Day 1(No dining out challenge): Creamy Taco Mac

On Sunday nights we have a great tradition. We hang out with two of our best friends and if at all possible we wrangle the guys in to taking care of bath and pajama time with the babies while us girls make dinner. It was so nice last night to be able to chill out with my friends, make this EASY dinner and kick back. But enough about the easy life…
I’ve seen this recipe on tons of food blogs (I found it here) and although I would never really consider myself a fan of Hamburger Helper, I thought the recipe sounded worthy of a try. Of course, as usual, I couldn’t leave well enough alone and edited the recipe slightly but it turned out great! My friends liked it too, so I am sure it will go on their menu as well.
This dinner takes 2 pots and maybe 20-30 minutes and it is an easy week night meal!
(oh and ps. I’ve read the instructions for hamburger helper! It takes like 20 minutes as well so go ahead and save yourself that heart attack :))

Creamy Taco Mac
Ingredients:
1¼ lbs. ground turkey
2.5 oz chorizo sausage (or one short tube)* if you are sensitive to heat you can omit this but it adds excellent flavor!
10 oz. dry pasta shapes
1 small onion, chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
4 tbsp. taco seasoning (you don’t have to use the packet! Use this recipe, it makes enough for a couple batches and tastes so much better!)
4 oz. cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
Salt and pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or sauté pan, cook the chorizo and the ground turkey over medium-high heat until the turkey is no longer pink. A few minutes before the turkey is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the onions are transulucent, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I added about 1 teaspoon of salt, but you may want to start with 1/2 teaspoon and adjust from there). Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit. Remove from the heat and top with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.

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