Hamburger Mix Taco Pasta Salad


Myrna found this recipe on the cover of a small Taste of Home Side Dish special interest publication; we both thought it looked like something our families would like.  I thought it would be perfect to use with my home canned hamburger mix;  and I also made our homemade Catalina Dressing and Taco Seasoning mix…it was a winner!  It took just minutes to stir up the dressing and combine the seasonings while the pasta cooked. 
Simple, tasty, I didn’t have to buy anything special, and it could be made without thawing meat if needed. I didn’t have tortilla chips, but I made some homemade cornbread muffins – we’ll have this again!   Of course, make this faster by using purchased dressing and seasoning mix.               

                         Taco Pasta Salad 
  2              cups  uncooked spiral pasta -- 8 ounces
  2              pints hamburger mix
  1              envelope  taco seasoning
  3              cups  shredded lettuce
  2              cups  halved cherry tomatoes
  1              cup  shredded cheddar cheese -- (4 ounces)
     1/2       cup  chopped onion
     1/2       cup  chopped green pepper
     1/2       cup  Catalina salad dressing
                  Tortilla chips
Cook pasta according to package directions.  Heat hamburger mix; drain.  (Or in a large skillet, cook 1 pound of ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.)
Stir in the taco seasoning; cool. 
Drain pasta and rinse in cold water; stir into meat mixture. Add the lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onion, green pepper and dressing; toss to coat. Serve with tortilla chips. Yield: 6 – 8 servings.

                        Catalina Dressing
  4          tablespoons  salad oil
  8          teaspoons  Sugar
  4          teaspoons  vinegar
  4          teaspoons  ketchup
     1/6   teaspoon  garlic salt
Stir together, let set until sugar dissolves.  Stir or shake before adding to salad.

                        Taco Seasoning Mix
  2          Teaspoons  Instant Minced Onion
  1          Teaspoon  Salt
  1          Teaspoon  Chili Powder
     1/2   Teaspoon  Cornstarch
     1/2   Teaspoon  Crushed Dried Red Pepper
     1/2   Teaspoon  Instant Minced Garlic
     1/4   Teaspoon  Dried Oregano
     1/2   Teaspoon  Ground Cumin

Combine.  Comparable to 1 package seasoning mix.

2 comments:

  1. This looks soooo good - perfect for these hot days! Thank you for incuding the accompanying recipes. Your Catalina recipe reminds me of my mother-in-law's homemade French dressing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The dressing is one of our family favorites too.

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