When you find yourself in a boring food rut, think outside the box. Pair ingredients or dishes that you wouldn't normally associate with one another— like tacos and pasta — together for a whole new taste experience. In this recipe, instead of stuffing a taco, a classic ground beef filling is tossed with pasta. The entire mixture is baked, a la enchiladas, and served with shredded lettuce and tomato chunks. To make this child friendly meal, get the recipe, read more.

Taco Spaghetti
From Better Homes and Garden magazine

5 ounces packaged dried spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine, broken
1 pound ground beef or ground raw turkey
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
3/4 cup water
1/2 of a 1-1/4-ounce envelope (2 tablespoons) taco seasoning mix
1 11-ounce can whole kernel corn with sweet peppers, drained
1 cup sliced pitted ripe olives
1 cup shredded Cojack or cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1/2 cup salsa
1 4-ounce can diced green chilies, drained
6 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup broken tortilla chips
1 medium tomato, cut into thin wedges
Dairy sour cream (optional)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta; rinse with cold water. Drain again.
2. In a 12-inch skillet cook ground beef or turkey and onion until meat is brown. Drain fat.
3. Stir in water and taco seasoning. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cooked pasta, corn, olives, half of the shredded cheese, the salsa, and chilies.
4. Transfer mixture to a lightly greased 2-quart round casserole. Cover and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
5. Serve with shredded lettuce, tortilla chips, and tomato wedges. If desired, top with sour cream.

Serves 6.

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