Tex Mex Pasta : Easy Weeknight Dinner to Feed a Crowd
Some meals are so easy you think there is no way it’s going to taste that great. I dare you to make this Tex Mex Pasta and judge for yourself. It’s a fan fave in our house and one that I pull out whenever we need to feed a crowd! Pull all of the ingredients out and I bet you can make the sauce in the same amount of time it takes for you to boil the water and cook the noodles! So yes, it’s an easy peasy week night dinner! It’s for all of these reasons that we think you’re going to love adding this recipe to your menu this week.
I will be the first to admit that this dish a cozy, feel good meal, that is not much of a looker. So be sure to garnish with cheese and cilantro to liven it up. It will elevate it out of goulash mode, ha!
There are so many beautiful and delicious ways to fill our tables. No need for them to be intricate for them to be favorites. If you’re hosting a crowd and looking for more inspiration for menus, decor and how to get it all to the table in time, check out our cookbook Dinner Changes Everything. The Tex Mex Menu fits perfectly with this dish! Plus I’m always sharing hosting and dinner tips on instagram @kellywelk , so be sure to pop on over and hang out with me in the kitchen.
Tex Mex Pasta
3/4 lb Cavatappi or Spiral Noodles
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
16 oz of your fave salsa (spice it up if you like a kick!)
1/2 cup water **put the water in your salsa jar or container and swish it around to get every bit of flavor out of the jar!
1 bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped and divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar
1 lime, sliced in wedges
Set your pasta pot to boil then get ready to make the sauce.
In a medium sized sauce pan brown your ground meat. Once it is mostly cooked through, drain off any excess fat. Then add in your spices and saute for a minute. Add in the salsa and water, simmer for 5 minutes to allow the salsa to cook and the flavors to combine. Turn the temperature down to the lowest setting, stir in half of the chopped cilantro and keep the sauce warm.
Cook your noodles as directed. Strain and add half of them back to your pot.
Pour the sauce over the noodles, as well as the sour cream and stir to combine. Add in more noodles a little at a time until the sauce is dispersed to your liking. Most of the time I will use the full 3/4 lb of cooked noodles, but every once in a while the sauce has cooked down more and only fully coats a bit less. So I like to add the noodles in gradually so you don’t have dry pasta!
Serve with additional sour cream, shredded cheese, lime wedges and cilantro to garnish.
If you’re making this ahead of time. Don’t simmer the sauce down once you add in the salsa and water. Transfer your noodle mixutre to a baking dish, top with the shredded cheese and cover with foil. You can reheat at 350 for 30-40 minutes then serve with a cilantro garnish.
Cheers to putting an easy dinner on the menu! This is one that I’ve taught our kids how to make which makes dinner time even easier!
