Taco Tuesday With a Twist

It's no secret that we love Mexican food in this house. Tacos are a staple around here on a late work night because they require little effort. They can get a little monotonous though.  I love this recipe I found for a Taco Pasta Bake. It's still easy enough for a weeknight, but keeps dinner interesting.  I've adapted the original recipe slightly to kick it up a bit.

 

My version of Taco Pasta Bake calls for:

1 lb ground turkey/beef

1 box of ziti/penne/bowtie pasta of your choice

1 cup of water

1 packet of taco seasoning (or the homemade version here)

8 oz low fat cream cheese

1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 10 oz can diced tomatoes & green chilies - You know I love Ro-tel but this brand was on sale for like $.38 a can at Walmart so we gave it a whirl, it didn't disappoint.

 

 

Boil pasta as directed. While that's cooking, brown the meat and drain the fat. Mix in the water, taco seasoning, and tomatoes. Simmer for about 5 minutes until some of the liquid has reduced.

 

Add the cream cheese and stir. Simmer over low heat until the cream cheese has melted completely. Combine pasta and meat mixture in a casserole dish and top with shredded cheddar.

Bake uncovered at 350 for about 20-30 minutes.

Yum!!! Of course, if spicy's not your thing, you can disregard the addition of diced tomatoes and green chilies. What did you have for dinner tonight?