Taco Pasta Toss

Taco Pasta Toss by Rachel Ray
Salt and Pepper
1lb penne rigate pasta, regular or whole wheat
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1lb ground beef sirloin
1 large onion, chopped, divided
1 large jalapeno, halved, seeded if desred and thinly sliced crosswise
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsps chili powder
1 1/2 tsps ground cumin
1  ground coriander
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 bottle of beer or 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock
2 cups shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack or any Mexican semi-soft cheese
2 small plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 head iceberg lettuce or 1/2 small heart of romain lettuce chopped

Directions:  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.

While the pasta is working, in a large skillet, heat the EVOO, one turn of the pan, over medium-high heat.  Add the beef and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.  Add three-quarters o teh onion, the jalapeno, garlic, chili powder, cumin and coriander; season with salt ad pepper.  Cook until the onion is softened, 6-7 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute, then stir in the beer.

Add the sauce to the pasta and toss.  Spoonnto a serving dish, top with the cheese and tent with foil to melt the cheese, about 1 minute.  Top with the remaining onion, tomatoes and lettuce.

Modifications:
-I used whole wheat pasta.
-I used 1 half of a regular sized tomato.

Here's what I started with:

Here's how I did it:

#1 I put a pot of water on to boil and added my box of whole wheat pasta to the boiling water.  While that was going, I chopped up 1 onion, 4 garlic cloves and 1 jalapeno. 

#2 I browned some ground beef and then added in the 3/4 of the onion, the garlic, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, chili powder, salt and pepper.

#3 Once everything had cooked for about 10 minutes, I added in 1/4 cup of tomato paste.  I let it cook for about 1 minute.

#4 I added in the chicken stock and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.

#5 I drained the pasta and added it to the sauce.  Then, I covered it with cheese, tomatoes, the rest of the onion and some lettuce.

The Finished Product:

Review:

This dish was different than other pasta dishes that we've tried.  The flavors were good and it was really easy to make but I almost felt like I was eating a Hamburger Helper meal.  I loved the lettuce, tomato, onion and cheese on top of the dish--I actually think this made the dish better than without them--but even with the strong flavors of the seasonings, I feel like I could have just opened up a taco seasoning package and had the same taste.

I didn't tent the dish to melt the cheese.  It melted just fine by adding it to the dish while it was still hot. 

Hope you enjoy!

April

***(3 Stars)--This dish was ok.