Taco Pasta

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Ingredients 

• 1 pound ground beef
• 8-12 ounces medium pasta shells  (I used whole wheat—yum!)
• 1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 packet (4 tablespoons) taco seasoning
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
• Salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or sauté pan, cook the ground meat and onions over medium-high heat. Add in the diced tomatoes, garlic and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes.

TIP: I used the entire taco seasoning packet, and I don’t know that I will next time. It was a bit overpowering, especially with using Ro-Tel (I didn't use Ro-Tel). Consider cutting back on the seasoning packet.

Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and remaining pasta water. Continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Simmer for a few minutes over medium heat to reduce the sauce, if needed.

Find original recipe here: http://www.overworkedsupermom.com/2012/03/supermoms-sunday-recipe-taco-pasta.html

Cook's Note : This was really good. I did make a few changes to it that I think made it better. I did not drain the diced tomatoes, I think if I had it may have been too dry. Also, I did not use Cilantro, not because I don't like it, but because I didn't have any and since it snowed today I was too lazy to go to the store and get it. I did use LF sour cream, LF cream cheese and I added cheddar cheese to the top (quite a bit) because, my thought is, whether it is Mexican or Italian or a mix of the two, IT NEEDS CHEESE!! And I think without the cheese it wouldn't have been as good. Thumbs UP on this one, easy and scrumptious!