Cheeseburger Pasta

I do have to hand it to my family, they are good sports when it comes to dinnertime. Seeing as I love to experiment with new dishes often, they get to be my guinea pigs. Sometimes my experiments turn out great, and sometimes they are epic failures, but either way my sweet family will eat it and smile.

So, to thank them I like to find recipes like this that I know everyone will like. This was a really fun dish, to eat and to make. It's pasta with all the classic flavor of cheeseburgers. Instead of beef though, I used ground turkey to lighten it up a bit. I think what really made this dish stand out what the use of relish. I LOVE pickles on my burgers, so the relish really did make it taste like I was eating a cheeseburger. If only I wasn't watching my calories, I would throw in some bacon for a Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta, now that's what I'm talking about!

Cheeseburger Pasta
Adapted From Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Aug-Sept 2009

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta
3/4 lb lean ground turkey
2 TB finely chopped onion
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes
2-3 TB dill pickle relish
2 TB prepared mustard
2 TB ketchup
1 tsp steak seasoning
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
chopped green onions, optional

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to directions on the box. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook turkey and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Drain pasta, add to meat mixture.

2. Stir in the tomatoes, relish, mustard, ketchup, steak seasoning and seasoned salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

3. Sprinkle with cheese. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand until cheese is melted. Garnish with green onions if desired.

I will be submitting this to Girlichef for Presto Pasta Nights.