Taco Pasta Toss

As soon as I saw this in my latest issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray, I knew we'd be making it soon!  We really love tacos, and we really love pasta, so combining tacos and pasta sounded like a win-win situation.  I do like Rachael Ray's recipes, but I always find that they make a TON of food.  I cut down the pasta in this dish to half a box, 8 ounces instead of a full pound and still had enough to make 6 servings.  We enjoyed it for dinner and for lunches for a few days.  I also added sour cream to mine, since I had used a ground chipotle chili powder, which was rather spicy.  I used ground turkey instead of beef, and also only one teaspoon of oil in a non-stick pan to cut down on calories.

Taco Pasta Toss

slightly adapted from EveryDay with Rachael Ray, March 2010

Ingredients

• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 pound whole grain penne 
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large jalapeño chile—halved, seeded if desired and thinly sliced crosswise
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• One 12-ounce bottle beer or 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups shredded cheddar, monterey jack or any Mexican semisoft cheese
• 2 small plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 head iceberg letuce or 1/2 small heart romaine lettuce, chopped 

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and return to the pot.
2. While the pasta is working, in a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add three-quarters of the onion, the jalapeño, garlic, chili powder, coriander and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute, then stir in the beer.
3. Add the sauce to the pasta and toss. Spoon into a serving dish, top with the cheese and tent with foil to melt the cheese, about 1 minute. Top with the remaining onion, the tomatoes and lettuce— just like tacos!