Taco Pasta

Second Mexican recipe of the week. This one a friend of mine, and awesome Scentsy consultant, Nicole Cleveland, emailed to me. She remembered that I am part Mexican (at least as far as dietary preferences go...also I WOULD like to get one of those cars with hydraulics so you bounce all around when you drive). I thought it sounded really good so I printed it and have held onto it for a few weeks, waiting for the right time to fit it in. So here it is, with a couple of modifications.

Taco Pasta
1 pound ground beef or turkey (I used hamburger)
8-12 ounces medium pasta shells or other small dry pasta shapes
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained (I just used plain diced tomatoes)
4 tablespoons taco seasoning (I used 1 packet)
3 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

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. Add in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes.

Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, and sour cream, 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.

Toss in the cilantro right before serving for some fresh color and flavor. Serve with a green salad.

We did not have this with a green salad, although you certainly could. We just had salad last week. Can't have too much of that stuff. I did add 1 cup of frozen corn in when I added the cream cheese and the sour cream. It was good like that, and then I feel better because we're having a vegetable. Some people say corn shouldn't count as a vegetable, but it grows in the ground. Also, everybody liked this! Nathan and Emma picked around the bigger chunks of tomatoes, but otherwise this was a hit. Also I didn't put cilantro on any of the kids' plates, just mine and Steve's. Definitely a keeper, definitely will make again.