taco pasta — Honey Street

i took a tiny nap while reading in front of my parent’s fireplace the other day and while i unintentionally snoozed (trying to plow through a book every 12 days; doing okay-ish) i had a dream about a taco pasta. or it may have been a dream about a memory of eating hamburger helper, or quite possibly that asleep me was sending premonitions that awake me needed tacos, but let’s go with the first one. - as a side note, what is everyone reading these days? i’ve read ‘on earth we’re briefly gorgeous,’ and ‘barbara the slut and other people’ since the new year. ‘on earth’ was devastating and beautiful and ripped me open in two days; barbara was a collection of short stories that I didn’t love.

anyway, in my dream i imagined salty spicy taco meat cocooned inside pasta shells and swimming laps in a creamy sauce that tastes like the drips from a soft taco shell, and i think this glown-up version nails that pretty well. i kept it dairy and gluten free, but if that’s not your jam go full send on cheese and whatever kind of pasta that lights you up (everyone has their favorite shapes, you know?) bonus points because this literally took less than 20 minutes from start to finish.

taco pasta
makes: 4-6 servings
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes

1 box of pasta* (I used banza shells - I love this brand because it stays sturdy and has phenomenal texture.)
1lb ground turkey (or any other ground meat!)
2 bell peppers, small diced
1 onion, small diced
1tsp each: salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder
1tbsp olive or avocado oil

for the sauce:
1 15oz can of tomato sauce (check the label for added suga’.)
1/2c dairy-free milk
juice of 1 lime
1/2c nutritional yeast
1tsp garlic powder
2tsp cumin
2tsp chili powder
1tsp paprika
1/2tsp red pepper flake
couple big pinches of salt, to taste

blend all the ingredients for the sauce, and set aside.

heat the oil over medium-high heat. add the turkey and cook until almost browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. then add the veggies and spices, and sauce for another 10 minutes.

meanwhile, cook the pasta per box instructions. once the pasta is finished, drain it, and rinse with cold water to avoid any stickiness. add the pasta to the turkey mixture, and pour the sauce over top. stir until each bite of pasta is coated in sauce.

*choose a pasta shape that has some kind of ridging so it it can catch all the sauce!