If you browse food blogs at all then there is a good chance you’ve seen this (or a version of this) before. Why has it graced so many food blogs? In short, because it’s amazing. Not amazing in a fine dining kind of way, but in a homey, comforting kind of way. It’s the from-scratch cook’s answer to Hamburger Helper. You can easily throw this meal together on a busy weeknight, but more importantly you can feel good about serving this to your family.
Jesse, bless his heart, has actually been known to request Hamburger Helper from time to time. In order to do my best to indulge him, I’ve made several homemade versions. He says they are all good but this one is the clear winner.
Ingredients
1.25 lbs. ground turkey
8 oz rotini pasta
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 -14 oz can diced tomatoes with jalapenos*, drained
4 Tbsp (or one packet) taco seasoning
4 oz cream cheese (reduced fat is fine)
1/2 cup sour cream (reduced fat is fine)
Salt & pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro and shredded cheese, for garnish (optional)
*If you can’t find diced tomatoes with jalapenos it’s also fine with plain diced tomatoes or diced tomatoes with green chiles
Directions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente, according to directions on package. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, start to brown the ground turkey. When the turkey is stating to brown and almost cooked through, add the onions. Once the turkey is done, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the tomatoes and taco seasoning, simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cooked pasta, cream cheese, and sour cream, stirring until the cream cheese is melted and well combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Simmer for 5 minutes, adding reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
Serve with fresh cilantro and shredded cheese.
Barely adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally from Delish
Looking for more easy, weeknight dinners? Check these out-
Shells and Cheese with Kielbasa and Peas
Mexican Lasagna
Sloppy Joes
Creamy Shrimp Pasta
love these kinds of dishes – they’re always so delicious.