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It was a cold windy day. I do mean windy, too. Every time I looked out the window I saw more and more of our neighbor’s Christmas decorations in our yard. That meant it was time for some stick-to-your-ribs comfort food. Nothing fancy, just something to warm me up before I went outside to rescue the inflatable Santa. But not fancy doesn’t mean not flavorful! This cowboy pasta is good tasty stuff. Cheesy shells, super-flavorful beans, tomatoes and chiles, and ground beef all make for a delicious dish. This so hit the spot and made me forget about the weather outside.
This cowboy pasta definitely hit the spot on a cold day. You can choose your heat level (or not) by using spicy (or not) Rotel. I went with the mild. The Ranch beans have such great flavor by themselves, I didn’t want to drown them out by using super-hot Rotel. It’s your call, it’ll be great either way.
While I’m on the subject of Ranch-style beans…. I love them. They are the tastiest beans ever. I keep them on hand and often substitute them in dishes that call for ‘regular’ canned beans.
Cowboy Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- kosher salt to taste
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cans Ranch Style Beans
- 2 12 ounce Velveeta Shells and Cheese Dinners
- 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles
Instructions
- Crumble the beef into a large pot over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper and brown until cooked. Drain.
- Stir in the beans and tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low and keep warm while cooking the pasta.
- Cook the shells & cheese according to the package. Add to the meat mixture and stir.
- Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired, and stir. Cook another 5 minutes to heat thoroughly. Serve
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
