My husband sent this recipe to me because he thought it looked interesting and I agreed with him. As usual, I saw plenty of things in the list of ingredients to tinker with. First off, the jalepenos and avocado were out; neither would go over very well with this family. To make up for those lost ingredients, I added more meat than the recipe originally called for. Not only was the end result one of my more colorful dishes, it was unbelievably tasty!

Prep time – 15 minutes / Cook time – 40 minutes

Seasoning:

  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1 corn on cob
  • 6 ounces dry cavatappi pasta
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 1 c.  grape tomatoes, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • few dollops sour cream
  • chopped cilantro, optional
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 cup shredded Mexican Blend cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375˚F.

Combine all spices in a small bowl and stir together. Set aside. Slice kernels off cob and set aside. Fill a large pot with water and place over medium-high heat. Once water is boiling, add a handful of salt and pasta and boil until al dente, about 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and drain pasta. Set aside.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. Add ground beef and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, breaking up the beef as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper. Add shallot and garlic and continue to saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in taco seasoning and combine. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir tomato sauce into the mixture and reduce heat to medium. Simmer mixture for about 10 minutes adding 2 tablespoons water at a time to mixture, if it begins to get too thick.

Once ground beef mixture has thickened, fold in cooked pasta and corn until evenly distributed. Top pasta skillet with shredded cheese and place in oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until cheese has melted. Remove from heat and top with diced tomatoes, dollops of sour cream and sliced green onions.