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

Meatless Meal- Shallot Pasta

Around this time of year I start running out of ideas for "no meat-Friday" dinners. Thought I'd share a recent favorite of mine- shallot spaghetti. This dish is very simple to throw together and it packs a lot of flavor! Don't worry if you're not a huge onion fan shallots are much more mild and sweet- give it a try!  I also find that this dish lends itself well to whole-wheat spaghetti because it gives it a nice nutty flavor that makes you not miss the meat. I like to pair this with an arugula salad and some shrimp cocktail to round it out. 

(p.s. I much rather make it with a little crispy pancetta garnished on top to give it a little more texture and amp up the taste, as it is shown below- but we all have to sacrifice sometimes right!?)

Total Cook Time: 35 minutes
You will need:

8-10 shallots depending on size
2-3 handfuls of baby spinach

1 lb spaghetti (save about 1/2 cup cooking water)

Garlic

Olive oil
Butter

3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

*Optional prosciutto or pancetta- few slices

First up get your water on to boil and then peel and chop up shallots, garlic and pancetta...

Then heat a liberal amount of olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat in a high-sided skillet. Add pancetta/proscuitto if using, and crisp it up and set aside.  Then add butter, garlic and shallots to the oil and cook slowly to let them caramelize, about 20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Then throw in the baby spinach and stir around to let it wilt. . .

Stir in the resereved pasta water to help get brown bits incorporated into the sauce...

Then use tongs to add in cooked pasta and grate cheese liberally into pan, toss to coat evenly..

Top with crispy salty goodness (pancetta/proscuitto) and serve!

5/5/15 Salmon with Roasted Roots and Veggies

5 ingredients or less

5 minute prep

15 minutes to cook. . 

We all need some of these for the hectic weeknights. This is one of my "go- to" backup meals for those nights when things don't go quite as planned (read miss darn commuter rail). I say this because it is more of a method than a recipe and is very versatile for whatever you have on hand. 

I recently found this frozen fish at my local Big Y- they run buy 1 get 1 sales frequently and I stock up. Good to keep in the freezer for days like this. 

What do you need?!

- EVOO

-brown sugar

-grainy Dijon mustard

-salmon fillets defrosted

-butternut squash cubed

-Brussels sprouts halfed

Easy peasy- mix oil mustard and sugar to taste in small bowl. Salt fish then rub with mixture over top. Place on foil on broil pan

Toss squash and Brussels with olive oil and garlic salt in baking dish. 

Throw everything in oven ( fish on top rack, vegs below) Set oven to high broil setting and cook 12 minutes. 

If you like your veggies more soft then take fish out after 12 minutes and then turn oven to 400 degrees for another 5-10 minutes to cook veggies through. 

Enjoy!!

You can use this glaze on any firm fish, or even chicken. Roast whatever vegs you have on hand the same way too.  I've done it with asparagus, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, zucchini, eggplant etc. Good tip for using up left over produce from earlier in the week.