cheese, cut into chunks and softened

When I get two nights out a meal, I usually make a vegetable one night (my kids love fresh green beans–I blanch them, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, and they eat their weight in them) and then a bagged salad another night. I try to keep it simple.

Here’s the link to the Pinterest recipe:

This is definitely a recipe I will make again…and hopefully remember the tomato paste next time!

Take care,

Jen

Instagram: @showmeandsweettea