Taco Pasta

I my quest for recipes that use tomato paste, I came across this meal on the $5 Dinner Mom blog. I changed several things based on what I had in my pantry and my personal tastes. If you'd like to see the original recipe, go here. It got rave reviews from the men in our house, which means it's a keeper. :-)

TACO PASTA

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef (I used precooked hamburger from my freezer)
1- 6 oz. can tomato paste
15 oz. can pinto beans (original recipe calls for kidney beans, I think pinto beans are more "mexican" and it's what I had on hand)
1 pgk. taco seasoning (orginal recipe uses various spices, this was easier for me)
2 cups uncooked rotini pasta (I used whole grain pasta)
1 c. frozen corn (I used the last of a bag of corn I had on hand. You could substitute 1 can of corn)

1-2 cups shredded cheese (optional, I skipped this)

Directions
1. In large skillet, brown ground beef. Drain and return to skillet. Skip this step if you are using pre-cooked hamburger.
2. Add tomato paste plus 2 cans worth of water to the ground beef. Stir until paste becomes tomato-y sauce. Add drained and rinsed beans. Add corn. Add taco seasoning. Stir through and let simmer for 4-5 minutes until hot.
3. Add 2 cups uncooked pasta with 2 cups of water to the meat mixture. Cover and cook over medium high heat for 10-12 minutes, or until pasta has cooked through. Stir a few times while pasta is cooking.
4. Top with cheese if desired.

Making Ahead...Eating Healthier...Spending Less

I've really started getting into shopping sales and using coupons. Because I'm busy with working, babysitting and being a mom and wife, I limit myself to 2 stores within a few blocks of my house and one store by my work. I've also started to do small amounts of making things ahead. Here are some tips and ideas that have worked for me. (Now you know why I have lots of tomato paste! lol)

BEANS: I'm making more bean meals because they are cheap and a great source of protien instead of meat. Canned beans are cheap, but cooking up a pot of beans and freezing them in can size or 1 cup portions is even cheaper. (Canned beans run $0.50-$0.90/each, a bag of dried beans is usually around $1 and cooks up to 6-8 cans worth.) Just put a bag or two of beans in a large pot, soak overnight and simmer on low until the beans squish between your fingers when gently squeezed. Very easy to do!

Suggested bean meals: chili, bean soup, vegetarian taco salad, taco pasta, tacos or tostados.

POTATOES: I just bought two bags of potatoes today for $0.99 each. Store potatoes in a cool and dark location for use as is or shred potatoes and freeze to make your own hash browns.

Suggested potato meals: baked potato night, potato soup, breakfast casserole, breakfast skillets, cheesy potato casserole.

HAMBURGER: Whenever I buy hamburger these days, I either wait for a sale or buy a bulk package of it and brown the meat as soon as I get home. Freeze in approx. 1lb. portions.

Suggested hamburger meals: chili, enchiladas, spaghetti, hamburger stew, queso dip, pizza pasta casserole.

CHICKEN: Ditto the hamburger. I use my Walmart brand "George Foreman" grill took cook up the chicken. Dice and freeze in 1lb. portions. I want to try roasting the chicken in my stove, but have yet to do it.

Suggested chicken meals: enchilada soup, quesadillas, chicken tetrazzini, chicken noodle soup, white chili, colorful chicken casserole.

Please share your ideas, tips and recipes. I'm curious if anyone has tried cooking and freezing rice.

Blah Chili into Tamale Pie

From Queen of Carrots:

Usually I make better chili, but I had been thinking it was time to have a meatless meal, and for some reason I forgot the green peppers and I came home dead tired and probably messed up the seasonings, so the initial chili was not all that exciting. There was enough left over, once the next day's lunch was taken care of, to make one meal, but not two, and I still rely on leftovers for lunches.

So I fried up the missing hamburger and green peppers, and mixed them in a casserole dish with the chili, some frozen corn, and a can of olives. (BTW, I've discovered by laborious price/weight comparisons, that you can get more olives for the same price if you buy them chopped rather than sliced or whole--they sell the cans based on size, not weight. So if it's a casserole where appearances don't matter, I use chopped.) Then I whipped up my usual cornbread (I used to follow tamale pie recipes laboriously until I realized--the topping is just cornbread!), minus the honey and with the addition of a can of green chiles and grated cheese, and spread that on top. I baked it for forty-five minutes or so (It takes it longer to cook than it would if it were just cornbread).

The end result gave me enough for dinner and lunch and generated great husbandly enthusiasm. Also, if I had included the hamburger and peppers in the first place, I would not have needed the skillet and could have made the whole thing using less dishes than it takes to make and heat cornbread and leftover chili separately. I bet this would also work as an easy way to jazz up canned chili.