What do you get when you crush up a taco and mix it with pasta? A crazy delicious fusion called Taco Pasta. But I’m not really asking you to make tacos and crush them up. Tee-hee. That would be silly. And strange.
Instead, I deconstructed them and added a little twist. A bowtie pasta twist with lots of nooks and crannies for catching hold of the seasoned taco meat, tomatoes, corn, cheddar cheese, sour cream, crushed tortillas and shredded lettuce.
Everything is tossed together in a warm pan where the sour cream, cheese and a touch of the starchy pasta water form a creamy sauce. It sounds a little strange on paper but it works.
If taco night has become a little boring this is a great alternative! When two comfort food favorites come together it’s hard to go wrong. Unless you’re talking about spaghetti tacos. That is so not right.
A crazy delicious fusion of pasta with seasoned taco meat, tomatoes, corn, cheddar cheese, sour cream, crushed tortillas and shredded lettuce.
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large skillet saute onion and green pepper in a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat until soft and tender; season well with salt and pepper; add garlic and saute until fragrant. Remove the vegetables to a small bowl and set aside.
- In the same skillet add the ground beef, cook over medium heat breaking it apart as it cooks. When beef is cooked through remove from heat and drain off the grease. Add the sauteed vegetables back in along with the taco packet/spices, oregano, tomatoes and corn. Cook over medium heat 15 minutes, stirring often.
- Meanwhile in an extra large saucepan cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water to al dente. Before draining reserve a 1/4 cup of the pasta water and set aside.
- Drain pasta and add back to the pan along with the cooked meat, sour cream, cheddar cheese and reserved pasta water. Set the pan over medium-low heat and toss well, continue stirring and heating over low heat about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the crushed tortilla chips and lettuce. Serve immediately with additional cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips crushed over top if desired.
Reeni, taco pasta not only sounds so good, it looks so delicious!
I made your crockpot chicken ragu and will be posting it soon with a link back to you. My husand REALLY couldn’t get enough!
Katherine recently posted..Creamy Champagne and Tarragon Chicken
Thanks Katherine! Can’t wait to see your post!
Okay, so you know, dare I say in public, that I’m not much of a pasta fan. However, Taco Pasta, well, that is indeed a horse of a different color. I’d love a dish right now and I haven’t even had breakfast yet!
Thanks for sharing, Reeni…
Hey Reeni, I just got back from vacation and am catching up on my blog reading — I missed your gorgeous recipes! Taco Pasta is brilliant! It combines two of my favorites and I know it would be a huge hit at my house!
Faith recently posted..Maple Pecan Shortbread
I’ve made various Mexican pastas – but never a taco one! This has my name on it.
Claudia recently posted..Ricotta Dumplings in Strawberry Sauce
Perfection in a pot!
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