Taco Pasta Skillet

This taco pasta skillet is giving us heavy hamburger helper vibes and we are not mad about that. Sometimes I crave that stuff because it’s delicious. Like taco packet seasoning, or even guacamole packet seasoning, or even mac and cheese from a box with the powder cheese packet. So we made kind of fancy hamburger helper dish / taco mash up, and topped it all with sour cream because why not? The perfect weeknight meal to look forward to. :)
♥ Teri

Taco Pasta Skillet

Ingredients

taco seasoning

• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoons chile powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon dry mustard

pasta

• 1 corn on cob
• 6 ounces dry cavatappi pasta
• 2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½ pound lean ground beef
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup shredded Mexican Blend cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

toppings

• 2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• few dollops sour cream
• chopped cilantro, optional
• chopped avocado, optional
• sliced jalapeno, optional

Instructions

• Combine all spices in a small bowl and stir together. Set aside.
• Set oven to broil and char corn under broiler on each side for 1 minute. Remove from broiler and slice kernels off cob and set aside (discard cob).
• Preheat oven to 375˚F.
• Fill a large pot with water and place over medium-high heat.
• Once water is boiling, add a handful of salt and pasta and boil until al dente, about 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat and drain pasta. Set aside.
• Place an 8” skillet over medium-high heat and add oil.
• Add ground beef and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, breaking up the beef as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add shallot and garlic and continue to saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Stir in taco seasoning and stir together. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Stir tomato sauce into the mixture and reduce heat to medium. Simmer mixture for about 10 minutes adding 2 tablespoons water at a time to mixture, if it begins to get too thick.
• Once ground beef mixture has thickened, fold in cooked pasta and charred corn until evenly distributed.
• Top pasta skillet with shredded cheese and place in oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until cheese has melted.
• Remove from heat and top with diced tomatoes, dollops of sour cream and sliced green onions. Serve.