Any meal that starts off with the words "quick and easy" instantly has a place in my heart. When those dishes are also packed full of flavor and are super tasty, it's a match made in heaven.
I am a total taco junky, but sometimes I just don't have the patience to prepare all the toppings, and the meat, and the tortillas. There are times when I just want to be able to face-plant right into taco goodness without all the mess.
I think this Quick and Easy Taco Pasta Skillet is just the ticket. This is an absolute crowd pleaser. I tried lightening this dish up by using low fat cheddar cheese, ground chicken, a low-sodium taco seasoning, and Ronzoni Garden Delight pasta. This is a really easy way to sneak an extra 1/2 servingof vegetables into your dinners (by the way -- this post is NOT sponsored! I just enjoy this pasta...)
Pasta noodles are mixed into the browned ground chicken along with a can of petite diced tomatoes, sweet whole corn kernels, taco seasoning, and a few dashes of Frank's Red Hot. A hearty helping of grated cheese goes down on top before the whole skillet is popped into the oven to melt that cheese into a lovely cheese blanket. Has anyone made a cheese blanket yet? No? Well, then.
To finish this dish and add a little freshness, I chopped up a bit of cilantro to garnish the whole skillet. Individual servings can be trashed up with a dollop of sour cream, a few chunks of fresh avocado, or a bit of salsa over the top. If I were eating this skillet alone, I would have also added a can of drained and rinsed black beans. Yes, yes, yes.
