vegetarian taco pasta salad

The only food with meat that I have been wanting since making the switch to vegetarian is tacos. I found a simple recipe for taco pasta salad, and just tweaked it a little to accommodate our meatless diet.

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked spiral pasta
1 pound ground beef (instead, I used 12 oz of MorningStar Grillers Recipe Crumbles)
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 cups shredded lettuce
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup Catalina salad dressing
Tortilla chips

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook cumbles over medium heat until no longer pink, drain. Stir in the taco seasoning and let it cool. Drain pasta and rinse in cold water (important! you do not want the pasta to be hot!) then stir into crumble mixture. Add the lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onion, green pepper and dressing, toss to coat. Serve with tortilla chips.