Hearty Taco Pasta

During the winter months one of our favorite comfort dishes (which luckily happens to be dirt cheap!) is a Hearty Taco Pasta. It takes about 15 minutes to throw together and is very filling.

• 1 pkg Taco Seasoning Mix
• 1 lb ground hamburger or turkey
• 1 c. diced tomatoes, undrained
• 3/4 box Rotini Pasta
• 1 c. Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1/4 c. Diced Onion
• Black Olives

Fill a large pot with water, add a dash of salt, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Once Boiling, add Rotini noodles and cook al dente (about 10 minutes)
While the noodles are cooking, In a frying pan brown 1 pound of ground burger or turkey. If it’s fatty, drain any grease before proceeding. Add 1 pkg of taco seasoning mix (make your own and keep it on hand), a can of Undrained diced tomatoes and diced onion. Simmer 2-3 minutes, reduce heat.

Drain Noodles, rinse if desired with HOT water (to remove excess starch), combine Hot Rotini, Shredded Cheddar Cheese and seasoned meat mixture, stir to combine. Serve with black olives over the top and a dash of salt and pepper.

Now for the Grocery Budget 101 Breakdown:

• 1lb Ground Turkey $1.16
• 1 can Tomatoes .63
• 1 pkg Taco Seasoning .33 (or .11 if you MYO)
• Rotini Pasta .75 (3/4’s of the box)
• Shredded Cheese $1.
• Black Olives .50 (recipe uses 1/2 can)
• onion .20

Total Cost of Meal to Feed 8 People: $4.57 (or .57 each) You’ll note that I broke this down per serving for 8 people- I make this for 4 for us and there’s ALWAYS enough for everyone to have lunch the next day.

:thumbsup: GroceryBudget101.com Pointers:We generally use ground turkey as these can be purchased at Aldi’s for $1.10- $1.20 per pound. The costs listed above are assuming that you weren’t able to buy tomatoes or pasta on sale, as Rotini pasta is generally $1. per box, store brand tomatoes are often .70 or less per can. Shredded Cheese can be purchased considerably cheaper if purchased in bulk and repacked in meal sized servings. Black olives can be omitted altogether.