Gluten-free Mexican Pasta Bake

I started dabbling in cooking while I was in college, and this was one of the first things I learned to make. It’s stayed in my rotation all these years mostly because it’s a guilty pleasure.  It’s a simple and delicious casserole, and was super easy for me to adapt to be gluten-free. I just use my favorite gluten-free pasta, and I’m all set.  Here’s how I do it.

First, I get two boxes of gluten-free pasta macaroni going in some boiling water. You’ll want to cook the pasta until it is just cooked through (al dente). With this brand of pasta it takes me about 9 minutes.

Meanwhile, dice one onion, two bell peppers and six cloves of garlic.  Get them going in a big skillet with some olive oil until soft – about 5 minutes.

     

You’ll want to add 1.5 pounds of ground beef to the veggies and cook until it’s no longer pink.

The rest of the recipe is super simple.  You’ll just add these ingredients to the cooked pasta and the meat mixture when they are all done.

One can of crushed Italian tomatoes, 2 cups of frozen corn, and 2 cups of cheddar cheese.

   

Don’t forget some seasonings!  2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons of cumin, and 2 teaspoons of chilli powder.  You can totally adjust these to your own taste!

Just mix all of it together in a big bowl – I drain my pasta water and use the pot to mix everything in. One less bowl to clean!

Now you just scoop it into some baking dishes and top with some additional cheddar.

Stick it in a 375* oven for 30 minutes and you’re all set!  This makes a ton – perfect for leftovers during the week!