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You are here: Dinner + Entrees » Mexican Pasta Bake

March 13, 2016

Mexican Pasta Bake

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Dinner is a slam dunk when you cook up a colorful, veggie-loaded Mexican Pasta Bake, made extra flavorful with lots of chorizo and a creamy red sauce.

Mexican Pasta Bake from SoupAddict.com

I have a weird thing about casseroles. Or, had a weird thing about casseroles. I think to myself, “Self, you don’t like casseroles.” And then I have a casserole, and it’s like, I LOVE casseroles why don’t I have more casseroles?? And then times passes, and soon I’m ridiculously back to thinking, I don’t like casseroles.

In my own not-really-defensible defense, it goes back to my kidling years, when I didn’t like different foods touching each other on the plate. And a casserole is kind of the king of food touching on the plate and getting all up in each other’s bi’ness.

So, I have to constantly remind myself, “Self, you love you some casseroles,” so that I don’t miss out on things like a flavor-loaded Mexican pasta bake. Because that would be a senseless foodie tragedy.

Mexican Pasta Bake from SoupAddict.com

It’s a Mexican Pasta Bake!

My mexican pasta bake is just a little twist on your everyday Italian-leaning pasta bakes. Lots of chorizo, some taco seasoning, loads of vegetables, and heaps of melty cheese. All the things that add tons of tasty goodness to a meal, but in a dish that doesn’t make a whole, ya know, hoopla out of making dinner.

Not that I don’t enjoy the occasional dinner hoopla. But sometimes you just wanna/gotta/hafta get the grub on the table so that everyone can get to stuffing their gobs, post haste. Amiright??

Mexican Pasta Bake from SoupAddict.com

Tips for making Mexican Pasta Bake:

  • Need a vegetarian version? No problem! Substitute the sausage with meatless crumbles or vegetarian chorizo. Black beans would be awesome, too, and are full of protein and fiber.
  • For carnivores who want extra sausage flavor, split the amounts between chorizo and Italian sausage.
  • Homemade spice blends are amahzing — so much fresher than what you can buy in a jar at the grocery. Here’s my go-to taco seasoning blend, from Alton Brown.
  • The saucy goodness in this Mexican pasta bake comes from red enchilada sauce. I prefer a pepper-heavy sauce — some say that’s authentic enchilada sauce — but if you like the richness of tomato paste with your enchilada sauce, do check the ingredient labels.
  • Makeaheadability (makin’ up words): this dish is sooo easy pull together for dinner if you chop all the veggies and grate the cheeses ahead of time, and store in the fridge. So easy, as in, I’m so-dog-tired-I-can-hardly-see-straight-but-I-can-still-do-this-Mexican-pasta-bake easy. Yaas! I also have good luck with prepping the pasta ahead of time. Reserve about a 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water, and store both, separately, covered, in the fridge. Before assembling the Mexican pasta bake, drizzle some of the cooking water over the pasta until loosened, and you’re good to go.
  • This recipe makes a nice hearty meal for two with leftovers. Add a little chicken broth, and you have Mexican pasta bake soup for a take-to-the-office lunch. Double da yums.

Delicious, cheesy, and saucy. Thank goodness I have casseroles like this one to remind my silly self that I love casseroles!

Karen xo

 

Mexican Pasta Bake | SoupAddict.com
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Mexican Pasta Bake

Weeknight dinner is a slam dunk when you cook up a colorful, veggie-loaded Mexican Pasta Bake, made extra flavorful with lots of chorizo and a creamy red sauce.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time45 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 315kcal
Author: Karen Gibson

Ingredients

  • olive oil
  • 14 ounces dried pasta
  • 8 ounces chorizo sausage about 2 links, casings removed
  • 2 cups chopped vegetables bell peppers, corn, red onions
  • 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
  • 19 ounce can red enchilada sauce
  • 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
  • 3 cups shredded cheese (a combo of Monterey Jack & white sharp cheddar is nice)
  • chopped green onions for topping
  • sliced black olives for topping
  • 1 tablespoon minced cilantro for garnish
  • 1/2 lime optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter the inside of a 2 quart baking dish, or coat with nonstick spray.
  • Prepare pasta according to package directions.
  • Meanwhile, heat a small amount of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, breaking up any large pieces as necessary.
  • Add the vegetables and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the veggies and sausage and stir.
  • Pour in the enchilada sauce and mix well. Heat through for several minutes. Stir in the sour cream and about 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese.
  • Drain the pasta and pour half of it into the prepared baking dish. Spoon some of the sauce over the pasta, and sprinkle half of the cheese over it. Add the rest of the pasta, evening out across the dish. Pour the rest of the sauce over the pasta, and top with the remaining cheese, plus the green onions and black olives.
  • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until sauce begins to bubble. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cilantro over the top while the cheese is still melty. Squeeze the lime over the pasta bake, if desired, and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 315kcal
Nutritional information, if shown, is provided as a courtesy only, and is not to be taken as medical information or advice. The nutritional values of your preparation of this recipe are impacted by several factors, including, but not limited to, the ingredient brands you use, any substitutions or measurement changes you make, and measuring accuracy.
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Filed Under: Dinner + Entrees, Pasta, Rice + Grains, Spring, Winter

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hayley says

    April 19, 2019 at 9:35 pm

    My family is not a casserole family, but this has become part of our regular rotation for over a year. My husband loves the chorizo but I am vegetarian, and this is a meal that is easy to modify and split in two. Thank you for a great recipe!

    Reply
  2. Hetal says

    December 17, 2018 at 11:28 am

    I would like to take this to a potluck. Can I assemble the tray ahead of time and bake it at the party? Do you think it will become dry?

    Reply
  3. Anzu says

    January 15, 2018 at 12:26 pm

    What could i use instead of chorizo? Im vegetarian.

    Reply
    • SoupAddict says

      January 15, 2018 at 12:34 pm

      Hi Anzu, I would recommend meatless crumbles, tempeh (rubbed with spices like paprika, chili powder, garlic powder), or, depending on where you live, vegetarian chorizo. Field Roast makes a really good vegetarian chorizo (packaged in links). If all fails, even black beans will fill in nicely.

      Reply
  4. Lauren @ Ease and Carrots says

    April 5, 2016 at 9:27 pm

    Beautiful dish! Definitely adding to my dinner list 🙂 🙂

    Reply
    • SoupAddict says

      April 5, 2016 at 9:55 pm

      Thanks, Lauren, I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  5. Rocky Mountain Woman says

    March 22, 2016 at 4:52 pm

    sign me up!! I’m in on this one for sure…

    lovely, lovely, lovely.

    Reply
    • SoupAddict says

      March 22, 2016 at 11:00 pm

      Thanks, Rocky. This one’s been a winter favorite here.

      Reply
  6. CakePants says

    March 13, 2016 at 10:33 pm

    Ooh, I wish I had a big bowl of this right about now! Casseroles are such comfort food for me, but I don’t yet have a Mexican pasta dish in my repertoire. I’m looking forward to trying this!

    Reply
    • SoupAddict says

      March 24, 2016 at 1:25 pm

      I hope you enjoy it! Every time I see this recipe on my home page, I want to make it all over again (so I do 😉 ).

      Reply

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SoupAddictKaren Gibson is the head soup chef, vegetable chopper-upper, and dishwasher here at SoupAddict.com, where she shares recipes for all manner of foods-in-bowls. Read more

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