Mexican Pasta Bake

Here's a new recipe that I've just tried, yeah I know it's an odd and not very traditional combination of Mexican and Italian lol, but it goes :o) Sorry about the photo, it doesn't photograph well. It does however, taste better than it looks. I also don't know who created this recipe, as I found it on one of my recipe apps :o)

This dish could be served with fresh salsa, guacamole, sour cream, sweet chilli sauce or a side salad.

Mexican Pasta Bake

Ingredients:-

2 TB olive oil
500g ground beef or turkey
1 sachet taco seasoning
1 jar mild chunky salsa
1 small chopped and seeded red or green chilli (depending on how much heat you want)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 a red capsicum - diced
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried oregano
340g uncooked pasta of choice
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
1/2 cup light sour cream
chopped coriander for garnish

Method:-

1. Cook pasta in well-salted water to al dente only. Drain (don’t rinse) and set aside.

2. In a pan, brown ground meat over medium heat. Drain if needed. Stir in taco seasoning, salsa, chilli, capsicum, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano. Bring to boil, stirring. Immediately remove from heat.

3. Meanwhile, combine cooked pasta with 1 cup of the cheese and sour cream and mix well. Spoon into a greased baking dish. Top with the meat mixture and remaining cheese.

4. Bake uncovered 180C for 20 minutes. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander.