Who doesn’t love a good casserole? This Beef Tex-Mex Pasta Casserole delivers on everything. Easy to make, great flavour, delicious ingredients and a savoury goodness you didn’t know you needed. This Tex-Mex recipe driven by my use of beans, beef and shredded cheese meets the delicious Italian tomato sauce and the filling penne pasta to complete the casserole. It’s the best of both worlds. The ground beef mixed with the black beans, corn and cheese delivers on great flavours. The tomato sauce makes it stewy and rich and the pasta makes it absolutely filling.
What do you need to make Beef Tex- Mex Pasta Casserole?
The major ingredients are ground beef or mince, black beans, corn, shredded cheese, tomato sauce and pasta. Everything else I would say boils down to preference. I used simple seasonings such as salt and pepper and there are a few other ingredients you could try to make your Tex- Mex special.
Peppers are a good choice. Whether bell or chili peppers, they provide great colour, texture and heat. You can also try different spices. I went the simple route but there are a few Mexican inspired seasonings such as fajita or taco seasoning that can be found at your local supermarket.
How about Jalapeños? This pepper would be a great addition for some extra heat whether cooked in or added as a topping. I am a scotch bonnet kind of girl because that pepper can do no wrong and the flavour is great. I didn’t add any to the dish as I made this for a group and not everyone has the affinity for spice as I do. Needless to say I topped up with my favourite scotch bonnet pepper sauce and it was absolutely delicious. So now that we know what we need. Let’s get cooking shall we?
Beef Tex-Mex Pasta Casserole
Course: EntréeDifficulty: Moderate4
servings10
minutes40
minutesIngredients
Ground Beef, 0.310kg
Black Beans, 1/2 cup
Sweet Corn, 1/4 cup
Shredded Mexican Blend cheese, 1 cup
Penne Pasta, 2 cups (Pantry Item)
Tomato Sauce, roasted garlic 16oz
Basil, 1/4 tsp. (Pantry Item)
Medium Onion, chopped (Pantry Item)
Garlic, 5 cloves (Pantry Item)
Salt, 1 tsp. (Pantry Item)
Pepper, 1/2 tsp (Pantry Item)
All purpose, 1/2 tsp (Pantry Item)
Vegetable Oil, 2tbsp. (Pantry Item)
Sugar 1tbsp. (Pantry Item)
Directions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Heat oil on medium heat in a large pot. Sauté onion and garlic until fragrant.
- Add beef and sauté, making sure to break up clumps for two minutes, Season with salt, pepper and all purpose. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Add black bean, corn, sugar, tomato sauce and basil. Leave 1/2 cup tomato sauce behind. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in pasta and mix well.
- Take a casserole dish and pour remaining sauce at the bottom.
- Pour beef and pasta mixtures in the dish and top with cheese.
- Bake uncovered until cheese melts.
Notes
- For more cheesy goodness you can layer cheese in between beef and pasta mixture.
Price Range: $1,500 JMD.(Price range based on type of supermarket, brand and season. Does not include Pantry Items and tax)
Eating in can be easy on the pocket yet just as fun and tasty as dining out. Enjoy!
Brawta: Black Beans, Cheese and Corn. (Non pantry ingredients that are leftovers for future use.)