South of the Border Casserole

My husband seems to enjoy when I make Mexican dishes at home; so I try to make them once a week. This recipe comes from A Taste of Home Cooking, a friend I made over at the What's Cooking board! This is a great one-pot meal with very little clean-up.

I have to admit that when I first read the recipe I did a double take when it says to add uncooked pasta to the meat sauce. But trust me, it works - just make sure to stir fairly regularly to check that the pasta is not over-cooking. This was very filling with lots of good flavor. My changes in dark pink italics again.

South of the Border Casserole
A Taste of Home Cooking
Serves 4

1 pound of lean ground beef 3/4 lb.
1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed from half, minced I used a serrano chile
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced 2 cloves
28 ounce can of whole tomatoes (fire roasted tomatoes, if you can find them)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons of cumin 1 T.
2 tablespoons olive oil omitted
2 cups sour cream low fat
8 oz penne, ziti or any small pasta
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup cilantro, minced

In a large deep skillet, brown meat until no longer pink. Drain fat, if necessary. Add the olive oil, peppers, onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook on medium-high heat. Saute until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin.

Add the can of tomatoes, breaking up the whole tomatoes with a spoon, but still leaving big chunks. Add sour cream, stir until mixed. Add pasta. Cover and cook until pasta is al dente, about 25 minutes. This took me about 20 minutes over med-high heat. Make sure to stir frequently so the pasta doesn't get stuck to the bottom.

Serve with the cheddar cheese and cilantro sprinkled on top. Serve immediately.