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!
The holidays are right around the corner, people. Do you, too, get hives every time you think about how you are going to pay for gifts this year? Well I am here to help! One lucky commenter on this post will receive a $100 Visa gift card. Read on for details!
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!



Tweeted
https://twitter.com/eswright18/status/679524340686168066
eswright18 at gmail dot com
I use it to flavor pot roast cooked in the slow cooker. It gives it a great taste and I add potatoes and carrots. It’s about the only way to get my kids to eat some veggies.
eswright18 at gmail dot com
I tweeted
https://twitter.com/my4boysand1/status/679517617258950656
I would use it to make my chicken and rice with green bean goulash to make my kids something they love and make it healthy! [email protected]
tweeted: https://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/679489157559877632
https://twitter.com/sweetums82/status/679461422586327040
dlatany at gmail dot com
I would use it over a vegetable medley
My tweet https://twitter.com/AurelieRed/status/679400272389652481
redaurelie(at)gmail(point)com
Looks delicious !
I think I would add some brown rice and veggies.
redaurelie(at)gmail(point)com
Tweet: https://twitter.com/PrettyHotPink6/status/679393494411022336
I would add some to freshly sliced sweet potatoes before being cooked and browned in the oven.
prettyinhotpink6 at gmail dot com
I publicly Tweeted this giveaway: https://twitter.com/versatileer/status/679389810767757312
I don’t exactly get hives every time I think about how I am going to pay for gifts this year, but I do like to have a great dinner garnished with Hidden Valley Original Ranch dressing.
https://twitter.com/aes529/status/679384083194056705
pokergrl8 at gmail.com
I would use it on noodles
pokergrl8 at gmail.com
https://twitter.com/eliza_elliott/status/679014092946800641
I want to try this recipe it looks delicious! I usually add it to a pasta salad.
BY MAKING AVOCADO RANCH BURITTO BOWLS!
https://twitter.com/kytah00/status/678986308568662016
Tweeted! https://twitter.com/pixelberrypie/status/678967609392427009