Taco Pasta Recipe

I let Gwen have input on dinner most nights and she wanted tacos last night, while this worked for her and my husband I wanted something a little different so I decided to try and make a taco pasta. It came out delish so I decided to share my recipe with all of you. This is a very loose recipe, adjust as you see fit and to your families tastes.

Ingredients

1/2 lb shell pasta
1/4 lb 93% ground beef
1/2 c chunky salsa
1c shredded Mexican cheese
1/2 c taco seasoning
1/4 c water

Cooking Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions (or however you normally cook pasta) until just barely done, drain and set aside.

2. In the same pot brown ground beef and then add taco seasoning and water and simmer until nearly all water has evaporated.

3. Add the pasta back to the pot and stir in salsa and cheese. If the heat from the meat and pasta doesn't melt the cheese completely you can turn the heat back on for a few moments but not too long so that you don't overcook the pasta.

This was a great dish and even reheated well the next day, which is saying something since in my family we never eat leftovers since I'm not a fan of how things taste reheated. 

If you give it a try leave a comment below and let me know how you liked it. 

Just remember, with planning and organization, you CAN do it all.

Never Fail Meatballs

I love all the ways you can serve meatballs, teriyaki, marinara, sweet & sour, spaghetti & meatballs, meatball subs, BBQ meatballs, but it's hard to get a good tasting meatball at home, at least it was for me until I found my moms meatball recipe tucked in the wrong pocket of my recipe box.  I made a batch of these and they were delish. The recipe below makes about 32 small meatballs.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
2 eggs
2/3 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons milk

Mix all ingredients except ground beef in a large bowl. Add in ground beef and mix together, I use my hands to ensure it's very well mixed.

Using a cookie scoop I made my meatballs, these are about 2 inches in diameter. Once all meatballs are prepped warm about 2 TBL olive oil in a pan and brown on all sides. They do not have to be 100% cooked through unless you're serving them immediately. I made a triple batch and put about 15-20 in each baggie and then froze so I could have them on hand for many recipes to come.


Teriyaki Meatballs

Teriyaki Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water

For the sauce, in a medium bowl mix the soy sauce, 1 3/4 cups water, ginger, garlic powder, brown sugar, and honey together. In a separate small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch into the 1/2 cup cold water. Set both bowls aside. Warm sauce in a pan or crock pot, once it begins to bubble add meatballs, allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes or until meatballs are heated through (and fully cooked). Serve over couscous or rice.