Taco-ish Tuesday- Cheesy Taco Pasta

Cheesy Taco Pasta

I can't say I grew up with Taco Tuesdays, in fact my parents never made tacos even once in my entire childhood.. Italians don't often cook Mexican food, or any other food other than Italian for that matter LOL. I guess that is why my kids have essentially been deprived of Taco Tuesdays as well however I recently came across a taco-ish recipe that I could get behind and it has fast become one of our weeknight favorites... let's be real- I can't always get my SH*% together to coordinate it with a Tuesday. Try it out and see if it makes your Tuesday rotation! 

Total Cook Time: 30 minutes

You will need:

1.5 lbs ground beef
1 can diced tomatoes (I prefer petite diced )

1/2  lb elbow pasta

shredded mexican cheese

canola oil

1 packet of Taco seasoning**

** When I'm feeling extra fancy I make my own taco seasoning blend using cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, chili powder and a little salt. I don't really measure, just toss together a little of each to my preference. You can't go wrong! My favorite spices right now are the starter set I got on Amazon from Spicewalla- they are super flavorful, and plus I love the tins they come in, aren't they so cute?!  

First up get your pasta water on to boil and then make your spice mixture..

Then heat a small amount of canola oil in a pan over medium/high heat in a high-sided skillet. When the oil gets hot add in the ground beef and brown it up, about 8-10 minutes.

 

Once beef is cooked through, lower heat to medium, drain excess oil/liquid and add in a can of diced tomatoes as well as your taco seasoning mixture and stir well.

When pasta is cooked drain and add it to the pan with the beef and tomatoes....

Now comes the fun part- add the cheese and stir until melted and gooey- 

                                               

Dish it up and dig in!

**Want to switch it up?!!**

- substitute ground chicken or turkey for the beef. 

- omit the pasta and have it over nachos!

- spice it up with 1/2 a can can of chili in adobe sauce

-add chopped up red or green bell peppers when browning beef for more veggies