Taco Pasta

Every once in a while I come across a recipe that is a really winner in our family...especially when it meets our gluten-free criteria! Tonight we had a recipe that I saw on a friends blog and we will definitely be adding it to our meal rotation. It's a great quick meal using items that I always have on hand. Perfect!

Here it is....

Taco Pasta
from: Fake Ginger

1 pound Lean Ground Beef
8-12 ounces small Pasta shells ( I used Elbow)
1 small Onion, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 (14 oz) can Diced Tomatoes, drained
4 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning
3 ounces Cream Cheese
1/2 cup Sour Cream
Salt and Pepper

DIRECTIONS: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook ground beef and chopped onion over medium-high heat. Cook until beef is no longer pink. (Drain any grease) Then add minced garlic, cook and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in can of diced tomatoes and taco seasoning. Let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and 1/2 cup pasta water. Cook and stir until cream cheese has melted and sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat for another 5 minutes, or until sauce has reduced a bit.

I thought about omitting the dairy to make it a little lower in fat but I'm so glad I didn't. Yum! Dylan wasn't able to eat it with the dairy, but was happy with the noodles and the meat sauce (pre-sour cream and cream cheese).