Last week was taco week here. Every dish I made was taco-themed. Now, that’s not to say any of them were traditional, but they definitely had that great taco meat flavor. This taco pasta is no exception. The sauce is delicious – creamy with a taco kick. If you’re craving taco flavor, but are tiring of handheld tacos, try this instead.
A Delicious Main Dish. And A Side Salad?
There’s a lot of great flavor in this taco pasta. The addition of flavorful meat makes for a quick and easy dinner dish. But you can also serve this as a side dish by just leaving out the meat.
I highly recommend that you shred or grate your own cheese at home. Don’t buy the pre-shredded or pre-grated stuff. It has stuff added to it to keep it from sticking together. That ‘stuff’ affects how the cheese melts. Shred it yourself and use the good stuff.
I love my homemade taco seasoning. I make a huge batch and always have it on hand.
Taco Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 8 ounce medium pasta shells
- ½ medium white onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup salsa thick
- 1 packet taco seasoning or use 3 tablespoons of our homemade version
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup pepper jack cheese shredded
- pickled jalapenos optional, chopped
- cilantro optional, chopped
Instructions
- Cook pasta per package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining. Drain well.
- Brown the ground beef in a large pot.
- Add onion and cook until just starting to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
- Add the taco seasoning and salsa. Stir. Reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the pasta, cream cheese and sour cream. Stir until the cheese is melted.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve topped with shredded cheese and jalapenos and/or cilantro if desired.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
