Cheesy Turkey Tex-Mex Pasta Recipe

Katie McVicar
Oct 16, 2015
3 min read

Being Lebanese, I grew up in a household of cooks. I learned how to roll my first Kibbeh at age 5. Because of this, since I was a little girl I have always enjoyed cooking for other people.

My chef "training wheels" began with finding easy recipes on Pinterest and attempted not to burn myself. After about my third casserole, I began tweaking recipes to fit my own personal pallet.

Which brings me to this week... midterms are coming to an end, and the second busiest week of the semester is almost over. Because of the many hours I spent studying this week, I had no time to go grocery shopping. On occasions such as this, I play a game I like to call "Throw Your Whole Pantry Into A Pan."

Because of my previous experience in the kitchen, I have this strange talent where I can make even the most random of food combinations work.

In my fridge I found the leftover enchilada sauce and mexican cheese from the Roasted Vegetable Casserole I made last week, and in my pantry I found a box of whole wheat pasta and canned corn. This is where my idea for Tex Mex Pasta was born.

In order to be able to play this game, I always keep a few standard things in my fridge in order to whip up any sort of meal....

1. A bag of chopped onions in the freezer

2. Ground turkey meat in the freezer

3. Garlic cloves in the pantry

These three ingredients can combine with anything to make a delicious, easy meal, even during the busiest of weeks.

Here is how I threw a bunch of ingredients into one pan and ended up with one of the most delicious dishes I have ever made.

Cheesy Turkey Tex Mex Pasta

Ingredients:

Half a can of yellow corn

A bag of fresh spinach

1 lb of ground turkey meat

1 packet of taco seasoning

Half a can of Enchilada Sauce

Half a jar of medium salsa

Two cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon of olive oil

A few dashes of cumin

1 box of whole wheat penne pasta

16 oz. low fat sour cream

Low fat mexican blend cheese

Your favorite brand of mexican hot sauce

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet (make sure it large and has decently tall sides)

2. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add a hand full of chopped onions. (Warning: Do not burn garlic, it makes your food bitter)

3. Add 1 lb of turkey meat to skillet and cook until there is no pink visible. (While turky meat is cooking, cook the pasta according to the package instructions) Add a dash of water to the cooked meat, and add about 1/3 of the taco seasoning packet to the meat and stir.

4. Add the bag of spinach to the meat mixture, and stir until spinach is wilted. Add the half can of yellow corn and allow to cook with the mixture.

5. Once pasta is drained and ready, add it to the meat mixture. Stir until combined well.

6. Add enchilada sauce and salsa and stir until combined well. Sprinkle a few dashes of cumin while continuing to stir.

7. Next, add about half a carton of low fat sour cream, stir well. Then add a handful of mexican cheese. The function of this step is making the pasta sauce creamier; so add or reduce the amount of sour cream and cheese to your liking.

8. Finish the dish off with a few dashes of your favorite mexican hot sauce. (I love spicy food so I used a generous helping, it was delicious)

Enjoy the spicy, cheesy goodness. This recipe is #nice because it uses whole grains, lean meats, and low fat dairy products. If you want to make this recipe #naughty, go ahead and use ground beef, penne pasta, and regular dairy products.