Creamy Taco Mac

I'm willing to admit the fact that I used to love Hamburger Helper. In fact, I think my skills at cooking the boxed dinner stuff is what somehow won hubby over when we were dating in college. I lived off of that stuff, and I think cooking it inspired me to cook even more. Since I started cooking from scratch, though, I began to ween myself off of the boxed stuff. So I haven't cooked it in a while. Then I found this Creamy Taco Mac recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Annie's Eats. Man oh man, this dish tasted exactly like the Hamburger Helper I used to have when I was younger. I can't believe how much I missed that stuff. Though I think this is a wee bit better than the boxed version. But then again, I think I'm being a bit biased.

1 lb. ground turkey
8 oz dry pasta (make sure to reserve 1 cup pasta water)
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomato
4 Tbsp. taco seasoning (1 packet)
3 oz cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheese (optional)

1) Cook pasta according to directions on package. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain the rest of the pasta.

2) Over medium heat, brown meat and drain off the fat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is softened. Add taco seasoning and diced tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes.

3) Add cream cheese and sour cream. Add reserved pasta water a little at a time, enough to just thin out the mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until cream cheese has melted and sauce is well blended. Add pasta and stir until well combined. Simmer on medium-low for about 5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit. Remove from heat and top with shredded cheese if desired.