Southwest Chipotle Pasta Bowl
This easy-to-make pasta bowl combines bacon, corn, tomatoes, chipotle pepper, and cheese to make a Southwest-inspired, one-dish dinner.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta small shells, elbows
- 4 strips thick-cut bacon cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce seeded and finely chopped
- 4 thin slices sweet onion halved and separated
- 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
- 1 cup coarsely shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid, drain the pasta and return it to the pan.
- While the pasta cooks, fry the bacon until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and drain all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter along with the bacon fat over medium heat and add the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to a plate and set aside.
- Add the remaining butter to the pan, add the onion and sauté until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in the chipotles along with the reserved pasta liquid, season to taste with salt and pepper, add the corn and cook for 1 minute to heat through.
- Add the sauce to the drained pasta and toss to coat the pasta.
- Add the reserved bacon, tomatoes, cheese and cilantro and toss gently to combine.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, spoon into bowls and serve immediately.
Notes
About the pasta: When choosing the pasta to use for this recipe, we recommend a cut with ridges to hold the light sauce. We like shells, but penne and rotini are good choices, too.
About the chipotle peppers: The quantity of chipotles in adobo that you add to any dish depends partially on how spicy you like your food. Chipotle peppers are typically sold in seven-ounce cans, which may not sound like a lot, but given their intense flavor, you'll probably end up with leftovers.
Storing chipotle peppers in adobo: You can store chipotle peppers in the refrigerator (use glass if possible as they leave residual odors on plastic) for about 10 days, or you can opt to freeze them for 6 to 8 months. To freeze chipotle peppers, we recommend scraping out the seeds, mincing them, then stirring them back into the adobo sauce. Spoon that mixture into an ice cube tray and once frozen, you can pop those cubes out and store them in a zip-top freezer bag.
Nutrition
Calories: 599 | Total Fat: 24g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 548mg | Carbohydrates: 80g | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 31g | Protein: 22g