Welcome! Have an awesome Taco Pasta recipe!

All right, I've been itching to reinvent this blog. There's no better time than when I'm home waiting for my nails to dry and trying not to put weight on my foot. (Funny story: I got injured—not broken bone injured, probably more sprained-ankle and muscle spasm injured—at work today. And when I tried to file the accident report on the electronic accident reporting system, I wasn't IN the system. Neither was my department, or the area of the hospital I got injured in. And in true bureaucratic fashion, I couldn't free-text those required fields.) I'm hoping it's better tomorrow; I'm supposed to be going to an event that I drive 100 miles to go to the first Friday of every month to dress in funky outfits and dance the night away!

So... Since this blog has a foody name, I'll give you a foody post. Here's one of my tastiest and simplest recipes:

Simple Taco Pasta

Prep Time: 20 Minutes	Ready In: 50 Minutes
Bake Time: 30 Minutes	Servings: About 12

Combine simple ingredients for a gooey, cheesy, spicy, sort-of-crunchy, satisfying meal. This recipe utilizes YOUR favorite textured pasta, taco seasoning, and taco sauce. You also get to choose between cream cheese and lower-fat Neufchatel. (The reason for using textured pasta is to trap or hold the beef and cheese.) It keeps and reheats well… but tends to get spicier over time. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 ¼ lb lean ground beef

1 lb of your favorite short, textured pasta (e.g. medium shells or campanelle)

1 8oz pkg cream cheese or Neufchatel

1 packet of your favorite taco seasoning (e.g. jalapeño and onion)

1 8oz jar of your favorite taco sauce

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 ½ cups crushed tortilla chips

Optional: Taco garnishes (sliced olives, sliced jalapeños, sour cream, etc.)

Directions:

1. Bring large pot of water to a boil (salt lightly if desired). Once boiling, add 1 lb textured pasta to water and cook 8-10 minutes, or until al dente (firm but not hard). Drain and return to pot.

2. While preparing the pasta, brown beef in a large skillet until no longer pink. Drain. Add cream cheese or Neufchatel and taco seasoning; mix and simmer for 5 minutes. (You can make this step easier by using room temperature cream cheese/Neufchatel that’s been chopped into chunks, but that’s not necessary.)

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

4. Spread a thin layer of taco sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish. Reserve remaining taco sauce for later.

5. Once the beef mixture is done simmering and the pasta has been returned to its pot, add the beef mixture to the pasta and mix well.

6. Spread the pasta mixture evenly across the 13x9 inch baking dish. Pour the remaining taco sauce over the pasta. Cover dish with foil and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

7. Remove dish from oven, remove foil, and top with Mexican cheese and crushed tortilla chips. (You don’t need exactly 1 ½ cups of chips – just crumble tortilla chips over the pasta until it is well-covered.) Return dish to oven for 15 more minutes.

8. Remove from oven and serve. Optionally, you can add your favorite taco garnishes or let people top their own.

Let me know what you think. (=