Cinco de Mayo Pasta

Chipotle pepper simmers with tomatoes, spices and other veggies for a flavorful Cinco de Mayo Pasta dish. Vegetarian recipe is easy to make on May 5 or any other day you want to spice up your pasta meals!

Cinco de Mayo seems to get bigger and bigger every year. Or maybe just being more focused on my food blogging I see all the great Mexican recipes being shared online this time of year. I got caught up in the spirit, and came up with this Cinco de Mayo Pasta recipe to share.

I dabbled with Mexican pasta recipes a few times, but was underwhelmed with the results. That changed last night with this Cinco de Mayo Pasta! Chipotle simmers in a sauce with tomato, onions and pepper. Add some spice, corn and beans, and you’ve got some yum on your hands. This gets a nice finishing touch by melting in some Monterey Jack cheese and then serving with some chipotle cream served on the top. I had a bit of that cream on hand from the pork tenderloin tacos I made over the weekend–stay tuned for that recipe. Go easy on the cream, at least until you check the spice levels for yourself. The pasta has a nice kick to begin with and the cream delivers a good dose, too.

Pairings: Though I usually suggest wine pairings, a margarita would seem to be the perfect match for this Cinco de Mayo pasta. I haven’t tried that for myself…yet! A Mexican lager would also be a good match. Maybe a Gewürztraminer if you want to stick with wine.

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Cinco de Mayo Pasta

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Chipotle pepper simmers with tomatoes, spices and other veggies for a flavorful Cinco de Mayo pasta sauce.

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Main
• Method: stove top
• Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

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• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 cup bell peppers, chopped (mixed colors is best)
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
• 2 cups diced tomatoes (canned is fine)
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 14 oz can pinto beans
• handful of spinach
• 1 tsp cumin
• pinch cinnamon
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 tsp adobo sauce
• 12 ozs ziti or other short pasta
• ¾ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

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Instructions

1. Start a pot of water to boil for the pasta.
2. Stir the adobo sauce in with the sour cream, and set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a medium pan. Add the onions and peppers, cook for 5 minutes until they begin to soften add the garlic, followed by the spinach.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, followed by the chipotle pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the corn and pinto beans.
5. As the tomatoes begin to simmer, start cooking the pasta according to package instructions. When the pasta is cooked to your liking, drain and then toss with the sauce. Stir in the Monterey Jack.
6. Serve the pasta, passing the sour cream for people to add to their pasta for some extra kick…a teaspoon or so should be enough. Enjoy!

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Looking for more Cinco de Mayo ideas? Give my Awesome Avocado Steak Tacos a try!