Taco Pasta Salad

It's summer and I love taco salad, but I was fresh out of lettuce, so I googled taco type recipes and discovered that maybe I could still get the taste without the greenery.  The solution: make a taco salad with pasta instead of lettuce (use whole grain if you want to make it healthy, I won't tell you my preferred species of greens either, as that would only get me in trouble too!).

In a skillet:

Brown 1 pound ground beef with a chopped onion, drain fat and add a packet of taco seasoning and a large can of diced tomatoes, undrained (28oz).  Cook until thickened and heated through, chill until cold.

Meanwhile, prepare one pound of rotini (or other small pasta) according to package direction, rinse under cold water and mix with meat mixture.

Once chilled, mix in 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese and any desired veggies (peppers, olives, corn, beans, you could also go fresh on the tomatoes and onion too instead of cooking it with the meat).

Mix in salsa, French dressing, taco sauce or any other desired flavoring agent as well, or serve on the side so people can customize the flavor.  Crush up nacho corn chips and mix in right before serving.  Serve cold and keep refrigerated.