Taco Pasta

It’s official: my household has a new favorite pasta dish. It’s tough to beat our favorite but I think this taco pasta did it.

You guys, it tasted just like a taco. I mean duh, it has taco seasoning so obviously it was going to taste like tacos but it surpassed all of my expectations. The sour cream, which I expected to just blend in with the cream cheese, was so perfect. I also love that I chose to use shells because they were like tiny soft taco shells!

One thing I would change – I would double the pasta next time. To stretch it longer and I also think 1/2 pound of pasta isn’t enough for 1 pound of meat (and the original calls for 1 1/4 if you can believe that!).

Two years ago: Danish Braid

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Taco Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef or turkey
• 8 ounce small dry pasta shapes
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
• 4 tablespoon taco seasoning
• 3 ounce cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet or sauté pan, cook the ground meat over medium-high heat until no longer pink. A few minutes before the meat is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the meat is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit.