Taco Pasta Salad

This recipe was a find years ago, but I never remembered to take a picture for the blog until this last time.  It combines two delicious things into one.  As the name indicates, it is a combination of taco salad and pasta salad.  I will admit, I was skeptical at first.  First off, I'm not a fan of French or Western dressings (which this recipe uses), however it does work with the other ingredients.

I've played with a few different ingredients, but the nice thing about both tacos and pasta salads is that you can add anything you'd like.  Besides the basics (taco meat, lettuce, pasta), I use cheese, black beans, and tomatoes.  You can do corn, any kind of peppers, or other types of beans.  This practically begs for black olives, but I hate them so... no.

Important:  We ate this the very first time without the crushed fritos.  We decided we wouldn't make it again.  Then we ate the leftovers with the crushed chips and it completely changed the dish.  Fritos or tortilla chips, either will work.  So... be aware.

Taco Pasta Salad

Adapted from here

1lb cooked ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

1 box of rotini pasta

1/2 an onion, chopped

1 can of black beans, drained & rinsed

3 roma tomatoes, diced (or whatever kind of tomato you want)

2 cups of cheese

1-2 hearts of romaine lettuce, chopped

Western or French dressing

Crushed corn chips (as much as you want)

1. Brown ground beef.  Add taco seasoning.
2. Boil rotini pasta until cooked.  Pour into a strainer and rinse with cool water until pasta is no longer hot.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked rotini and ground beef.  Stir in onion, black beans, tomatoes, cheese, and lettuce.  Mix in as much as dressing as desired (until it is thoroughly mixed at least).
4. Serve in individual bowls and add as much crushed chips as makes your heart happy :)