Mr. Food Taco Pasta Salad

Lorraine of AZ's Note:

This recipe, from Art Ginsberg, who is Mr. Food, is a delicious -- and healthful -- variation of a popular Southwest salad. All the ingredients of the traditional taco salad are here, with the addition of pasta to make a scrumptous whole-meal salad. So-o-o good, as Mr. Food says, for pot-lucks, too.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 8 ounces spiral shaped pasta (twists)
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 (1 1/2 ounce) envelope taco seasoning mix
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup black olives, drained, pitted and sliced (optional)
• 3/4 cup taco sauce or 3/4 cup salsa
• 4 cups shredded lettuce
• 1 avocado, peeled and cubed
• crushed corn chips, for topping

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and dain well. Place in large bowl.
2. Brown the beef in a large skillet, stirring to break up clumps, until no pink remains. Drain off the fat and add the taco seasoning mix and water. Stir; bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, approximately 10 minutes. Drain.
3. Toss pasta gently with beef mixture, tomato, onion, cheese and olives. Add taco sauce or salsa; mix gently.
4. Serve on a bed of shredded lettuce topped with avocado and crushed corn chips. Serve warm or chilled.

Reviews

[nkoprince08]

This was okay, but I think I prefer my taco salad without the noodles. They just didn't seem to add anything to the salad and actually took away some of the taste I normally enjoy. My husband on the other hand loved it, so I'd say it's worth a try!!

[Enjolinfam]

Oh, this was pure comfort food! A brilliant mix of two of my favorite things; taco salad and pasta! We're vegetarian, so I just used 1lb vegeburger in place of the ground beef. I got half done with mine meal before DH noticed we forgot to add the chips (which is why there are not chips in the photo). I was thinking that even chips couldn't make this dish taste better, but sure enough they did! This will be a new regular. Thanks!! Made for Aussie/Kiwi tag #20.

[Pete&Nic]

Excellent! We used the Mucho Gusto taco seasoning recipe from this site and it was amazing! We used organic whole wheat rotini noodles and cooked the onion with the beef. I highly suggest using a homemade taco seasoning instead of the store bought packet. Very good, thank you for the recipe!