Tex -Mex loaded pasta bake

Tex -Mex loaded pasta bake is an ultimate combination of Mexican and Italian cuisine. I love casserole dishes, easy to put up especially if I want to make it for large parties or potluck or expecting guests . With smart pre preparation , this entire dish comes together in less than 30 minutes which gives you lot of time to take care of other things on the menu. And this stuff is really good , why wouldn’t it be !! It has pasta, all my favorite veggies ,  cheese and nachos baked to perfection and perfect comfort food for this cold weather. And not to forget a light drizzle of this green goddess dressing which takes less than 5 minutes to whip up – click for it’s recipe here. 

I had made this pasta bake for thanksgiving and I have to share this delicious recipe with you.

Remember my post on the best ever enchilada sauce – find its recipe here.

I have used the same sauce here which gives this pasta bake a great kick .

It is bursting Mexican flavors with addition of sauce , veggies, mexican cheese , beans , nachos and drizzle of green goddess dressing for an ultimate Mexican touch!

Now if you do not have an oven or do not want to bake it , you can just toss everything in a skillet and top with nachos and cheese and the green goddess dressing.

I prefer baking for final touches of melted cheese over the nachos and baking will keep pasta warm till the last bite .

This is what you have to do-

Use pasta of your choice 

toss in some sauce homemade or store bought

chop some veggies of your choice

grate some cheese  of your choice

mix it all together and rest is baking , isn’t this a quick delicious fix anytime of the day and for any occasion !

And topping it with green goddess dressing is optional, but if you can please do it. It will only add more flavor to your pasta. 

Make ahead of time tips

make enchilada sauce ahead of time and even freeze.

boil pasta al dente a day ahead , toss in olive oil and refrigerate .

even chop veggies a day or two in advance .

Highlights

Make ahead of time

flavorful fusion

great for parties and potluck

crowd pleaser 

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5 from 5 votes

Tex -Mex loaded pasta bake

Tex-mex pasta bake is a crowd pleaser. This easy to make ahead of time vegetarian casserole is perfect for parties and pot lucks too.

Course bake, casserole

Cuisine Italian, Mexican

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Adjustable Servings -6 -8 servings

Author Khushboo Kothari

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil.
• 2 cups assorted vegetables diced – approx.
• I have used onions, peppers, sweet corn , olives
• 2 cloves garlic roughly sliced/ chopped
• 1 jalapeno deseeded optional
• ½ cup cooked beans black beans/ rajma
• 1.5 cups uncooked pasta / 180grams approx.
• 2 cups homemade/ store bought enchilada sauce*
• 1 cup cheese divided – Mexican blend *
• Fistful of chopped coriander
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• Some Nacho chips.
• For garnish -
• 2 tablespoon chopped coriander
• Some olives and sweet corn.

Instructions

• Pre heat oven at 400 deg f/ 200 deg c
• Boil the pasta 2-3 minutes less than mentioned on the package(refer notes).
• Drain it in a colander , run under cold water to stop further cooking. Place it in a bowl/dish. Drizzle some olive oil and pepper, coat well . Keep aside. At this point you can store it in the fridge up to 2 days .
• In a pan heat up some oil, cook garlic until golden brown, add the jalepenos , add onions , cook for 20 seconds , add peppers ,cook for 30 seconds . Switch off the flame. Add in some salt . Coat well.
• Lighly grease 9*13 or related baking pan .
• Put in the pasta and 1.5 cups enchilada sauce
• And the cooked veggies along with sweet corn ,olives, cooked beans, corriander and ½ cup cheese . Give it a quick mix to coat well.
• Taste test and adjust salt or other seasoning.
• Top it with remaining ½ cup enchilada sauce .
• Cover it with foil and bake it on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes.
• Carefully pull it out of the oven and top it up with nacho chips
• Sprinkle remaining cheese on the top and bake it uncovered on the middle rack for 10 more minutes or until the cheese has melted.
• Take it out of the oven , garnish it with some coriander, olives , sweetcorn (optional)
• Serve hot with a drizzle of green goddess dressing , recipe mentioned above

Notes

Use desired veggies
Use desired beans
Skip jalapeno / green chilies
Use any cheese that melts well – I have used monterey jack and sharp cheddar.
Leftovers can be refrigerated minus the chips.
homemade enchilada sauce and green goddess dressing recipes mentioned above .
If skipping baking cook your pasta al dente as mentioned on the package.

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happy cooking!

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