My Sis is Hungry: Cowboy Pasta

Today's 'boredom busting' challenge is to make up a recipe - do you ever do that? I mean,  I cook ALOT but I usually follow a recipe (altho I also change the recipes ALOT too!) - very rarely have I just plain old made up a recipe. This one that I've named 'cowboy pasta' came from having ground meat and a pantry full of canned goods - I googled a bit to see if anything sounded good, I could have just made chili but I gave myself the task to create something new; there's lots of burger and pasta recipes but nothing that was perfect. So 'cowboy pasta' is born. I ended up making waaay too much for just Dave and I,  and had the idea to start 'my sis is hungry' posts back up and left her a pan of this pasta and a chunk of Al's birthday sheet cake. Read what she has to say ~ and after you read it and then see what the recipe is you'll laugh, I'm feeling bad that she thinks I didn't use canned goods LOL:

GOOD NEWS!! GOOD NEWS!! MY SISTER IS BACK!! and yes, I’m still hungry!! 😊

Not sure what the rules are on eating her quarantined cooking but I will say that she left it outside the door and I picked it up. HAHA.. literally the best kind of take out.  She leaves it outside, I swing in and grab it, and I don’t leave any money!! 

Oh and lets get right to the bottom line that it was DELICIOUS.  SO SO GOOD. 

So I’ll start with that I’m not a fan of hamburger helper - and this was kind of what this looked like.  Did you ever have that as a kid?  I couldn’t even stand the smell.  There is a reason it was like a buck.  This LOOKED like that but definitely didn’t smell like that and certainly didn’t taste like that.  it was delicious rotini like pasta noodles, burger, some kind of red sauce (clearly not from a can), cheesy something or other (how can you go wrong with that?) and corn.  Yes corn.  Doesn’t seem like it would belong there but it was delicious.  This really could be done with any kind of veggie I think but the corn was great in there.

The husband also was a fan.  This one got his highest rating yet I believe- at an 8 ½.  He LOVED it.  So much that he had seconds.  Loved it.

That said, this would be a great one for a dish to pass somewhere, a potluck, work thing, or just a dinner for the family on a regular night.  Great flavor, could have eaten seconds myself if I had the recipe in front of me to figure out how bad that was for me. LOL.  What makes me wonder is the creamy/cheesy texture.  Maybe cream cheese?  Not positive but guessing its not super healthy.  Also wondering how easy it was to make?  That too would make me more apt to make it again myself. Especially since the husband loved it so much.  

Welcome back Sister!! Hope your restaurant stays “essential” to be open during this quarantine because I’m sure I’ll stay hungry!

COWBOY PASTA

• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1/2 lb ground turkey
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can cream of tomato soup or tomato sauce
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes with chili seasonings, don't drain
• 4 wedges Laughing Cow original cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon Mexican seasoning blend, adjust to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• garlic salt to taste

• 3/4 box pasta, cooked (I used cavatappi)

Brown the meat in a large skillet along with the celery until the meat is cooked thru. Add all the other ingredients except the pasta and cook until everything is hot and the cheese melts. Toss with the hot pasta if serving immediately. If reheating it later you can toss the sauce with cold pasta, put it in a baking dish, sprinkle with additional shredded cheese,  and heat in the oven or microwave until hot. 

 note: I would have used a can of tomato sauce instead of soup but I don't have any on hand, it was good with the soup tho! Also wasn't sure if the laughing cow cheese would melt - yes it does! She's right, it added a creaminess that was delicious - I bet cream cheese would also be great.

Whatcha think - up to making up a new recipe today? Look in your fridge/freezer/cupboards and get inspired to experiment :) And hey, if it isn't good you can always give it to your sister hahahahaha!

4.2.19: stringing beads tip
4.2.18: yarn and tulip wreath
4.2.17: BBQ chicken stuffed sweet potatoes
4.2.16: cleaning glassware