Beef and Shells — The Chili Didn’t Last, But This Comes Close

February. The mainland states are buried. We had rain Tuesday. Caleb had baseball practice Tuesday and Thursday. I drove.

Caleb, 7, wants to be a firefighter still. Has not deviated. Hazel, 3, chaos incarnate. Put a peanut butter sandwich in the DVD player Wednesday. Showed zero remorse.

Chili Saturday. Beef and beans. Cornbread on the side. Fed everyone for two days.

I made a casserole because I always make a casserole.

Donna sent a recipe card in the mail this week. She has been doing this for years. The recipes go in the binder. The binder is full. The newest one is for a green bean casserole that uses fresh green beans and fried shallots and which I will absolutely make for the next holiday.

Reading another military memoir at night. They make Ryan tense. They steady me. We negotiate. He doesn't ask what I'm reading. I don't tell him. The arrangement works.

I went to the commissary Saturday morning. Got the grocery haul under sixty bucks for the week, which is a small victory. The cashier knows me. We talked about her grandkids while she scanned the chicken thighs and the family-size box of pasta. Small-town energy on a Marine base in California.

Caleb watched the firefighters at a school visit Wednesday and came home buzzing. He is going to be one. I have known this since he was four. Some kids tell you who they are early.

My therapy session was Tuesday. We talked about the deployment cycle and the way the body holds dread and the ways the body holds it. The hour passed. The work continues. I have been doing this work for years. The work pays.

The kitchen counter has a chip in it from someone before us. Some military housing thing. I have stopped asking what. The chip is fine. The whole kitchen is provisional. We are renting from Uncle Sam.

Base housing is base housing. Beige walls, beige carpet, beige expectations. The dryer venting is in a stupid place. The kitchen has no dishwasher. We make it work.

Caleb's school had a fundraiser this week. I baked cookies because I always bake cookies. The cookies were the standard chocolate chip. They sold out in twenty minutes. I am the cookie mom of this PTO and I have stopped fighting it.

Dad called. He has been gardening. He is sending zucchini updates again. The PTSD is managed. He talks more than he used to. He is becoming his own version of healed, which I did not think was possible at fourteen.

Hazel and I had a hard moment Tuesday at homework time. She is in a season of testing limits. We worked through it. We always do. She is mine.

Ryan went to his counselor Wednesday. He always comes home calmer. I am calm too, just from him being calm. The man Torres was killed with — Ryan calls his wife twice a year on Torres's birthday and the anniversary. The military widows are their own community.

I read the blog comments at the kitchen table with my coffee. A young spouse in Lejeune emailed me about deployment cooking. I wrote her back at length. I told her about the freezer. I told her about Donna. I told her she would survive. I sent her three of Donna's recipes.

The kids' soccer game was Saturday morning. The other parents brought oranges and Capri Suns. I brought a thermos of coffee for myself and a folding chair I bought at Target three years ago that has been to four duty stations now. The chair is a more loyal companion than some of my friends.

The chili was gone by Sunday — two days, fed everyone, exactly as intended. But Monday has a way of arriving anyway, and Caleb still needs to eat before practice and Hazel will absolutely put something in an appliance if I take too long. Beef and Shells is what I reach for when the week resets and I need something that goes from pot to table without requiring anything of me emotionally. It’s not Donna’s recipe, but I think she’d approve.

Beef and Shells

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
• 2 cups medium pasta shells, uncooked
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or mozzarella, for topping
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. Brown the beef. Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it apart, until no longer pink, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat.
2. Soften the aromatics. Add diced onion to the pan and cook with the beef for 3 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute more.
3. Build the sauce. Pour in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef broth. Stir in Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
4. Cook the pasta. Add uncooked pasta shells directly to the pan. Stir to submerge, then cover and cook over medium-low heat for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender and has absorbed most of the sauce.
5. Finish and serve. Remove from heat and top with shredded cheese. Let sit covered for 2 minutes until cheese melts. Serve straight from the pan.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 24g | Fat: 15g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 620mg