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Creamy Taco Pasta For Easy Dinners With Browned Beef And Shell Pasta

Creamy Taco Pasta for Easy Dinners

Creamy Taco Pasta for Easy Dinners combines medium shells and browned extra-lean beef with a creamy tomato sauce made from blended cottage cheese and Mexican-blend cheese.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 385
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta and sauce
  • 6 ounces medium shell pasta dry
  • 12 ounces extra-lean ground beef raw, 96% lean
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil for cooking
  • 1 small yellow onion finely diced
  • 1 small red bell pepper finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning reduced-sodium if possible
  • 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce plain
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth for sauce
Finish and garnish
  • 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese blended smooth
  • 1/3 cup Mexican-blend cheese shredded
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped, optional garnish

Equipment

  • Large Pot
  • Colander
  • 12-Inch Deep Skillet
  • Blender Or Food Processor
  • Wooden spoon

Method
 

Cook the pasta
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the shells until one minute shy of package directions for al dente, then drain well.
  2. While the pasta cooks, blend the cottage cheese until smooth. Set it aside.
Make the sauce
  1. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, breaking it into small crumbles, until no pink remains and browned edges form. Drain excess fat if needed.
  2. Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic and taco seasoning and cook for 30 seconds.
  3. Stir in the tomato sauce and beef broth. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until slightly thickened.
  4. Lower the heat and stir in the blended cottage cheese. Keep the sauce below a boil so it stays smooth.
Combine
  1. Fold the drained shells and shredded cheese into the skillet. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring gently, until the shells are coated and the cheese melts.
  2. Remove from the heat, scatter with cilantro, and serve hot.

Notes

Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently with a splash of broth or water because the shells absorb sauce as they sit; freezing is possible for up to 2 months, though the creamy sauce may be slightly less smooth after thawing.