That sounds delicious! Creamy Paprika Steak Shells is a rich, cozy skillet pasta with tender steak, smoky paprika, and a velvety cream sauce that clings to every shell. Here’s an easy, restaurant-style version you can make at home.
Creamy Paprika Steak Shells
Servings: 4
Prep: 10 min | Cook: 25 min
Ingredients
- 12 oz medium pasta shells
- 1 lb steak (sirloin, ribeye, or flank), sliced thin against the grain
- Salt & black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil or butter
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp paprika (smoked paprika is excellent)
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning (optional)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup beef broth
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Optional garnish: fresh parsley or extra Parmesan
Instructions
- Cook pasta
- Boil shells in salted water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain.
- Cook the steak
- Season steak with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil or butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Sear steak quickly (2–3 minutes total) until just browned. Remove and set aside.
- Build the sauce
- Lower heat to medium. In the same skillet, sauté onion 3–4 minutes until soft.
- Add garlic and paprika; cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in beef broth and simmer 2–3 minutes.
- Make it creamy
- Stir in heavy cream and Parmesan.
- Simmer gently until slightly thickened (3–5 minutes).
- Combine
- Add pasta and steak back to skillet.
- Toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water if needed to loosen sauce.
- Serve
- Garnish with parsley and extra Parmesan.
Tips & Variations
- Extra smoky: use smoked paprika + a pinch of cayenne.
- Mushroom upgrade: sauté sliced mushrooms with the onion.
- Lighter version: swap half the cream for milk.
- One-pan shortcut: cook pasta in the sauce with extra broth (slightly softer texture).
This dish pairs beautifully with garlic bread, roasted broccoli, or a simple green salad.
If you’d like, I can also turn this into a one-pot recipe, a spicy Hungarian-style version, or a chicken swap 🍝🥩
