The Yellow Bows of Texas

I'm sorta stuck on Tex-Mex dishes these days.  Garlic, onions, salsa, black beans, chili powder, and cumin are sounding really good to me right now.  Throw in a some bowties, ground turkey, sour cream, and cheddar cheese and I'm thinking, "Most definitely!" A 'chili over pasta' concept.  Different!  Oh, and this also has carrots in it!  Interesting.... Chili with carrots is a new idea for me, but I admit it is a good one.

I honestly have no idea how this recipe with the catchy name showed up in my kitchen, photocopied from a Taste of Home magazine.   It originated from a cookbook with an equally catchy name: Eat, Shrink, and Be Merry.  A sweet friend must have thought we'd like it, and now I can't even thank her for thinking of us.  The fact is, we did enjoy this.  Like, 12 thumbs up....

I made a few change to the recipe.  The original recipe calls for whole wheat pasta.  As much as a dig health food, I just can't do the whole wheat pasta thing.  I mean I can, I just don't.  I've tried it, but have never found whole wheat pasta that tasted right to me.  So for this I substituted good old white bowties.  Also, this recipe was full of "light" dairy products and "no salt added" tomato products.  Hmmm,  no thanks.  Going for the real McCoy here.  Suit yourself, though, and make this as low-fat, low-sodium as your tastes prefer! 

I'll be preparing this tasty dish again soon.  Why don't you give it a try?

You start by browning the ground turkey with garlic then toss in the onions, bell peppers, and diced carrots.  Following this you add the salsa, tomato sauce, black beans, and spices.

Next, boil a big pot of water and cook the bowtie pasta. 

To serve, place the bowties on each plate and smother them with the bean and meat mixture, 

topping it all off with cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream.  

The Yellow Bows of Texas

• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 cup each chopped onions, chopped green bell peppers, and diced carrots
• 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups salsa (your choice of mild, medium, or hot)
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans drained
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 12 oz uncooked bow tie pasta
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions

Cook turkey and garlic in a large deep, non-stick skillet over med-high heat until turkey is no longer pink.  Break up any large chunks.  Add onions, green pepper, and carrots.  Cook and stir for 4-5 minutes, until vegetables have softened.  Stir in tomato sauce, salsa, beans, chili podwer, cumin, and oregano.  Bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions.  Drain.  Divide pasta among 6 shallow serving bowls.  Ladle chili over pasta.  Sprinkle with cheese and place a dollop of sour cream in the center.  Sprinkle with green onions.

Love,