Bill Phillips Taco Pasta Salad

Last summer while I was in Florida my friend Tina was doing Body for Life. So we ate a bunch of Body for Life meals, including this one. It is in the cookbook: Eating for Life by Bill Phillips. I enjoyed the meal so much I bought the cookbook myself. I cook this meal regularly, and like Tacozagna, I've made it with ground beef, ground chicken, and ground turkey. I've made a few changes/additions in blue.

What you'll need:
Tri-Color Rotini Pasta, lean ground beef (or chicken, or turkey), taco seasoning mix, chicken stock, green bell pepper, onion, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, and avocado.

Bring your water to a boil, and cook pasta.

Brown your meat.

Cut your bell pepper and onion.

Add bell pepper, onion, taco seasoning mix, and chicken stock.
The recipe calls for water, but chicken stock add flavor regardless of the type of meat you chose. But water is a good substitute.

Mix it all together.

Drain and then add pasta to meat.

Mix.

Cut up your toppings. I like avocados and cilantro.

Top with cheese and sour cream too!
Tastes super yummy!

Here is the official recipe copied from the book:
2 portions rotini pasta (about 4 oz uncooked)
2 portions lean ground beef (about 1/2 lb)
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp taco seasoning mix
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp salsa
2 Tbsp fat-free sour cream
2 Tbsp reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Prepare rotini pasta according to its package directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, brown ground beef in a medium skillet over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain the beef of any excess fat and return it to the skillet.
3. Add water, taco seasoning and bell pepper to cooked ground beef; simmer until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.
4. While the beef is simmering, combine salsa and sour cream in a small bowl. (I don't do this.)
5. Place a portion of pasta on two separate plates. Top with a portion of ground beef mixture. Sprinkle each with half of the cheese and a dollop of salsa-sour cream sauce.