Fiesta Pasta Salad

I took this pasta salad to Jessa's yesterday for Father's Day...it's very portable and feeds a crowd...add or omit any ingredients you like...add jalapeno for spice, omit the beans or omit the meat and add extra beans...any way it's always a good salad.

1  16 ounce package rotini or wagon wheel pasta, cooked, drained and rinsed
1  pound ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 cup water
1 package taco seasoning mix ( or your own)
2 cups shredded cheddar or jack cheese
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 green bell pepper, finely diced
1 tomato, seeded and finely diced
1  14 to 15 ounce red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 small cans sliced ripe black olives
1 bottle Catalina or Western salad dressing.


Brown the beef or turkey in a large saute pan and drain the meat.  Return to the pan and add the taco seasoning and water.  Simmer for about 10 minutes until the liquid is gone.  Cool the mixture.


Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and chill for a couple of hours before serving.