This one pot pasta reminds me of hamburger helper but with more flavor and more veggies. It still comes together in one pot and is a huge hit for my kids.
WHAT IS IN TEX-MEX ONE POT PASTA?
Ground beef. We always have a lot on hand because we butcher ourselves. You could substitute ground pork if you’d like!
Onions and peppers. A diced whole onion, red bell pepper, and a can of diced green chili peppers. I chop them extra small so my kids don’t take the time to pick them out.
Spices. 2 teaspoons each of garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, and cumin. It should start smelling like a batch of taco meat.
Pasta. This is what pulls the whole dish together! I used rotini but you could use any number of pastas. I’d go for a short pasta here because the rest of the dish is a bit chunky, but I’m sure it would taste good if you only had spaghetti on hand.
Liquid. Beef broth, milk, and enchilada sauce will make up the liquid. This is what will soak into the pasta to cook it and give it the extra rich flavor, rather than if you had just boiled the noodles in water separately.
Frozen corn. Any excuse to add a little sweet corn into the mix! We actually bag up the sweet corn from our garden every summer to use all year long.
Cheese. I had Monterey jack cheese on hand, but you could use any number of varieties for this including cheddar, pepper jack, Colby jack, etc.
Chili flakes and cilantro. Both are completely optional and depend on your taste. We like spice and the cilantro rounds out the dish.
METHOD
As the name suggests, this will be light on the dishes! You’ll just need one large-ish pot to cook it all in. I like to use my smaller Dutch oven.
STEP 1: Heat about a tablespoon of a neutral oil in your pot and brown the meat over medium-high heat, season with salt. When it’s about 3/4 of the way cooked, add the spices, diced red bell pepper and diced onion to continue to cook.
STEP 2: When the meat is cooked through and the onions and peppers begin to soften slightly, add the green chilis, the noodles, beef broth, enchilada sauce, milk, and frozen corn into the pot. Give it a good stir and bring it to a rapid simmer. Cover and let it continue to simmer for 15 min or until your noodles are cooked to your liking.
STEP 3: Add the shredded cheese, stir it until it melts. Garnish with red pepper flakes and cilantro, serve!
Tex-Mex One Pot Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp neutral oil avocado, canola, etc
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 4 oz fire roasted diced green chilis canned
- 12 oz pasta shape of choice shells, elbows, rotini
- 14.5 oz beef broth
- 10 oz red enchilada sauce
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup corn kernals frozen
- 1-2 cups shredded cheese Monterey jack, cheddar, pepper jack, etc
- chili flakes optional
- cilantro optional
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a heavy bottom pot over medium high heat. Brown the meat, season with salt.
- When the meat is about 3/4 cooked, add the garlic powder, paprika, cumin, chili powder, onions and bell peppers.
- When the meat is fully cooked and the peppers and onions begin to soft a little, add the can of green chilis, pasta, enchilada sauce, beef broth, milk, and frozen corn. Give it a good stir and bring it to a rapid simmer.
- Cover and cook about 15 minutes or until pasta is cooked to your liking.
- Stir in the cheese until it melts.
- Garnish with cilantro and red pepper flakes, enjoy!
Anjouli is a Midwestern farmwife and mom to two little boys. By day she works within the Healthcare industry and by night she’s always trying something new in the kitchen. Follow along to see what she’s feeding her farmers!
