COWBOY PASTA #cowboypasta

cream cheese

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: sour cream

Greek yogurt reduces calories while maintaining creaminess

cheddar cheese

🥗Healthier: reduced-fat cheddar

💰Cheaper: colby jack cheese

Colby jack provides similar flavor at a lower cost

mozzarella cheese

🥗Healthier: part-skim mozzarella

💰Cheaper: provolone cheese

Provolone offers a similar melt with a different flavor profile

Preheat oven to 375°F and place 9 slices of thick bacon on a baking sheet to cook until crispy.

Chop green bell pepper, red bell pepper, onion, and 2 jalapeno peppers (one seeded, one with seeds) and set aside.

In a pot, add salt to water and bring to a boil for the pasta (Panini pasta).

Brown 2 lbs of ground beef in a skillet, then drain excess fat.

Sauté chopped vegetables in bacon grease until onions are translucent.

Add the browned ground beef back to the skillet with the sautéed vegetables and mix well.

Add the first can of Rotel tomatoes to the skillet.

Season the mixture with low sodium Creole seasoning, granulated garlic, roasted garlic and herb seasoning, onion powder, and pepper.

Add about 1 cup of pasta water to the skillet and mix.

Cut about 10 oz of Vita cheese and add it to the skillet, mixing until melted.

Drain the cooked pasta and add it to the skillet, mixing everything together.

Add the second can of Rotel tomatoes to the mixture and stir.

Crumble the cooked bacon into the skillet and mix well.

Top the mixture with shredded Kobe Jack cheese.

Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and place it in the oven until the cheese melts (not specified how long).

Let cool slightly before serving.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens