You know, that thing where you mix foods to create a multicultural dish?
It's sorta like that.
In truth, fusion cooking is not something I try often. Mostly, it's a scared-y cat issue. I hate the idea of wasting good ingredients because I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. The only time I really venture out of my comfort zone is when I'm making pizza. That's because I know if I don't like it, I can just scrape off the toppings and salvage the cheese for my all-time favorite pizza: plain.
I'm not a simple kind of girl.
And, possibly a commitment-phobe.
That being said, I got this idea after seeing taco-stuffed shells on a restaurant menu recently. I didn't get it because, like I said, I'm have a little commitment issue and hate the idea of shelling out fifteen bucks on a meal I don't like.
I guess I'm a little on the stingy side, too. Boy, you're really learning a lot about me today, aren't you?
Anyway, a few days after that outing, I was struck with a craving for baked ziti. Ground beef, cheese and pasta... a love even a non-Italian can appreciate.
I wanted to throw a little Mexican flare into the mix so I browned the meat in taco seasoning. It was a good start, but I needed more. So, I added a little taco sauce, a hint of pico de gallo, and substituted the traditional mozzarella with a shredded Mexican blend.
Bingo.
The results are my Mexican twist on traditional Italian ziti.
Enjoy!
Baked Taco Ziti
1 box Ziti
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 white onion, diced
1 packet taco seasoning
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup pico de gallo
4 oz. cream cheese
2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
Preheat oven 350F.
Cook ziti according to package directions. Drain.
In a large pan, saute onions in olive oil until translucent.
Add ground beef and taco seasoning. Cook thoroughly. Remove meat from heat and drain excess grease.
Stir in taco sauce, pico de gallo and cream cheese into the ground beef.
Combine meat mixture, ziti noodles and 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese in a 13x9 pan. Top with the additional 1/2 cup of cheese.
Bake 30 minutes.
It's sorta like that.
In truth, fusion cooking is not something I try often. Mostly, it's a scared-y cat issue. I hate the idea of wasting good ingredients because I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. The only time I really venture out of my comfort zone is when I'm making pizza. That's because I know if I don't like it, I can just scrape off the toppings and salvage the cheese for my all-time favorite pizza: plain.
I'm not a simple kind of girl.
And, possibly a commitment-phobe.
That being said, I got this idea after seeing taco-stuffed shells on a restaurant menu recently. I didn't get it because, like I said, I'm have a little commitment issue and hate the idea of shelling out fifteen bucks on a meal I don't like.
I guess I'm a little on the stingy side, too. Boy, you're really learning a lot about me today, aren't you?
Anyway, a few days after that outing, I was struck with a craving for baked ziti. Ground beef, cheese and pasta... a love even a non-Italian can appreciate.
I wanted to throw a little Mexican flare into the mix so I browned the meat in taco seasoning. It was a good start, but I needed more. So, I added a little taco sauce, a hint of pico de gallo, and substituted the traditional mozzarella with a shredded Mexican blend.
Bingo.
The results are my Mexican twist on traditional Italian ziti.
Enjoy!
Baked Taco Ziti
1 box Ziti
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 white onion, diced
1 packet taco seasoning
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup pico de gallo
4 oz. cream cheese
2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
Preheat oven 350F.
Cook ziti according to package directions. Drain.
In a large pan, saute onions in olive oil until translucent.
Add ground beef and taco seasoning. Cook thoroughly. Remove meat from heat and drain excess grease.
Stir in taco sauce, pico de gallo and cream cheese into the ground beef.
Combine meat mixture, ziti noodles and 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese in a 13x9 pan. Top with the additional 1/2 cup of cheese.
Bake 30 minutes.
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