Mexican Casserole with Onions Peppers Chili and Corn

This Mexican casserole with onions, peppers, chili peppers and corn did the trick. It has just the right amount of heat, is easy to do and is ready takes about the same amount of time to prepare.  Just pop it in the oven and relax while it is cooking.

Printable recipe – Mexican Casserole with Onions Peppers Chili and Corn

Hamburger helper is one of those quick go to meals that taste half decent but are just chock full of chemicals.  I decided to see what I could come up with that would be ready in about the same amount of time but had no chemicals and tasted great.

Start by cooking your pasta in boiling salted water.  While the pasta is cooking make the beef mixture.  When the pasta starts to boil, preheat the oven to 350 º F.

Ingredients call for ground beef, onion, garlic, pasta, corn, chili peppers, green peppers, taco seasoning.  (I made my own taco seasoning – the recipe is here.)  Sour cream and red wine plus shredded cheese and the round up.  I used Cabot reduced fat Cheddar. It tastes good  and has 40 % less fat.

Heat  a skillet and brown the beef until it is just a little pink.  You will need a fairly large and deep skillet.  The recipe gets big by the time everything is added.

Add the peppers, onion and garlic and cook some more until they are softened.

Next comes the chili peppers. I used about 3/4 of a small can of them.  Fresh would be even better.  It was about 1/4 cup or so.

Stir in the taco sauce, water, taco seasoning and red wine.  Combine and simmer a bit.

Stir in the corn and mix well.  Turn off the heat and allow it to cool slightly. I used can corn but frozen or fresh will also work.

If you cook your corn for this recipe instead of using frozen, check out my tips for removing corn silk easily from corn every time. 

Stir in the sour cream and 1/2 of the cheese and mix well.  Drain the cooked pasta and add to the mixture.

Spoon everything into a large 13 x 9″ casserole dish that has been spray with Pam cooking oil.

 Top with the remaining cheese and cook in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes until the dish is nice and bubbly and the cheese has melted on top.  

Get the recipe for Make your own taco seasoning here.

Yield: 8

Mexican Casserole with Onions Peppers Chili and Corn

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This Mexican casserole with onions peppers and chili is great on a cold winter's night to warm you up in a tasty way

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 12 ounces of rigatoni
• 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef.
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 large bell pepper.
• 4 tbsp of taco seasoning mix. See recipe above for my recipe for home made taco seasoning.
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup of red wine (can use water if you wish but the wine adds a lot of flavor)
• 1 cup of taco sauce
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 3 cups of grated cheddar cheese. I use Cabot reduced fat Cheddar.
• 15.25 ounces of corn kernels.
• 1/4 cup of diced jalapenos.

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water. When the water begins to boil, preheat the oven to 350 º F.
2. Cook the ground beer over medium heat in a large skillet. When it is only slightly pink, add the onions, garlic and green pepper and cook until they soften. Add the jalapeno peppers and mix well.
3. Now add the taco seasoning, water, wine. Stir well and simmer, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes until the liquid evaporates.
4. Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly. Add the sour cream and 1/2 of the cheese and mix well.
5. By now the pasta will have cooked. Drain and return to the pan it cooked in. Stir in the beef mixture.
6. Transfer the ingredients to a large 13 x 9" casserole dish that has been sprayed with Pam cooking spray.
7. Heat in a 350 º F oven for 30 to 40 minutes until it is bubbly and the cheese has melted.
8. Serve with a tossed salad and crusty bread for a delicious and fast week night meal.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 649Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 1010mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gProtein: 39g

Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.

 

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