The end is near... and Taco Pasta!

Well, I had an appointment today with my new doc of integrative medicine. She is AWESOME, by the way! If you noticed that I titled this post, "The end is near..." there is a reason for that. See, the man I am married to really only wants beef, in some random form, for supper EVERY night. Well, on one of my previous food allergy blood screenings, my beef marker was rather high. It was not QUITE high enough to be labeled an actual "food sensitivity/allergy," but, it was VERY close. The words out of her mouth were, "I am very concerned about this beef level." So... if I end up having to cut that down, well, for him, the end very much is near. (I can already hear him groaning and complaining.)

So, now that you have heard the highlight of my day, on to supper! Oh, wait... she also really wants me to cut out my 1st thing in the morning Dr. Pepper! Uuummm.... I.MIGHT.DIE!! That will be all!!

Oh! Here is tonight's Taco Pasta! VERY yummy, FYI! You will also notice that we have a lot of salad, as a side. But, in my defense, when I get home after working with children all day (other than my own) and have an hour (or usually less) to get a meal ready... well, salad is EASY!

Taco Pasta
1 lb. ground beef 
8 oz. dry pasta of your choice (I use gluten free)
1 small onion, chopped (or 1 Tbsp minced dried onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup salsa
1 packet taco seasoning
3 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. sour cream
Shredded Cheese for topping (optional, but not an option in this house!)

Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set to the side.

In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and onion, over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Once the meat is cooked through, drain off excess fat and stir in the garlic. Let cook for about 30 seconds or so. Mix in the salsa and taco seasoning, simmer for approximately 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream, and reserved pasta water. Continue stirring until, the cream cheese is melted and everything is all mixed together well. Top with shredded cheese and more sour cream and salsa, if desired.