Cheesy Pasta-Chorizo Skillet

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It’s not terribly cold in the the great Pacific Northwest and we certainly aren’t seeing that horrible winter all the weather folks were predicting this past fall – thankfully!! (I’m definitely not looking that gift horse in the mouth!)  There was just something about tonight that begged comfort food.  What brings more comfort than a cheesy pasta dish?  I made it with a Mexican flair since we typically reserve Tuesdays for Tacos.  Ole!

This recipe is a creation that I just whipped together tonight.  I wanted dinner on the table in 20 to 30 minutes so I decided to take a Rachael Ray approach with just a dash of Sandra Lee.  I also decided to add some black beans to it to help boost the nutritional stats on it.  Intrigued?  This dish really was tasty.  We are looking forward to the leftovers!

Cheesy Pasta-Chorizo Skillet

• 1 pound Chorizo, browned
• 1 small onion, diced (or 2 Tbsp dried, minced onion)
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 pound pasta (We used Barilla Pasta-Plus, Rotini), cooked to package directions
• 1 can Rotel
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the pasta to package directions, drain.  In a large skillet, brown the chorizo with the diced onion.  Add the Worcestershire sauce, Rotel, Cream of Chicken soup, and black beans mixing well.  Once it is very, very hot, add the 2 C shredded cheese, stirring to mix.  Stir in the pasta mixing well to coat it with the sauce.  Let it simmer for 5 minutes.  Serve.

Next time I’ll be better prepared.  This would have been dynamite topped with your normal taco fixings.

Chorizo Casserole

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I serve this casserole for breakfast, lunch, and supper.  Sometimes I use whatever I have on hand – hot breakfast sausage, hot Italian sausage, or chorizo.  I think this is a common recipe although it’s only one of a few that I have that uses Bisquick versus bread you tear up.  I like the way this comes together.

I use whatever veggies I have on hand.  I rarely put mushrooms in it since Monk and I are the only fans of them in the family.  I also use whatever cheese I have on hand and even use a mix of them because I really like the various flavors combined like that.  I like to use cilantro in this but it works with basil and flat leaf parsley as well. 

I like to double-down with the onions.  I’ll use both yellow onion and green onion with this.  And I love to garnish with fresh snipped chives if I have any on hand.  I’m a huge fan of onion.  My family is much less enamored than I.

I sometimes lay out taco toppings for this:  chopped lettuce, tomatoes, onions, shredded cheese, salsa, etc. and we actually put a little salad of sorts on top of it.  Yum!!

This reheats well in the microwave.  You can also freeze pieces for times when you want a delicious breakfast in a hurry.  I just thaw the pieces out in the frig overnight and then microwave for a few minutes.

Chorizo Casserole

• 1 lb choizo, if in casings, remove the meat
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 C frozen OreIda chopped onions
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 small cans chopped green chilies
• 1 small can chopped black olives
• 2 cans Ro-Tel Tomatoes
• 4 C sharp cheddar cheese, reserve 1 C
• 1 1/4 C Bisquick
• 1 C milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 10 eggs
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp Cholula hot sauce

Preheat the oven to 375.  Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium skillet, brown the chorizo over medium high heat.  Add the chopped onions, green chilies, black olives, Ro-Tel tomatoes,  and black beans.  Cook until onions are getting translucent and the mixture has heated through.

Pour the meat and bean mixture into the prepared 9×13 pan.  Sprinkle the cheese over the mixture.

Whisk together milk, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, Bisquick and salt.  Pour over the cheese covered meat and bean mixture.

Bake at 375 for 40 to 45 minutes.  The casserole should be set similar to a corn pudding and the top should be golden brown.  Sprinkle the last cup of cheese over it and let it melt in the hot oven.

Let set for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Easy-Peasy Black Bean & Chorizo Soup

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If you are not into the semi-homemade method and comfortable using a can of soup as a base for gussying up to a new soup, then this recipe may not be for you.  This is one of my go-to recipes when I want supper on the table in 15 minutes or less.  I pair it with tortilla chips, Fritos, or Doritos.  If I have more time, I’ll whip up some cornbread to go with this.

This will feed 3 to 4 people as a general rule.  If I want leftovers, I’ll double this.  The family likes to use the leftovers as a dip for their tortilla chips.

If you want this to be a vegetarian recipe, pick your favorite canned black bean soup that is vegetarian.

Easy-Peasy Black Bean & Chorizo Soup

• 1/2 lb chorizo, if links remove casings or slice as you desire
• 1 shallot, grated
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, grated or pressed
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 small can diced green chilies
• 1 small can diced black olives
• juice and zest of 1 lime
• 1 20-oz can Progresso Black Bean soup (pick a vegetarian version if you’d like)
• Garnish
• chopped tomatoes
• sliced green onions
• dollop sour cream
• shredded cheese

In a medium Dutch oven, melt the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the shallot and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until translucent.  Grate or press the garlic cloves directly into the pan and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Add the chorizo, breaking it up into small pieces and cook until browned seasoning with Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste.  Add the cans of chilies and olives, stirring to combine.

Add the can of soup, lime juice and zest.  Stir to combine well.  Taste for seasonings.  Let simmer for 10 minutes.  Ladle into bowls and garnish as desired.

Chorizo & Egg Breakfast Burritos

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The chorizo casserole reminded me of the Jack in the Box Chorizo and Egg Burrito.  My friend Stacy loves them.  I finally had one and it was pretty good.  One thing I hated about it though was that the filling wasn’t evenly spread through the tortilla.  All the chorizo was in a clump at the bottom.

I thought that we could make a version of this that would be tastier, less greasy, and a little more healthy.  For my 17-year-old, I need to use the big burrito tortillas.  For me and Tasha, we like the 6” tortillas.  I like to use multi-grain, high fiber tortillas but the kids prefer flour.  Yeesh – what a pain, right?!  To keep things simple I end up using a mixture of the tortillas so that every one can be happy.  I generally have filling leftover so that we can get a couple of breakfasts out of this.  I love it when that happens.

To keep the eggs from getting rubbery, I like to reheat in the skillet while warming tortillas in the microwave.

When I’m making this for supper, I like to put these in a 9×13 pan, cover in an enchilada sauce, top with cheese and bake to heat everything through and melt the cheese.  I basically then serve these with a little salad of lettuce, tomato, onion, and avocado on top.  Yum!!

Chorizo & Egg Breakfast Burritos

• 6” flour tortillas
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 C sour cream
• 3 Tbsp milk (or whatever you use in your coffee)
• 1 small can of Ro-Tel
• 1 lb chorizo
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 can black beans
• 2 C Monterey Jack Shredded cheese, for garnish
• Hot sauce, for garnish
• fresh tomatoes, for garnish
• diced red onion, for garnish

Remove chorizo from casings.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Once hot, add butter.  Swish butter around the pan to coat the bottom.  Crumble chorizo into the bottom of the skillet and brown.  Sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper breaking the pieces up so that they brown evenly.

Once the chorizo is brown, add the black beans and Ro-Tel turning heat to low.  In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, and milk adding salt and pepper as you like. 

Stir eggs into chorizo and Ro-Tel mixture turning heat up to medium.  Stir the mixture as the eggs begin to firm up so that they can get cooked to a fluffy consistency.  Remove from heat once eggs have cooked.

Warm tortillas in a damp paper towel in the microwave (10 to 15 seconds).  Put 2 to 3 Tbsp or more spread in out in the center of the tortilla.  Top with shredded cheese, tomatoes, diced onion, and hot sauce.  Fold and roll as you would any tortilla.

We like to eat these on the go.  And, there’s no reason to limit this just for breakfast!

Tortilla Bread Pudding

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I’ve been looking at this Rachael Ray recipe for Tortilla Bread Pudding.  I am finally going to get around to making this; however, I will be changing some things up.  I’ve provided the link above in case you want to do her recipe straight up.  Hers will make an 8-inch square baking dish.  One of the changes I’m making is to double it for a 9×13 pan.

Some other changes I’ll be making include adding green chilies, chopped pickled jalapenos, and diced black olives to boost the Mexican profile and bring it a little pizzazz. 

I already know that sometimes I’ll drop the chorizo and use drained and rinsed black beans to make it a vegetarian dish while boosting the nutritional value as well.  I just love versatile recipes!

Tortilla Bread Pudding

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large red onion, diced or minced
• 4 C frozen corn, thawed, divided
• 1 can diced green chilies
• 1 can diced black olives
• 1/4 C pickled jalapeno peppers, chopped (more or less to taste)
• 1 lb chorizo, squeeze meat out of their casings
• 6 eggs
• 3 C milk or cream
• 8 large flour tortillas (about 9”), ground into coarse crumbs
• salt and pepper
• Garnish
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced using all green and white parts
• 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• lettuce
• hot sauce
• sour cream
• guacamole
• crushed Fritos

Preheat oven to 400.  Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Puree 2 C of the thawed corn in your food processor and let rest.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Once hot, add the butter and olive oil swishing it around the pan to coat the bottom.  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until soft.  Add the chorizo and break it up as it browns.

Once the chorizo has browned, stir in the 2 C of thawed corn and cook until the corn starts to become golden – about 5 to 8 minutes.  Stir in the green chilies, black olives, and pickled jalapenos.  Let simmer for 4 to 5 minutes or until everything is heated through.  Taste for seasonings and adjust as desired.  Remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs.  Add the milk, pureed corn, and tortilla crumbs.  Pour the skillet mixture into the bowl and stir.  Pour the egg and chorizo mixture in the prepared 9×13 pan.  Bake for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting.  Garnish as desired.

Chorizo Breakfast Casserole

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I love this breakfast casserole.  It’s a twist on a breakfast casserole in almost every cookbook.  You know the one – you start with sausage and some kind of bread.  The twist in this casserole is the tortillas and the chorizo.  It’s a great twist on an old favorite!

Depending on how you want to garnish this, you could make this casserole for lunch or dinner as well.  When serving this for breakfast, I like to use green onions, tomatoes, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and some sour cream.

Chorizo Breakfast Casserole

• 1 package Chorizo links
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire
• 1 clove garlic, grated or pressed into skillet
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 package flour tortillas, cut into wedges
• 1/2 C Picante sauce
• 4 C shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 C milk or whatever you use in your coffee
• Garnishes
• grape tomatoes, halved
• green onion, sliced thinly
• salsa
• sour cream
• shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray an 8×8 pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Cut tortillas into 8 to 10 wedges (I do the whole stack at once).  Put 1/2 the wedges on the bottom of the prepared pan.  Set aside.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat.  Cut the casing off the chorizo and push it into the hot skillet.  Use the spatula to break up the chorizo so it’s like hamburger.  Season with onion powder, garlic powder, and Worcestershire while browning the chorizo. 

Once the chorizo is browned, add the minced onion and pressed garlic to the skillet and cook until onions are translucent.  Take off the heat and let it start to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, 2 C cheese,  milk, and picante sauce together.  Whisk chorizo mixture into the egg mixture.  Pour over the tortilla wedges.  Top egg and chorizo mixture with the other half of tortilla wedges.  Top those wedges with 2 C cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden on top.  Remove from oven and let sit for 12 to 15 minutes without touching it before serving.