Turkey Taco Mac

Question Is, Would You Eat It?

My daughter, Kaiya, said to me after trying it, “I want this every night” and I have to agree. Turkey taco mac is a household favorite dinner. Kaiya has even asked me, “is this healthy for us,”… Yes baby it is! It really is deceiving, it’s not that much cheese just melted so it looks like a lot!!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 medium onion chopped

  • 3 cloves minced garlic

  • 1 red bell pepper chopped

  • 1 tbsp taco seasoning

  • 10 oz can crushed tomatoes

  • 14.5 oz can red beans drained

  • 8 oz tomato sauce

  • 15 oz can pinto beans

  • 15 oz reduced sodium chicken broth*

  • 8 oz GF or whole wheat pasta shells

  • 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese*

  • Flavor God Himalayan Salt & Pink Peppercorn

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 pound ground lean turkey

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  2. Cook pasta according to the package directions, staying at the low end of the time range so the noodles remain firm. This helps avoid the noodles from turning mushy in the sauce. Keep 1/2 cup of boiling liquid before draining noodles and set aside.

  3. Brown ground turkey in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink and set aside. Drain the fat and return the skillet to the stovetop.

  4. Add the chopped onion, garlic and red peppers. Sauté until vegetables have softened.

  5. Add the taco seasoning, stir to combine and heat through for 1 minute.

  6. Add the can of tomatoes, tomato sauce, reduced sodium chicken broth*,

  7. and reserved pasta water, scrape the bottom of the pan to get up any of the stuck seasonings.

  8. In a large bowl, stir to combine the pasta, cheese, pinto beans, salt and red beans and transfer to 3-quart casserole dish. Crumble Cheddar cheese over the top . Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes.

  9. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

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