Easy Recipe – Cheesy Taco Pasta

I've been in a rut when it comes to meal ideas.  So, recently, I was scrolling Pinterest looking for ideas and came across this Easy Cheesy Taco Pasta from Kindly Unspoken. I'm all about an easy recipe! I saved it, went grocery shopping to get the items I needed, and finally had a chance to try it out last night! Now, if you know me, you know that I LOVE cheese.  So, that alone is a huge selling point in any recipe.  I also love tacos.  Which makes this recipe a win-win.  Add to it that it's also super easy, and I'm SOLD! I did adjust the recipe a bit because I try to eat mostly gluten-free.  I also basically doubled the recipe because I had way more meat than the recipe called for. All you need for this easy recipe: Ground Beef - this recipe calls for 1 pound of ground beef or turkey.  I actually used venison, because that's what I had on hand.  And I also had around 2 pounds of meat, which is why I doubled the recipe! Noodles - the original recipe uses 1/2 of a 16 ounce box of shell pasta noodles.  Because I was looking for gluten-free options, I couldn't find shells, so I went with penne rigate instead.  And my box was 12 ounces. Taco Seasoning - I'd say go with whatever brand you like or make your own, which is what I typically do. But I wanted to simplify it, so I grabbed the pre-made seasoning.  And since I was doubling the recipe, I used 2 envelopes of seasoning. Water - the original recipe calls for 1 cup. Cream Cheese - 1/2 a block (4 ounces) if you're going by the original recipe. Shredded Cheese - The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese.  But when it comes to cheese in my recipes... I measure with my heart.  I think this would have been great with a Mexican blend of cheese, but I only had sharp cheddar on hand. Cooking Instructions To start, you'll  boil your water for the noodles and brown your meat.  You basically cook the meat the way you would for tacos.  Once it's cooked, you add in the seasoning and water.  Then you'll put the cream cheese in.  I didn't cut it into small squares, I just plopped it in there and chopped it up. Once the noodles and meat mixture are done, you add them together and mix in some cheese.  Put it all in a baking dish, top with some additional cheese, and pop in the oven at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes.  I had mine in there for maybe 6 minutes and we were good to go! Taste Test I originally planned to cook this on Sunday, and have it for lunch throughout the week.  But since I didn't cook it til last night, we had it for dinner.  Mainly because I wanted to taste test it while it was fresh (because sometimes the reheated version isn't quite the same). The original recipe says you can top with traditional taco toppings.  We didn't have any salsa or anything... but we love Flaming Hot Fritos on our tacos... so we crunched some up and topped our pasta with that. This was a hit at my house!  We both love tacos, and this was a perfect addition to our meal line up.  David even said, "I should've put another spoonful in my bowl." It's funny to think for so long I never considered recipes that called for cream cheese... but this is the second recipe that I've made and LOVE!  It just gives such a creamy, cheesy, delicious flavor. Based on our serving sizes, it made about 6 meals (we portioned out the leftovers for lunches later this week). I think this is a recipe that the whole family can enjoy, because who doesn't love tacos?! Also, it's super customizeable and also really quick and easy.  The longest part of it was waiting for the water to boil for the noodles! Here are a few photos of the Cheesy Taco Pasta! [gallery ids="358934,358937,358940,358943,358946,358949"] For more from the Kicks Wake Up Krew, click here.