Turkey Taco Mac

This recipe has been popping up on a lot of food blogs lately and for good reason. It tastes fantastic! This is an easy and quick week night meal and suited for the whole family. When I first saw this dish, I knew BOTH my kids would eat it and that's saying a lot.

I followed the recipe pretty closely, but did reduced the taco seasoning just a bit b/c my kids don't like very spicy foods. I think I might add some corn to this next time to add an extra dose of veggie and color. This can be made with any shape pasta and I used mini wagon wheels to make it fun and kid friendly. This dish is definitely a keeper and makes for great leftovers.

Creamy, cheesy pasta = perfect kid dinner!


Ingredients:
1¼ lbs. ground turkey
8 oz. dry pasta shapes
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
3-4 tbsp. taco seasoning or 1 envelope of taco seasoning
3 oz. cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
Salt and pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese
Cilantro or parsley chopped (optional)

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saute pan, cook the ground turkey over medium-high heat until no longer pink. A few minutes before the turkey is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the turkey is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit. Remove from the heat and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Sprinkle cilantro or parsley on top if desired.

Source: Annie's Eats, originally from Delish