Taco Pasta

So I got the taco pasta idea from Rachael Ray. I love how you don't have to have taco shells and eating it with pasta makes it less messy for the kids.

This is Rachael's recipe:
http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/taco-pasta-toss/

Here is my version of her recipe (sorry, forgot to take a picture):

Ingredients:

1 lb. medium shell pasta (I would have used whole wheat if I had it on hand)
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 c. taco seasoning or 1 packet of taco seasoning
1 medium onion chopped
2 tomatoes (or you can use 14 oz canned tomato, drained)
1 bell pepper (I used half green and half yellow), chopped (my kids don't like bell peppers so I put it in the blender with the chicken stock and puree it... and then the kids will never know! =))
1 1/2 c. chicken stock
1 c. frozen corn
salt
2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Toppings:
(you can use anything that you would put on a normal taco, but here is what we had...)

Lettuce, chopped
Tomatoes, diced
Onions, chopped
Green onions, chopped

Directions:

- Cook pasta as directed on box. Drain and set aside.
- While pasta is cooking, brown the meat.
- Then add the onions, tomatoes, and taco seasoning. Cook until the onions are tender.
- Preheat broiler.
- Puree bell pepper with chicken stock (if your family is okay with bell peppers, then just toss it in). Then add to the meat.
- Add the corn.
- Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Then add the pasta and stir to combine.
- Taste the pasta. Season with salt if needed. (I had to add some salt to mine.)
- Transfer pasta into an oven safe pan and sprinkle on the cheese.
- Put under the broiler until the cheese is melted (it took me about 4 minutes in my oven)
- Serve and top with desired toppings!

The kiddos loved it. Even though they didn't want any toppings, I knew that they were still getting some veggies from the pasta! I think our Natalie ate more than Jocelyn when we had this last night!

This heats up really well too!