Beef Taco Pasta Salad

Cook the Fresh Corn

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Add a tablespoon of sea salt.
3. Add the corn, and boil for 9-10 minutes, or until bright yellow.
4. Remove the corn from the pot (don't dump out the water--you need this for the pasta!), and let cool… or char it on the stovetop, 4-5 minutes.
5. Let cool, then slice off the cob.

Cook the Pasta

1. If you're using canned or frozen corn, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season it with sea salt.
2. When the water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta, and stir with a wooden spoon.
3. Cook for 9-10 minutes, or until al dente.
4. Reserve about 1/3 cup salted pasta water, then drain the pasta into a colander.
5. Once the pasta has drained, transfer it back to the pot and add TWO teaspoons of olive oil on top of the pasta so it doesn’t stick together before putting together the pasta salad.

Chop the Veggies

1. While the pasta cooks, work on chopping the rest of the raw veggies.
2. Dice the green bell pepper and red onion.
3. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half.
4. Open the avocado, remove the pit and the skin, and then chop it into bite-sized pieces.
5. Remove the kernels from the cooked corn. (Or open the can of corn or heat the frozen corn in the microwave. No judgment here.)
6. Chop the green onion.
7. Set everything aside for when you’re going to put together the salad.

Brown the Beef

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
3. When the oil is shimmering, add the ground beef and the taco seasoning.
4. Break up the ground beef with the back of a wooden spoon, and move it around the pan as it browns.
5. Since grass-fed beef is lower in fat and requires less cooking time, this will take anywhere between 7-9 minutes to be cooked through.
6. Once the meat is crumbly and browned and delicious, remove from the pan, and set aside.

Make the Dressing

1. In a mason jar, combine the olive oil, ketchup, honey, red wine vinegar, sour cream and pasta water.
2. Add all of the seasonings to the mixture.
3. Put the lid on, and shake vigorously. I found that the sour cream sometimes can be a problem because it can add a few lumps to the dressing—but if that happens, do not fret!
4. Refrigerate until time to dress the salad.

Put together the Taco Pasta Salad

1. In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta and beef along with the red onion, green bell pepper, tomatoes, avocados, corn, green onions and most of the cheese.
2. Pour the entire mason jar of the dressing on top of the ingredients.
3. Use tongs to gently toss the ingredients together.
4. Once mixed, sprinkle with the rest of the cheese on top, as well as parsley.
5. Serve immediately, and enjoy!