Tex-Mex Taco Pasta

I got an e-mail from Mr. Food last week and the dish on the e-mail looked decadent. It was listed as a “mac and cheese” but the recipe contained no cheese. It sent my wheels into motion and I started to write out a recipe adding in a few different items, calculated the points and decided it would be Sunday dinner for when my brother and sister-in-law came over.  As I was cooking the dish, I made a few edits and actually was able to reduce the points plus values by a point.

Considering this was a rather “on the fly” type of meal it turned out great and my brother and sister-in-law were quite the fan.  It does have an underlying spice to it, but that’s due to the taco seasoning packet I used.  The spiciness of course could be brought down by using a brand of taco seasoning that is on the milder side or you could even whip up your own taco seasoning spice by using some ingredients in your pantry.

Serves 8. Serving size roughly ~1 ½ cups.

7 Points Plus Values.

Tex-Mex Taco Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ lbs 93% lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium red pepper, chopped
• 8 oz. uncooked pasta
• 1 packet Old El Paso Original Taco Seasoning
• 1 can petite no salt added diced tomatoes
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 can no salt added corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained, rinsed
• 5 tbsp tomato paste

In a large non-stick skillet, combine onion, pepper and ground beef.  Cook over medium-high heat, breaking up meat until cooked and no longer pink.

Fill another pot with water, season with salt and set on to boil.  When water boiled, add in the pasta and cook until desired texture is met.  I recommend cooking until al dente.  When pasta is done, drain and set aside.

Once meat and vegetables are cooked, sprinkle the taco seasoning over the meat and add in the water. Stir to combine.

Add in the black beans, corn and can of diced tomatoes.  Stir to combine.  Sprinkle with garlic powder and let mixture simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta to the dish and gently stir to combine.

Depending on how much liquid is in the bottom of the pan, add in a tablespoon of tomato paste at a time. Blending the tomato paste into the “sauce” to thicken it – I found at 4 tablespoons there was still extra moisture in the bottom of the pan and the 5^th tablespoon really brought it to a thicker consistency.

Divide into servings and enjoy!