Description
This Veggie-Loaded Mexican taco pasta is a delicious dairy free & gluten free comfort food meal with some serious southwest mac and cheese vibes. Made on the stove top with a nut free cheese sauce, sweet corn, pinto beans, bell pepper, tomatoes, and some sneaky veggies. A delightful meat free recipe that is FULL of flavor and wholesome ingredients! Vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, nut free.
Ingredients
For “cheese” sauce
- 2 medium sized carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cups Yukon gold potato peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1/2 cup plain unsweetened dairy free milk
- 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard or 1 teaspoon Dijon
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- Pinch of turmeric (for color)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- To make it spicier: add a tablespoon or so of your favorite hot sauce
For pasta
- 12 ounce box gluten free macaroni or another pasta shape
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup of your favorite salsa
- 1 15 ounce can drained and rinsed pinto beans
- 3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
- 1/4 packed cup chopped cilantro
To garnish
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Jalapeno
Instructions
Make spicy cheese sauce
- Cook the veggies. Add cut carrots and Yukon gold potatoes to a medium sized pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until carrots and potatoes are tender.
- Blend. Drain and transfer to a blender with non-dairy milk of choice, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, and hot sauce if using. Blend on high until smooth and creamy and set aside.
Make the pasta
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package instructions, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Set aside.
- Sauté the veggies. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add diced onions and bell peppers and sauté until soft and starting to caramelize – about 4-5 minutes. Add diced tomatoes with the juice, salsa, drained and rinsed pinto beans, and chopped cilantro. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes, until reduced slightly.
- Add pasta, corn, and sauce to the skillet. Reduce heat to low, pour in cheese sauce with cooked pasta and corn and stir to combine. Continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is warmed through and the sauce evenly coats the pasta. If the sauce becomes too thick simply thin with a little reserved pasta water.
- Season and serve. Season to taste with salt and serve topped with green onions, cilantro, and jalapeño if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
For storage and reheating:
Refrigerator: This pasta should keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Reheating: To reheat, warm the pasta on low in a skillet, and add water to the sauce a little bit at a time, stirring in between, until desired consistency is reached. Re-season with salt if needed. Alternatively, reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until warmed through.
Freezing: I would not recommend freezing this pasta. I haven’t tried but I think that the texture of the pasta and sauce would not hold up well when thawed.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Mexican