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Southwest Beef Cavatappi or Macaroni

Southwest Beef Cavatappi or Macaroni

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with Poblano & Smoky Red Pepper Crema

Yield: 2

Southwestern-meets-Italian inspired skillet supper with bold flavors. Twisty cavatappi, bites of flavorful ground beef, and sautéed poblano, topped with a Mexican cheese blend, smokey red pepper crema, bright sour cream, and hot sauce for a little kick. A sprinkle of scallion greens adds a pop of color.

Gayle isn’t a fan of the cavatappi (too thick), so we will normally use macaroni.
Prep: 5 Cook: 35

  • 1poblano pepper
  • 2scallions
  • 6oz cavatappi or macaroni pasta
  • 10oz ground beef
  • 1TBS southwest spice blend (see below)
  • 1½oz tomato paste
  • 1heaping tsp beef stock concentrates
  • 2TBS sour cream
  • 4TBS smoky red pepper crema (see below)
  • ½cup Mexican cheese blend
  • 1tsp hot sauce
  • 1TBS cooking oil
  • 2TBS butter

Prep:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce.

Halve, de-seed, and thinly slice poblano into strips. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens.

Cook pasta & poblano:

Once water is boiling, add cavatappi to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes.

Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain.

Meanwhile, heat a large drizzle of oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add poblano and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, 4-5 minutes.

Cook beef:

Add a drizzle of oil to pan with poblano. Add beef, scallion whites, and Southwest Spice, season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until beef is browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes.

Tip: If there’s excess grease in your pan, carefully pour it out.

Add tomato paste; cook, stirring occasionally, until combined, 30 seconds

Make sauce:

Add ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water and stock concentrates to pan with beef mixture. Season with ½ tsp salt and a pinch of pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, 2-3 minutes.

Finish pasta:

Reduce heat to low and stir in drained cavatappi, sour cream, smoky red pepper crema, half the Mexican cheese (you’ll use the rest in the next step), 1 TBS butter, and hot sauce to taste.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tip: If needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce.

Finish & serve:

Top beef cavatappi with remaining Mexican cheese; cover pan until cheese melts, 1-2 minutes. Divide between bowls; top with scallion greens and serve.

Southwest Spice Blend

  • 4parts garlic powder 2 tsp
  • 2parts cumin ¾ tsp
  • 2parts chili powder ¾ tsp

Smoky Red Pepper Crema

  • 1Red Bell Pepper
  • ½cup Sour Cream
  • ½tsp Lemon Juice
  • ¼tsp Kosher Salt
  • ¼tsp Smoked Paprika

Preheat oven to 400ᵒF.

Roast bell pepper whole for 40 minutes, flipping after 20 minutes to evenly roast.

Remove bell pepper from oven. Place on plate and cover for 20 minutes to self-steam.

Peel, remove stem, and de-seed bell pepper.

Puree bell pepper flesh, sour cream, kosher salt, and smoked paprika in a blender until smooth.