Taco Pasta Bake

I ran across this recipe on Pinterest a few days ago and knew it would be a great weeknight meal.  I don't make a lot of casseroles but this one had simple ingredients (with no canned soups!) and was something I thought the family would like.  Everyone loved it and I have enough ingredients left over to make another batch, maybe for the freezer.  I substituted ground turkey for the beef and garnished with chopped tomatoes, green onions and salsa. 

Taco Pasta Bake
from Canadian Moms Cook

1/2 - 3/4 of a bag of large noodle pasta like ziti (I used 10 oz penne) 
1lb of ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 pkg/envelope of taco seasoning
1C water
1/2 pkg of cream cheese (I used reduced fat)
1 1/2C shredded cheese

Boil pasta until just cooked, drain, run cold water over it.
Brown ground beef and add taco seasoning and 1 cup of water.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced.

Add the cream cheese to the beef mixture, stir until melted and combined, and remove from heat.

Put pasta in your casserole dish or pot and mix in 1 cup of shredded cheese.  Add beef mixture and stir until combined.  Top with remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese and bake at 350 (uncovered) for 30 minutes.