Mexican Chili Pasta Recipe | #vegetarian

Mexican Chili Pasta Recipe

Sometimes I crave Italian and Mexican at the same time. Strange, huh? I found this recipe hits the spot on nights like that. The noodles and cheese cover the Italian the rest is all Mexican/chili-ish. This is a highly customizable recipe and a family hit.

5.0 from 3 reviews
Mexican Chili Pasta Recipe
This is a highly customizable dish that is very family friendly. Add diced green chilis for a kick or leave out for a mild dish. My kids love black olives so I go heavy with those and cheese and leave out the meat for vegetarian.
Author:
Ingredients
  • 2 cans chili starter (I used ½ a jar of Frontera)
  • 1-2 cans of diced tomatoes (use the ones w/green chilis for a little kick)
  • Sliced black olives (to taste... we used 1½ cups)
  • ½ - 1 lb pasta (we used elbow but shell works nicely also)
  • Shredded cheese to taste (choice on type but Mexican blend works great)
  • Beans to taste (kidney or black work nicely, I used 25 ounces)
  • 1-2 lbs of ground beef (optional... we did not use this)
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta to desired tenderness. If using ground beef, brown and drain. Mix all ingredients together leaving enough cheese to spread on top (I use about a handful in the mixture and then another for the top). Bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. My kids like to add a little shredded cheese on top before eating.

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Comments

  1. Michelle Feliciano says

    that looks really good

  2. This too sounds and looks so good. Can’t wait to try it.

  3. I have to tell ya that I made this over the weekend and my family absolutely loved it. Thanks so much for sharing your awesome recipes with us. Our family has truly benefitted from them.

    • OMG Thank you for updating me Diane! You just made my night. You are SO very welcome πŸ™‚

  4. Keara B. says

    Thanks so much for sharing this- I tried it the other night and it was awesome! My toddler can be be a fairly picky eater and even she liked it. I added some cooked spinach for more veggies and she didn’t even notice. πŸ™‚

  5. Amy Orvin says

    I have never tried this before, but would love to. Looks really yummy.

  6. Denise L says

    Can’t wait to try this. We are trying to cut back on our meat consumption, so we will try it without the beef just like you did. Sounds really good!

  7. Elena says

    Looks delicious! Thank you for the recipe!

  8. Carol L says

    Looks delicious. My daughter will love this because she’s craz over Black Olives in anything. πŸ™‚ Thanks for sharing. I’m going to show her this and let her make it. πŸ™‚
    Carol L

  9. Andrea Anderson says

    Definitely need to add this to my list of recipes I want to try. This looks delicious and easy. Thanks for sharing.

  10. Rachel A. says

    I like how EASY this is!! It looks very filling and would make for good leftovers too. I’ll have to try it!

  11. Karen Glatt says

    I like Mexican food and I like that this recipe is vegetarian. I sometimes do not like to always eat meat, and this is an easy recipe for me to try. I will be making this soon!

  12. My SIL makes something similar! Yum!

  13. Amanda says

    It sounds flavorful enough that the meat could be left out! Thank you! Our family has been attempting the meatless monday thing and it’s been hard for us! LOL maybe I can make this while it’s still a bit “chili” outside πŸ˜‰

  14. This looks absolutely delicious! I definitely will have to recreate it with some gluten-free pasta! πŸ™‚

  15. Stephen says

    This looks really good. This is similar to one of my favorites, Mexican Lasagna. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/mexican-lasagna-recipe/index.html

  16. Erin says

    This sounds great! I also crave mexican and italian at the same time πŸ™‚

  17. Mary Withrow says

    My neice is a Vegetarian and I am always looking for recipes for her. I usually make goulash like this and she loves it. Plus this recipe is usually cheap and they say if you replace 1 meal a week without meat, you can save around $40 for a family of 4 a month

  18. Kenzi says

    This looks delicious and simple! A few weeks ago I made something similar called taco spaghetti, both my husband and I loved it! I will have to try this one out next, thank you for sharing!

  19. Sherri Lewis says

    Oh this looks delicious! Would be a definite hit at our house…… must pin!

  20. Jenny Guerra says

    Thank you so much! I can’t wait to try this recipe for my family. My husband doesn’t like regular chili leftovers but he may go for this.

  21. Kaye says

    Thanks so much for sharing the Sunday family dinner reminder/tips! It’s good to be reminded about the importance of that! Also appreciate your recipes!! (I worked with Kaytlin at the MW bookstore. We miss her!).
    Recipe sounds great too — where did you find the Frontera Chili Starter?

  22. Sandy VanHoey says

    This looks pretty darn good. I’d like to make it and would have to have the one with green chili’s. Can’t have lots of kick but just enough. Sounds great and with things we usually keep in the house at all times anyway

  23. Rosie says

    This is the perfect comfort food for early fall! I’d like to make this today! there is a one-day sale going on for ground beef. And I do love my chili with beans – and the beef!! I’ve never tried Frontera – I’ll have to give it a whirl!

  24. Marlynn says

    this looks good. sounds like it tastes even better you can get the best of both in one dish why not.

  25. G K says

    Great idea! It’s kind of like an enchilada in pasta form.

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