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small pasta shells with fine cooked ground turkey crumbles, yellow corn and tiny green chile pieces coated in an orange-red cheesy tomato sauce in an everyday bowl, with no beans or garnish
Rachel Kim

One Pot Taco Pasta

Ground turkey, green chiles and corn give this taco pasta a different character from the beef-and-bean chili mac, with pepper Jack melted into the sauce instead of cheddar scattered over it. Use small shells that will trap the filling, and choose canned green chiles rather than a jar of thin salsa so the measured broth can cook the pasta predictably without an unexpectedly watery finish.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 5
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 can 4 oz diced mild green chiles with juices
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1 can 8 oz tomato sauce
  • 10 oz dry small pasta shells
  • 2 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup water reserved
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 4 oz pepper Jack cheese grated

Method
 

  1. Heat oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add turkey and onion and cook for 8 minutes, breaking the meat into fine crumbles and cooking it to 165°F.
  2. Stir in garlic, cumin, chili powder and oregano for 30 seconds. Add green chiles, corn, tomato sauce, broth and salt and bring to a boil.
  3. Stir in shells, reduce to a steady uncovered simmer and cook for 11 to 14 minutes, stirring frequently from the bottom.
  4. Add reserved water a few tablespoons at a time if the sauce gets dry before the pasta is tender; finish with a loose coating sauce.
  5. Remove from the heat and stir in pepper Jack until melted. Rest for 3 minutes and divide among 5 bowls.