This easy pasta bake recipe combines the hearty flavours of chili with pasta and cheese. It’s a delicious combination of comfort food favourites and you’ll want to make this chili pasta bake again and again!
Hello! How’s it going? I know many of you living elsewhere are basking in the delightful weather that is spring.
Around here, just this past few days, we’ve had a tremendous amount of rain and more snow.
So, while many of you may have spring-time food on the brain and grilling things up, I’m still sitting here freezing my buns off and face planting into all the comfort food humanly possible.
Aside from this chili pasta bake, hubby did most of the cooking this past weekend. I got to sit back and watch the magic happen. There was one point where I was sprawled across two chairs, sitting at the kitchen island, painting my nails and drinking wine while watching him. A girl could get used to that, ya know. Who agrees? I’ll just assume you all nodded in approval.
So, wanting to make myself half useful this weekend I did cook a little; I made this recipe because I couldn’t decide what to have for dinner. Do I want pasta? Do I want chili? So, chili pasta bake it is!
I’ve been meaning to share this recipe with you all for a while. Every time I would make it, I would dig into it before I would have a chance to take any pics. My bad. But better late than never, I say!
How To Make This Chili Pasta Bake
What I absolutely love about this dish (besides the fact that it tastes amazing), is that everything is made in the one pot, meaning no fuss and only one dish to clean. And if you are like me, one million spoons (ha!).
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- In a pan, cook onions and garlic.
- Add ground beef, pork, spices and cook.
- Stir in tomato paste. Add tomatoes, beans, corn, bell pepper, salsa, broth, sour cream, pasta and some cheese. Stir in.
- Top with remaining cheese and bake until bubbling and brown.
Pretty easy, right? While it’s baking and making your home smell delicious, you can sit back, have a drink and just get ready for the compliments your family will give you for making them this. Maybe then, they’ll wash the dishes. Sounds fair, doesn’t it?
Garnish Ideas
- A good dollop of yogurt or sour cream
- Slices of avocado
- Chopped cilantro
- Sliced chili pepper
- Sliced green Onion
More Easy One Pot Recipes
This would also be perfect for a get together if you are watching a game or something. Such a nice change up from chili!
If you try this baked pasta recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
Chili Pasta Bake Recipe
Ingredients
Pasta Bake
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 roma tomatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup no salt added canned black beans
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 1 bell pepper, chopped into small dice
- 2.5 cups salsa
- 1.5 cups low sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup full fat sour cream
- 2 cups dried penne pasta
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Garnish and Serving Ideas (optional)
- Sliced avocado
- Chopped cilantro
- Sliced jalapeno
- Sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a 12-inch oven-safe heavy sauté/deep pan over medium heat, then add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- To onion/garlic mixture, add beef, pork, salt, black pepper, chili powder, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook, breaking the beef and pork into small pieces and stirring occasionally, until it's fully cooked through (the beef and pork should no longer be pink and be browned all the way through), about 10 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, stir to combine and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, black beans, corn, bell pepper, salsa, chicken broth, sour cream, penne pasta and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, stirring to combine.
- Top with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake, uncovered, for about 40 minutes until bubbly. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve and garnish to taste (if desired) with any of the garnish ideas. Enjoy!
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
© Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are copyright protected.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Jessica Brantley
sounds delish! Do you cook your pasta before adding it to the pot or does it cook while in with the other ingredients?
Thanks!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Jessica! The pasta is added uncooked and it will cook with the other ingredients in the oven. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for stopping by 🙂
April
Dawn that sounds and looks terrific! I love chili and I also love gooey cheesy anything , just like the other reader, I never ever thought to put the two together! Thanks for the inspiration. Def gonna add this to my super long recipe to do list.
Girl Heart Food
Thanks you very much, April! Hope you like it!!
Michelle | The Secret Ingredient Is
Well hello there gorgeous dinner! This is the ultimate collision of comfort foods right here – and it’s calling my name! Love it. So sorry to hear your weather is still yuck – hopefully it warms up there soon and spring greets you with some fresh blooms and sunny days!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much Michelle! I’ve been making it a lot lately 🙂 I sure spring comes soon too!
Sues
Oh, you know I pinned this one!!! It’s almost midnight, but I seriously want a plate-full right now. Would that be wrong?? I don’t even care!
Girl Heart Food
Yay! Thnaks Sues! Nay, that wouldn’t be wrong! Any time is a good time for comfort food if you ask me 😉
Marissa
This looks fantastic, Dawn! I grew up eating something similar and always looked forward to it – so delicious and comforting – but I haven’t had it for ages! This needs to be on our menu pronto!!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Marissa!! Hope you like it! P.S. Can’t wait to have your ramen noodles again 😉 I dreamed about those noodles, lol.
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
Oh you KNOW I’m pinning this! Lucky you getting to paint your nails while your husband cooks! I could definitely live with that :). I love a one-pot meal–doing dishes is so not my thing. And hi, baked pastas are so comforting and delicious! Have a great week Dawn!
Girl Heart Food
Woo hoo! Thanks Kelsie! Hope you love this one – I’ve made it a lot lately and it always goes over well 🙂 Have a lovely week too!!
heather (delicious not gorgeous)
normally i have cornbread with chili, but it sounds tasty with pasta, too! would have never thought to add salsa to the mix, but it makes sense with all those tomatoes and delicious seasonings (:
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much Heather 🙂 Have a great week!
Milena | craftbeering.com
Well! Lucky you! Chili is the way to go, that’s what we ate last night:) I am pretty sure that since you painted your toe nails the weather will get the hint. You will see:)
The garnish part – yes! So on board with you. Copious amount of garnish is what makes Vietnamese food one my favorite cuisines ever! You do get a bowl of garnish bigger than your Pho (or other bowl plated food). Especially if you find an old fashioned place when you go there where one family member gets up at 3:00 am to begin making the beef broth for the Pho.
Girl Heart Food
Can’t beat comfort food when the weather is cold (which it still is). Oh, I love pho!! So good, right? It’s definitely one of my favourite things…lots of cilantro for me 🙂 Have a great week, Milena!
Jolina
Oh a girl can definitely get used to that 🙂 Especially this girl who has little to no cooking skills lol! OMG this looks good. With an iced cold beer if I may add. I did hear about the amount of snow you guys have been/are about to get – the news people ended by saying SO STOP COMPLAINING hahaha. Anyhow, I love this dish! It’s right up our alley. I’ll tell (ok, ask nicely) my chef to add it in to our rotation! Happy Monday Dawn!
Girl Heart Food
I know, right?? It’s nice to sit back and relax sometimes. Cold beer sounds perfect with this….I like your thinking! Thanks Jolina!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
We’re both thinking along the same lines today Dawn with the pasta bakes! This sounds absolutely delicious. I know my husband Tom will be a total fan! Can’t wait to try it. Hope you have a great week! XO
Girl Heart Food
Definitely, Mary Ann! Pasta bakes are definitely where it’s at when the weather is not so nice (or any time, really). Hope you guys love it! Have a great week too! XO
Gaila
Dawn! I agree! I will totally get use to that!! I am so jealous, you husband made ramen?? OMG this would be just perfect for me, even better now that I am totally obsessed with Zelda and haven’t got that much time left! ???? hehehehe this chili pasta seems really good!
Girl Heart Food
Right?! That ramen was SO good! I’ve already put in a request for more. Girl, I feel you with Zelda! OMG, I played that so much this past weekend and I even dreamed about it, lol. It’s so fun! Thanks, my friend!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
I absolutely love one-pot pasta bakes and I can almost taste the great chili flavours through your pictures 🙂 I can’t wait to try this 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Thank you so much, Jennifer!! Hope you love it 🙂
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
Whenever you talk about your hubs cooking, or I see his creations on your social media, I am ALWAYS like, ‘wait, why don’t I let me husband cook?!?’ And then he goes to cook and my crazy kitchen possession antics come out to play. I just can’t give up control! Lol. I gotta learn to relax!! Hmm maybe I just need more wine? 😉 Anyways, loving this bake, Dawn!! It’s cold off and on here, so I’m constantly going from craving salads to pasta. Needless to say, this looks perfect when my next cozy eats craving kicks in! You really loaded this bad boy up with all the yum!!! Cheers- to warmer weather your way! Xo
Girl Heart Food
Girl, you need to flip the switch ASAP and let your hubby cook! For reals. Wine definitely helps, lol 😉 Thanks, my friend! Have a lovely week! XO
annie@ciaochowbambina
I am definitely one of your meat loving friends but boy do I love your vegetarian offerings! The best! I love the image of you sitting at the table polishing your nails while hubby’s making ramen and heating the oven for biscotti! A girl could absolutely get used to that! I am so impressed with the culinary skills flying around your house! What a delicious environment! This pasta bake will absolutely make it on the scene in our house! Stay warm, milady! Spring is coming, we know that for sure! Have a great week! Cheers! XOXO
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Annie! I must say, your biscotti was fabulous! So good, I had to send some to my brother and sister in law to try! I’m starting to think hubby should have the blog and not me. I like this relaxing and watching-the-magic-happen bit 😉 Have a great week too! XOXO
David @ Spiced
Oh I love a good pasta bake…and I love chili. But I’ve never thought about putting the two together in one dish! I totally hear ya about the “spring” weather here, Dawn. I still see snow outside on the lawn. That’s not spring weather! But it’s coming…at least that’s what the weather guy says. Haha. In the meantime, we still have a few more weeks of cold weather comfort food, and this chili bake sounds like it needs to happen! Yum! 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Thanks David! Hope you get a chance to try this one out 🙂
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
Wishing you thoughts of warm weather and sunshine! It’s not too bad here temp wise, but we have gotten a lot of rain lately, and that will continue this week. Hopefully I’ll see the sun again, and soon! 🙂 And yay for husbands doing the cooking! I love when mine does that, too. Makes it so nice to just sit back and relax. I’m also loving this pasta bake. How can you go wrong with chili or pasta? I love making chili mac (one of my favorites) and your version sounds delicious! Love that you used ground pork in here, too! Wish I could just dive into this bowl of yumminess for breakfast! 🙂 Pinned, of course! Hope your Monday is off to a wonderful start!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Gayle! This is the kind of food I need right now to get through this weather, lol 🙂 Have a great week, my friend!