Creamy Mexican Pasta Bake
A creamy, cheesy, taco-flavoured pasta, a dish any child (or adult) will love!
Creamy Mexican Pasta Bake
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups diced onion
1 red or orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup finely diced pickled jalapenos (omit if you don’t like spicy!)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
15 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground oregano
OR Substitute 2 Tbsp Triple Smoke Tex-Mex Seasoning for this homemade taco seasoning.
2 tsp kosher salt (use 1 tsp. of salt if using pre-mixed taco seasoning)
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 to 1 ½ pounds Lepp’s lean ground beef (how meaty do you like it?)
3 cups evaporated milk (2 tins, 354 mls. each)
1 tin canned corn, drained, or 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
3/4 pound (12 oz) dry pasta, Bowtie or Penne are great choices.
4 cups shredded cheese, any combination of Cheddar and Monterey Jack
Garnish with cilantro, sour cream, avocado and hot sauce
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 13 x 9 or 3 quart baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray. Cook pasta according to package directions just until al dente.
In a large skillet, brown ground beef until no red remains. Remove to a plate and discard any juice that remains in pan.
In same skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and saute onions and peppers until soft; about 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add chili powder, cumin and oregano, or Taco Seasoning and stir for 1 minute to allow spices to become fragrant. Then add jalapenos, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Make sure to incorporate all ingredients well.
Add ground beef, mix well. Add condensed milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in corn.
Add pasta to the meat mixture and mix well. Layer by placing half of the mixture in your baking dish, top with a good handful of cheese, then rest of mixture and top with remaining cheese.
To freeze, cover pan with foil, label and place in freezer. Thaw and bake as instructed.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Serve with cilantro, avocado, sour cream and hot sauce.
