I meant to make the recipe from Chef In Training titled Taco Pasta Casserole. It looks so good, and I'm sure it is! I chose it to make this week, and while making my shopping list I quickly scanned the ingredients and jotted down the few things I needed that weren't in my pantry already.
So here is what happened. We just got back from a 2 week vacation. There is a TON of laundry and cleaning to be done, and lots of suitcases to unpack. I had my yearly mammogram scheduled for 9:00 AM this morning, and lots of other errands to run besides grocery shopping. So I was in my high speed mode.
By the time I got back home from the doctor and running errands, it was after noon. I grabbed my shopping list, and on the way to the store I decided that I was starving. Really really starving. But I couldn't take time out to eat because I had to get home to finish unpacking and do more laundry.
So I decided that I would make the casserole gluten free by using gluten free pasta, so I could eat it too. I grabbed a box of Ronzoni elbow macaroni and finished the rest of my shopping.
By the time I got home it was almost 4:00. I unloaded groceries, and immediately started dinner because I WAS REALLY HUNGRY. I pulled out my trusty Dutch oven, made the whole 12 oz. package of gluten free pasta, started browning the hamburger, and then looked at the directions for the recipe.
Uh-oh. It pays to read the directions before starting the recipe. I know that! I am not exactly new to the kitchen. As I looked at the directions on the Chef In Training blog, I saw that it called for a sauce using milk and FLOUR. Well, bummer. That would throw my gluten free idea right out the window. Then I saw that it needed to be baked. It was about 92 degrees here today, and no way was I turning on the oven and no way was I waiting that long for dinner! So here is what I did: I threw in a jar of salsa con queso cheese dip from Aldi's, a large jar of mild salsa from Aldi's, and although I meant to throw the dry ranch dressing seasoning in I forgot all about it. I just threw in one package of McCormick's gluten free taco seasoning. I also threw a diced onion and green pepper in with the hamburger. I just cooked it on the stovetop in my Dutch oven, and at the end I threw about a cup of grated cheese into it and stirred it up.
And guess what? It turned out good! We really liked it, and have plenty left for lunches this week. am sure the original recipe I intended to make would taste wonderful and a bit different - probably creamier. So I can't wait to try it next week! But I will still make it gluten free. All I will do is sub cornstarch for the flour.
I would definitely make this again, but next time I will use gluten free penne pasta or a more substantial pasta. I will also add sliced black olives, but I was out of them. I think black beans might be a good addition too!
Here is a copy of the recipe. If you would like a printable copy of the recipe, click HERE.
The Salsa Con Queso and Mild Salsa I used were both from Aldi's.
I am sure you could easily use regular pasta in place of the gluten free pasta and it would be delicious!
This was an easy, quick stovetop dinner. I think you'll like it!
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