becoming Rachael Ray

I love the food network and I really love the Rachael Ray show. I TiVo it everyday and watch them on the weekends. If nothing else she has inspired me to be creative in the kitchen. I've always been told that the sign of a good cook is one that doesn't follow recipes and slowly but surely thank to Rachael and my own father who is an excellent cook, I am fearless in the kitchen about trying new creations.

There is nothing like being broke at the end of the month to really get you creative in dishes. Every Wednesday night we have our Life Group and we all bring something to contribute to the meal. Each week we have a specific item that has to go into each recipe. This week's item was TOMATO. So on Wednesday into the pantry I went to see what I could throw together without going to buy any groceries and this is what I created...

ENCHILADA PASTA BAKE

I still had a few items left in the pantry that I needed to get rid of like regular penne pasta (not wheat) and a pound of hamburger meat (not ground turkey) and so this was a great way to get rid of it and when I make this dish again the wheat and turkey options are just as good.

Boil the penne pasta and drain. Place in a casserole dish.
Brown the hamburger meat and drain. Add a can of diced tex mex tomatoes. Add a large can or two small cans of enchilada sauce. Add a half a cup of sour cream and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Pour the meat and sauce mixture over the noodles. Cover the top with shredded mozarella cheese and bake until bubbly at 325 degrees.
It has a little bit of spice to it because of the tex mex tomatoes so these can be substituted with just regular diced tomatoes if you like.
It was yummy!! And really not that high in calories even with "real" meat and "real" pasta.