I love this yummy twist on Shells and Cheese! This Beefy Shells and Cheese with Ranch meal is pure comfort food. Throw in some veggies for fun! With just the addition of Ranch dressing to the skillet, it took this simple recipe to the next level. It’s a delicious dinner any time of the year!
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Especially for us mothers, life is so nuts, isn’t it? When I sit back and think about everything that is expected of us on a daily basis, I reach for my paper bag to pant heavily into. By the time evening rolls around every day, after having crammed about 39 hours of stuff into a 12-hour period, I cannot believe I have to think about making dinner. I am once again in need of a quick and easy, healthy meal to prepare for my boys.
Sometimes it’s as easy as taking a standby recipe, turning it over in your hands a bit and seeing it in a new way. I have to be extra creative when it comes to getting vegetables down my boys’ throats because they are PICKY! I’m finding that if I surround veggies with total yumminess, they can’t resist.
So here’s what I did the other night. I grabbed my bottle of Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Dressing from the fridge (because I ALWAYS have a bottle on hand) and I added it to an old standby: beefy shells and cheese. And guess what? The ranch dressing pretty much sent it to the moon, so I was able to throw in peas without having spoonfuls of food hurled in my direction. It was LOVED and gone quickly.
The dressing added such a depth to this simple dish that it tasted like I had slaved over a sauce all day. One delicious little ingredient allowed me to add vegetables (gasp) to this meal and made me look like a genius. And trust me, I’m too tired to be a genius.
Your wheels are turning now, aren’t they? You’re thinking of becoming a sneaky genius yourself, aren’t you? 🙂
Beefy Shells and Cheese with Ranch
Ingredients
- 12 oz. box medium pasta shells
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 10 oz. bag frozen peas
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Dressing
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until no longer pink. Drain excess grease. Cook frozen peas according to package directions.
- Add cooked pasta and peas to the skillet, along with cheese and ranch dressing. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until cheese has melted and mixture is heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately!
Frozen crispy breaded chicken tenders baked as directed
Rotini pasta (cooked as directed)
Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (enough for a creamy texture)
Fine Shredded cheese added to hot mixture
Add any vegetables you want but optional
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/peg42/status/682348812246069248
Thanks again.
I’d like to make chicken and bacon roll-ups using Hidden Valley Ranch.
https://twitter.com/SeymaShabbir/status/682324758525014018
I would use Hidden Valley® Original Ranch to make chicken sandwiches with lettuce and ranch! [email protected]
I’d use Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® to transform popcorn. I love to snack on it and am always looking for new flavors.
https://twitter.com/ThatTuxedoCat/status/682291529998811136
I would mix Hidden Valley Ranch Veggie dip.
Tweet – https://twitter.com/mitadav/status/681637567175999488
Tweet – https://twitter.com/willitara/status/681614048815783936
[email protected]
I would marinate chicken in ranch dressing before making oven fried breasts
[email protected]
tweeted – https://twitter.com/dmarie824/status/681534763262296064
I’d use it to make a dip with Greek yogurt for my son to dip his veggies in.
dmarie824 at aol dot com
https://twitter.com/prizepuzzle/status/681282312684711936