Taco Tuesday had a little bit of a twist yesterday in my house. It was actually a coincidence, I didn’t even realize I was making a taco type meal on a Tuesday. But go me! I probably shouldn’t have admitted it wasn’t planned so it would look like I have my act together much more than I really do. If you love tacos and pasta, then you will love this recipe. It is the best of both worlds. Oh, and did I mention it is incredibly easy?
I have been making this pasta dish fairly often for years. Last night I used whole grain pasta as you can probably tell from the photo. Personally, I think it tastes better with regular pasta, but the other flavors are so great that it was excellent with whole grain as well. If you are looking to cut calories, this is a perfect recipe. You can use ground turkey, low fat sour cream, and reduced fat cheese (I wouldn’t use fat free because it won’t melt properly).
My children even love this recipe despite the fact that there are always little piles left on each of their plates. One plate has a pile of beans and olives, and the other plate has a pile of beans, olives, and scallions. I used to get annoyed, but now I just giggle to myself at the effort that goes in to picking around everything.
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey or beef
Taco seasoning packet (I prefer McCormick)
1/2 cup (or more) shredded Mexican cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped scallions
Small can of sliced black olives
1/2 cup black beans
1 lb. pasta
Cook pasta as directed on package. While pasta is cooking, cook the meat in a pan until done. I use ground turkey instead of beef, but you can use either. Drain any excess grease. Add taco seasoning mix and water as directed on package. Cook on low-medium heat for about 5 minutes.
When pasta is cooked return it to the pan after draining. Add taco meat, shredded cheese, and sour cream. Stir well.
Stir in remaining ingredients. The black olives are mixed with the beans in the photo in case you were wondering. I really recommend using scallions and not substituting another type of onion, it makes a big difference with the taste.
That’s it! Now just serve and enjoy. So easy and delicious! It tastes great with a little added hot sauce on top too, we prefer Cholula or Red Devil.
