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!
Emily N.
I would use it to make chicken breast for flavorful.
Barbara Montag
Tweet https://twitter.com/JalapenoMama/status/680975615076384768
Barbara Montag
I would mix Hidden Valley Ranch with salsa for a healthy veggie dip.
thank you
barbara dot montyj at gmail dot com
James Robert
https://twitter.com/mijames82/status/680735796584935424
mijamesr82 at gmail dot com
James Robert
My kids all like a macaroni salad with ham, cheese hard boiled eggs, mayo and ranch in it
Birdie Bee
Tweeted-https://twitter.com/birdiebee52/status/680637824857587713?lang=en
Birdie Bee
I would use Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Dressing on Cajun Chicken Wraps.
Thomas Murphy
tweeted
https://twitter.com/thomasmurphy40/status/680632556958658560
Thomas Murphy
I would use Hidden Valley® Original Ranch on tacos.
erica best
https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/679940839154515968
erica best
ranch green beans are great
Debbie B
i posted a tweet here:
https://twitter.com/purplepanda1966/status/679840667707691009
Debbie B
i would use it to flavor a roast in my crockpot
Kathryn C
SweepstakesEntry tweet:
https://twitter.com/thrincor/status/679788276203556864
Kathryn C
Kathryn C
SweepstakesEntry – comment
I would have to try the breaded ranch chicken recipe for a tasty dinner for the family!
Kathryn C
Angie
I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/MsTofuFairy/status/679725447983329280
angie
I would use it to make a veggie dip using vegan sour cream, which is much healthier than dairy. I think it would be great!
Rebecca Graham
I use Hidden Valley on Chicken fingers.
Tabathia B
tweet https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/679530996224626688
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
Tabathia B
I would use it as a dip for my daughter as a snack for carrots
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com