Taco Noodle Dish — One More Freezer Meal for the United Nations in My Freezer

Thirty-nine weeks. Any day now. Mom arrives next week. The book is on its way to Norfolk. The world is holding its breath. Or maybe that's just me holding my breath. It's hard to tell at thirty-nine weeks. Caleb has been talking to Hazel through my belly: 'Hazel, come OUT! Caleb wants to PLAY!' He presses his face against my stomach and narrates his day to her, as if she's a pen pal who happens to live inside his mother. He told her about dinosaurs. He told her about his toy kitchen. He told her that Mama cooks 'really good food' and Daddy cooks 'okay food' (Ryan: 'He said OKAY?' Me: 'He's three. He has standards.'). The pre-birth cooking frenzy: I made three more freezer meals this week, bringing the total to twenty-two labeled containers in the freezer. Mom's chili. Elena's enchiladas. Soo-Jin's japchae. My fish tacos (deconstructed, for reheating). The freezer is a United Nations of cuisine, representing every woman who's ever fed me. Ryan is handling everything I can't: Caleb's daycare drop-off and pickup, grocery runs, the laundry that never stops. He does it without complaint, because Ryan Abernathy is the man who drove four hours for a first date and hasn't stopped showing up since. The book launch events are scheduled around the birth — Zoom events in April and May, when Hazel will be two to three months old. Clara said, 'You can do a Zoom event with a baby on your lap. People will love it. It's on-brand.' On-brand. Breastfeeding during a book event. Writing about dinner while making dinner. The Rachel Abernathy brand: doing everything at once, all the time, in a kitchen. Mom arrives Saturday. She's bringing: her slow cooker (THE slow cooker), groceries, baby supplies, and — she told me — a gift for Hazel. She won't say what it is. But I know. I KNOW. It's a recipe binder. A baby's first recipe binder. Because Donna Abernathy starts them young. Made Mom's pot roast tonight. The last dinner before Mom arrives. The last dinner of this particular kitchen configuration: me, Ryan, Caleb. Three at the table. Next week: four at the table. Five with Mom. The table keeps growing. The pot roast is the same. Always the same. Always growing.

When I said the freezer was a United Nations of cuisine, I meant it—but every good diplomatic body needs a workhorse dish, something that reheats without fuss and satisfies even a three-year-old with exacting standards. This taco noodle dish earned its labeled container right alongside Mom’s chili and Elena’s enchiladas, because it is exactly the kind of dinner that asks nothing of you at 6 p.m. when you are thirty-nine weeks pregnant and operating on approximately four hours of sleep. I made a double batch—one for now, one for the weeks when there will be four at the table, then five, and the nights when “cooking dinner” means pressing a button on the microwave and calling it a win.

Taco Noodle Dish

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey)
• 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup water
• 8 oz egg noodles or rotini pasta
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles (such as Ro-Tel), undrained
• 1 cup beef or chicken broth
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Optional toppings: sour cream, sliced green onions, fresh cilantro, sliced black olives, crushed tortilla chips

Instructions

1. Brown the meat. In a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef, breaking it apart with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat.
2. Season. Stir in the taco seasoning and water. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until the meat is evenly coated and the liquid is mostly absorbed.
3. Build the sauce. Add the diced tomatoes, tomatoes with green chiles, and broth to the skillet. Stir to combine and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Cook the noodles. Stir in the uncooked pasta. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid.
5. Add the beans and corn. Stir in the black beans and frozen corn. Cook uncovered for 2–3 minutes until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Melt the cheese. Sprinkle 1 cup of the shredded cheese over the top. Cover the pan for 1–2 minutes until the cheese is fully melted.
7. Serve. Dish into bowls and top with the remaining cheese and any optional toppings. To freeze, cool completely, portion into airtight containers, and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen in the microwave, covered, in 2-minute intervals, stirring between each.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 48g | Fiber: 7g | Sodium: 890mg