Creamy Garlic Shells
Creamy Garlic Shells is a one pot recipe that is easy to make, and easy to clean up! Make it a meal or use it as a side dish!
Did everyone have a nice weekend? Mine was really good! I absolutely love summer weekends 🙂 We had our first cookout with friends on our new grill Saturday. We made pollo asada, cheeseburgers, and an abundance of yummy side dishes.
Speaking of side dishes, I brought these creamy garlic shells to a different BBQ with friends last week and everyone really loved them. It was easy to make and a great summer side dish. Honestly, I can really see this going well with almost any main course!
I used to love those Knorr Lipton pasta sides packets with dinner back when I was in school. Do you remember those? What was it about those little shell shapes that made those creamy pasta dishes extra delicious? I even, admittedly, have made them for myself well into my adult years on occasion. Sometimes I wish I could go back to the days when I had no idea how unhealthy all of that stuff was! Ignorance really was bliss 😉 Well, this is a homemade version of those packaged pastas, and as always, homemade is SO much better.
The combination of the sauteed fresh garlic, which has almost roasted taste to it, and the garlic powder, gives it the perfect garlic flavor. This is awesome! Cheesy deliciousness!
- 8oz mini shells pasta
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ¾ cup milk (I used skim)
- salt & pepper
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons parsley flakes
- Cook pasta in a pot of salted, boiling water until al dente. Drain then set aside. Let pot cool off the heat for several minutes.
- Return pot to stove over medium heat then melt butter in olive oil. Add garlic then saute until golden brown, about 30 seconds, being very careful not to burn. Sprinkle in flour then whisk and cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour in chicken broth and milk while whisking until mixture is smooth. Season with salt & pepper then switch to a wooden spoon and stir constantly until mixture is thick and bubbly, about 4-5 minutes.
- Take pot off the heat then stir in Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and parsley flakes until smooth then add cooked pasta and stir to combine. Taste then adjust salt & pepper if necessary
Recipe source: iowagirleats.com
creamy + garlic + pasta… can’t go wrong!!
That is sooo true!
Can you make it gluten-free and dairy-free?
Oooh yours looks just as tasty as I remember!
Thanks, Kayle! They tasted pretty much spot on.
Yum! This was delicious!!!
Thanks, Cheryl! You were one of the lucky ones who got to try it 😉
Yay for getting to grill this weekend! Best part of the summer if you ask me 🙂 These look like the perfect side dish for our cookout coming up!
Yes! It’s so nice now that we can cook out…we never were able to do that before because we were in an apartment with no grill 🙂
Im not a fan of creamy shells..please dont be offended but this is one dish i wont be making, but ive made all the others.
I thought you would like this because the flour is cooked 😉
Oh my goodness that looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Thank you, Eric! I always appreciate your nice comments!
Yep, totally adding this to my menu planning list!
Thanks, Nancy! Hope you like it!
I love this recipe – and I am totally making it this week, but with some added garden vegetables.. broccoli or cauliflower? Can’t wait! Pinning. 🙂
The great thing about this recipe is you can really add anything to it and make it a meal!
Yes, ignorance was bliss back then.. But thanks for sharing this recipe. It sounds fantastic love how creamy the sauce looks!
Thank you, Ruby! It was very creamy and not even bad for you!
Ooh! Looks so creamy and delicious. Love it, Ashley! (:
Thank you, Monica!
I love all things cheesy! This looks so good and comforting Ashley! Great post.
Thanks, Anne! Who doesn’t love cheese?!
I used to looooove those sides! these look awesome!
Thanks, Jenn! Those weren’t great, weren’t they?!
I have definitely eaten more than my fair share of those pasta packets. They’re just so darn easy! Thanks for giving me a much better alternative. 🙂
haha Carrie, haven’t we all?! Thanks for stopping by!
These shells look so wonderful and creamy! I want a bowl right now. Pure comfort food!
Thank you so much, Laura!
I saw this on Incredible recipes FB page. You have just announced dinner tonight. I think I want to try it with italian sausage added to it (maybe with peppers and onions added at the garlic stage), or with chicken. Thoughts?
Thank you so much for your comment! I’ve heard plenty of people say they make this into a meal by adding meat, etc. I think it will be awesome 🙂
Is the creaming garlic salad serve cold or hot. and can you add what kind of meat and veg. thank you
Hi, Nancy! The first time I made it I served it warm and the second time (because I had no means to warm it up) I served it room temperature and it was good both ways! I would say hot or room temperature would be best (not cold like a pasta salad). Also, I’ve had people say they added meat, etc. to make it into a meal. It’s pretty versatile. Thanks for stopping by!
Ashley, it is amazing how easy it is to make much better food than mixes once you start,isn’t it? Nice recipe!
It sure is!
Totally amazing! I’m currently serving overseas and am pregnant and had this craving for creamy garlic shells. Of course, I could not find the packaged garlic shells in the supermarket overseas. Your recipe fit the bill for my craving!!! So yum! I’m a vegetarian so I left out the chicken broth. But wow! This recipe is going on my repertoire of favorite recipes!
Made it for kids they loved it..
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