For the past three nights I have been trying to make Taco Pasta. It's a family favorite as many of my recipes are ~ that's why I keep making them...duh :) So finally tonight I was able to do so. It's a really simple recipe but I had to go ahead and make it complicated, as always.
For this dish, I suggest using a large sauce pan. You can make it all in one pan (except for the pasta of course) and it makes for less dirty dishes later. You can also use any type of pasta that you want. I typically use the medium shells but tonight I was out of those. I used penne noodles which worked just as well.
To start you'll want to brown the hamburger. I use ground turkey instead of hamburger but either way it tastes great. I've made the recipe both ways. While browning the hamburger, start boiling the pasta.
After the hamburger is browned, add an entire can of Rotel diced tomatoes (there are different types of this as well. I use mild with green chilies), a packet of taco seasoning (I use Ortega Original but again choose the brand you like), and minced garlic. Let that simmer for 3-5 min. Be sure to stir it occasionally so as not to burn the mixture to the bottom of the pan.
Once the pasta is finished boiling, set aside 1/2 cup of the water to add to the hamburger mixture. The rest can be drained. Add the pasta water, pasta, sour cream and cream cheese. Tonight this became somewhat of a rigmarole. I am usually really good about making sure I have the ingredients I need to make a certain recipe. In the middle of making this delicious dish I find that my sour cream is not up to snuff ~ I checked the expiration date to make sure it wasn't old but it ended up being moldy. So I had to make a mad dash to the store so I could finish our dinner. Thankfully, my hubby was in the mood to be helpful and kept an eye on the boiling pasta as well as our sweet but hungry daughter :)
Once you add both the sour cream and cream cheese mix well. I usually let is simmer on medium heat for 10 min or so to make sure everything is heated through and to make sure our side dishes are complete. We like to have tater tots and corn with it. This will easily feed a family of four and still have left overs. Enjoy!
Taco Pasta
1 lb.ground beef (or turkey)
8-12 oz. dry pasta (I typically use medium shells)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 oz.) can Rotel diced tomatoes
1 packet of taco seasoning
3 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup (4 oz.) sour cream
1/2 cup pasta water
I got this recipe while looking through Pinterest awhile back. You can find it here on this
blog.
