Taco Pasta

This recipe is fast, simple and E. A. S. Y.!  My kids loved it and said, "this tastes like tacos!"  I, too, was surprised at the flavor.  The sauce is creamy, with a hint of spice (depending on what kind of salsa you use), and the pasta gets coated with all the yummy deliciousness creating a simple main dish. 

I doubled everything in this recipe except for the ground beef, to make sure we had enough for dinner and lunches for me and the hubby.

Taco Pasta
Recipe Source: Plain Chicken

printable version

1 pound ground beef
8 ounce small dry pasta shapes
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup salsa
2 tablespoons taco seasoning (or one packet)
3 ounce cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper
Shredded Cheese for topping

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.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the ground meat and onion over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Once the meat is cooked through, drain off the excess fat and mix in the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the salsa 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. Top with shredded cheese and more sour cream and salsa if desired

Total Cost-$4.12 (Dinner and 4 lunches came from this!)
Ground Beef-Free (purchased with catalinas when beef was on sale for $1.99 per pound)
Pasta $1.00
Onion-$.25
Garlic-$.02
Salsa-Free (Garden Salsa)
Taco Seasoning-$.10
cream cheese $1.25 (marked down)
sour cream $1.00
Salt and pepper
Shredded Cheese for topping $.50 (Tilamook on sale)