Turkey Taco Pasta

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And if you haven’t seen the movie, I sincerely apologize for my bad “pop-culture” reference, sorry!  I’ll cut to the chase.  After seeing The Lego Movie, my son was super excited about tacos and not just eating them, but eating them on Tuesdays.  So we instituted Taco Tuesdays at our house and do our best to stick to it.

Well, I was fresh out of a few of my sons favorites – shredded lettuce and crunchy taco shells, in fact I had no tortilla shells or wraps of any kind.  So I headed into my pantry to see how I could still make Taco Tuesday happen and came up with this – thankfully the whole family loved it!

Let’s Make Turkey Taco Pasta

Necessities:

1 pound pasta (You can use regular or whole wheat, I used what my son calls Stegosaurus Noodles or more formally know as creste di gallo, but these can be hard to find)

1 packet taco seasoning (Use your favorite, just make sure to read labels if
you are trying to eat cleaner. The fewer ingredients the better! Lawry’s and McCormick’s Low Sodium made with natural spices are good choices)

1/2 cup jarred salsa (I always have Trader Joe Salsa in my pantry)

1 pound ground turkey (93% lean)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup frozen thawed corn (I think chopped bell pepper would also be good – use whatever you prefer!)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese

Method:

This is a really quick weeknight meal.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large pot bring salted water to boil to cook the pasta.  I usually add about 1 tablespoon of salt – yes that seems like a lot, but you want to season the water well because it will add flavor to the pasta as it cooks!  Cook the pasta for about 1 minute less than you normally would, you want it to be just slightly underdone as it will cook more in the oven.  In a large skillet brown 1 pound ground turkey with 1/4 cup chopped onion and season with the taco seasoning packet – follow the directions.  Multitasking is key when trying to save time, so make sure to do these two things at the same time!

Drain your pasta and add it to a large mixing bowl, along with the seasoned turkey, corn (or other veg of your choice), salsa, sour cream and 1/2 of the cheese.  Now mix, mix, mix and pour into a 9 x 13 casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese.  Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes and then remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes and then serve! My husband and I spruced ours up with avocado, tomato and shredded lettuce.  And just like that I saved Taco Tuesday – I’d call myself a Lego Sueprhero mom!