Shells & Cheese (with Bacon & Peas)

Sometimes you feel like making macaroni and cheese that involves whipping up a roux, then making a white sauce, then adding cheese to make it a cheese sauce.

And sometimes you don’t.

This ultra-simple, kid-friendly recipe for pasta shells and cheese is absolutely scrumptious and so darn easy to make.

The secret’s in the (artisan cheese) sauce.

Just you wait, ‘enry ‘iggins. Just you wait…

 

 

 

First, boil up some pasta! These are just good ol’ medium pasta shells, but you can use the small shells if you want.

 

 

 

Next, make the gourmet cheese sauce: Add 2 cups of milk (I used 2%) to a saucepan…

 

 

 

And add a pat or two of buttah! And that’s basically the basic basis for the cheese sauce, basically. Note that there’s no flour, there’s no roux, and there’s no white sauce. And that’s what’s so beautifully simple about this recipe!

 

 

 

Heat this mixture over medium-low heat until the milk is heated and the butter is melted.

 

 

 

And now, for the artisan cheese blend, which you can only get from specialty gourmet mail order catalogs: Start with a hunka hunka burnin’ Velveeta. And actually, it would be best if it wasn’t burnin’. Just straight out of the tight foil wrapper is best.

 

 

 

And by the way…have you ever, just for fun, suspended a hunk of Velveeta from a height of a few inches, then released the Velveeta to see if it would bounce?

Try it sometime. It might make you giggle.

 

 

 

After you play a few rounds of bouncy ball, go ahead and cut it into cubes.

 

 

 

Then, to redeem what you’ve just done, grate up a nice amount of sharp cheddar. (On the show I used cheddar-jack, which is delicious, but I love the sharpy sharpiness of the sharper sharp cheddar.)

(I’m in a little bit of a mood today. Can you tell?)

 

 

 

Now, making sure the milk/butter combo is nice and heated, drop in the Velveeta.

 

 

 

Stir it around until the pieces soften…

 

 

 

And eventually melt into a golden, wonderful sauce.

 

 

 

Okay: Redemption time again! Drop in the grated cheddar.

 

 

 

This is what you call the best of both worlds. The creaminess of the Velveeta + the natural sharpness of the cheddar = TruLuv4Evr.

 

 

 

Stir it around until the cheddar begins to melt, then add in some seasoned salt. I use Lowry’s, but you can use whatever salt blend you like to reach for during your life’s journey. (Even lemon pepper would be lovely!) Just don’t leave this out; it makes a really nice difference.

 

 

 

Another essential: black pepper! Really go for it, too. A lot goes a little way. Or something like that. Ha.

 

 

 

Stir it around until the cheese is largely melted…

 

 

 

Then give it a taste…

 

 

 

And add more of whatever you think the sauce needs. Be sure you add enough seasoned salt for the whole thing to be really, really flavorful!

(Pssst. You could also press in a clove of garlic and let it heat up with the butter and the milk. That would be crazy good!)

 

 

 

Cook the pasta until it’s al dente (this isn’t quite there, so I kept cooking it for a little while.)

 

 

 

Then drain it…

 

 

 

And pour it right into the sauce!

Oh, the excitement.

Oh, the promise.

Oh, the impatience.

Oh, the AGONY.

 

 

 

Now just stir it around…

 

 

 

Until the shells are all coated in the sauce.

 

 

 

Now, look at this pan of wonder. It’s somewhat saucy/soupy, and that’s just the way you want it! It will actually thicken a bit as it sits (not that it will sit very long) so if it’s a little soupy/saucy to begin with, there’s a little room to work with.

 

 

 

So there it is—the basic, ridonkulously easy, crazily delicious Shells & Cheese. Serve it up like this in all its glory…

Or you can have a little more fun with it.

 

 

 

Earlier, when I put the pasta water on to boil, I fried up some bacon.

 

 

 

Then I threw it on the cutting board…

 

 

 

And chopped it up. But before I added it to the pan…

 

 

 

I grabbed a bag of frozen peas and poured them right in, ice crystals and all. No need to thaw them first!

 

 

 

Then in goes the bacon.

 

 

 

And I just stirred it around.

 

 

 

Good grief. How lovely does this look?

And maybe “lovely” isn’t the most fitting adjective. Lovely is what you call a salad or a berry dessert or a fizzy drink. I’ll try again.

How gooooooooood does this look?

There. That’s better.

And here are some other things you could stir in: Caramelized onions, finely diced jalapenos, pimientos, halved grape tomatoes…the list goes on!

 

 

 

Dish it up…and when you do, make sure you get plenty of extra sauce in there.

 

 

 

A little extra bacon sprinkled over the top makes the world go ’round.

 

 

 

Whoa. Whoa whoa whoa. Like, seriously. Whoa. It’s almost exactly like Pasta Carbonara!

Except…not.

 

 

 

I’m in love.

Now, just a note: The peas really assert themselves once you mix them in, so start a little light, give it a taste, and you can always add more. I happen to love the flavor of peas, but if you’re on the fence, tread lightly at first.

 

 

 

This is my serving. Just kidding! Hahaha.

(At least I think I’m kidding.)

Enjoy this, my friends! Here’s the handy dandy printable!

Recipe
Shells & Cheese (with Bacon & Peas)

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 6




Print Recipe

Ingredients
12 ounces, weight Small Or Medium Pasta Shells2 cups 2% Milk1 Tablespoon Butter8 ounces, weight Velveeta, Cut Into Cubes (I Actually Used About 10-12 Ounces!)2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese (more To Taste!)1/4 teaspoon Seasoned Salt, More To Taste1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper1/2 cup Frozen Peas (more To Taste)8 slices Thin Bacon, Fried Crisp And Chopped Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package instructions for al dente (do not overcook). Drain and set aside.

In a large pot heat the milk and butter over medium-low heat. Turn off the heat, then add Velveeta and stir until completely smooth and melted. Stir in the grated cheddar, then add seasoned salt and pepper. Stir until combined, then taste it and add more seasonings if needed.

Add cooked pasta and stir until coated. It will be soupy and saucy, but will thicken slowly.

If desired, stir in frozen peas (they will thaw) and bacon. Serve immediately.

Posted by Ree | The Pioneer Woman on September 15 2014