This Taco Pasta is creamy, spicy and an easy Italian meets Mexican dinner. I love making this easy pasta dish that the entire family loves.. A great way to switch up Taco Tuesday.
8-12ouncesmedium pasta shells or any other short pasta shapes, (about 3-4 cups dry)
1small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1clovegarlic, minced
1(14 ounces)can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, drained (if making this for kids you might want to use just plain diced tomatoes)
1packet of taco seasoning, (4 tablespoons)
3ouncescream cheese
1/2cupsour cream
1/4cupchopped cilantro
Salt and pepper
Instructions
In a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the ground meat over medium-high heat until no longer pink. A few minutes before the meat is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the meat is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes.
Stir in the cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit if it is still too thin. Add the cooked pasta a little at a time to the ground beef mixture. You may not need all of it. Stir to coat.
Toss in the fresh cilantro right before serving for some fresh color and flavor. Serve with a green salad.