Taco Pasta, Take 2
April 27, 2011 in pasta
It’s no secret that I love easy and fun pasta dishes so it’s about time I add another one to the ol’ blog. I already have a recipe for what I call taco pasta but this one is slightly different. This one includes a delicious cheesy sauce that makes it more like macaroni & cheese. Yum!
I had worried this would be too spicy since it calls for taco seasoning and Rotel tomatoes but both of my boys gobbled it up without a problem. My oldest has already staked claim on the leftovers.
I hate cooking pasta in a dish, you know what I mean? Like, the pasta is cooked in the Rotel and with the ground turkey in this one and I always – and I mean always – end up with burnt pasta stuck to the bottom of my pan when I do this. So I would recommend watching it closely and not being scared to add more liquid if it gets low. Or if you don’t mind washing an extra dish, boil your pasta separately.
Also, if you’re looking to stretch this one, you could easily add another cup of macaroni. This was a lot of meat for only 1 cup of pasta and I would definitely add another cup next time I make it. Which will be very soon!
adapted from Kevin and Amanda
Ingredients
Instructions
- Brown ground turkey in a large pan over medium heat; drain if necessary. Stir in taco seasoning, Rotel, water, and macaroni. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and cover pan. Simmer 12-14 minutes until macaroni is tender.
- While pasta is cooking, make the cheese sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking for 5 minutes until fragrant and light brown in color. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Whisk until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until melted. Add the salt and pepper to the cheese sauce. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta mixture. Stir gently to combine.
oh, this looks delicious! I can’t wait to make it. Too bad I have dinner plans already.
What an awesome looking pasta! I bet it tastes great.
I don’t think I’ve ever had taco pasta…it’s time to change that!
Looks cheesey and delish!!:)
This will SO be making an appearance at my table this week! Pasta AND tacos?! Right up my alley!
this looks great. I think I would add in some green peppers and onions too.
Looks good…….question: does the pasta need to be drained prior to adding in the sauce?
No, the pasta shouldn’t need draining unless you cook it in a separate pot. Thanks for commenting! :)
I’m usually not a huge pasta person, but this actually sounds really good. I tried ground turkey not to long ago and I really liked it. I will have to give this one a try!
Made this last night. It’s a good, tasty, filling meal. I was impressed. Had some leftovers today for lunch. It was even better :) I did add some onion, and one small can of corn…just because I like corn.
Thanks for the recipe!