"Out of this World" Beef and Shells in the Cast-Iron Skillet

Last night, Jace (who is 8) and I had a long conversion about food and restaurants. His Dad and I have talked about opening a restaurant and I love to cook so this was the perfect topic. I was surprised at how into it an 8 year old was though. He said that he wanted him and I to be the chefs and "Daddy can be the boss"! We also came up with a restaurant name, "KJ and A" for "Kevin, Jace, and Abbie" I thought it was fun. I have to say, since I cook almost every night, I am very happy with how Jace eats. He eats food that no other 8 year old would eat. He loves baked potatoes, he ate almost a whole can of green beans, and he loves hot cheetos. He tries everything I cook and most of the time he ends up loving it. I just hope when he gets older, this will help with him being open to trying new things and new experiences.

Kevin loves to cook too so we are all about food. For dinner I try and make low-carb or Keto meals but sometimes, like tonight, we make a meal full of carbs. When Jace tried it he said, "This is the best thing you have ever made, it's out of this world, it's past space!" so that's why I named it "Out of this World" Beef and Shells - named by Jace.

Maybe one day our hopes and dreams of opening up a restaurant will come true but, in the meantime, I'll just provide you guys with really good recipes :)

The original recipe was sent to me from Kevin because he leans towards the unhealthier meals ;) The original recipe can be found HERE and our version is below.

Ingredients:
8oz small pasta shells
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 pound ground beef
1 tbsp roasted onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
2 tbsp flour
2 cups beef broth
3/4 cup heavy cream
15oz can tomato sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
6oz cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:
In a pot, boil water and add a little bit of salt. Cook pasta according to package instructions, 7-9 minutes. Drain. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, 5-7 minutes. Take out of skillet and set aside. Add onion powder, garlic powder and italian seasoning in the skillet for 2-3 minutes. Whisk in flour about one minute. Gradually add in beef broth and tomato sauce.

Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer, stirring occasionally, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in pasta, beef and heavy cream until heated through, about 2-3 minutes. 

Stir in cheese until melted, about 2-3 minutes. 

Serve with chips or Saltine Crackers. 

Enjoy!!