Beef Pasta Bake with Mushroom & Jalapeno

A spicy beef pasta bake with mushrooms, pickled jalapenos and baked with cheese on top.  Its like comfort food on steroids!

Do you ever have those days that you don’t know what to cook for dinner and then you look inside your fridge, see what you’ve got and then come up with something awesome!  This recipe was born of one of those days.

Last week I had no clue what to make for dinner and my man has been working so hard these days so I know he needs a hard core comfort food meal when he gets home from work.  So I grabbed some pasta from the pantry, found some ground beef and cheese in the fridge and set to work.

This just kind of came together as I cooked and it turned into a delicious dinner.  Made with love…

In fact, after we ate, Kevin told me that this was his most favorite meal that I have ever made.  Meaty tomato sauce mixed up with sauteed onions, mushrooms, garlic and pickled jalapenos baked with pasta and cheese on top all melty and bubbly.   Its like comfort food on steroids.  Just the type of food to feed hungry men after a hard days work.

Its also the kind of meal I would serve when friends come over with a side salad and some crusty bread.  Its a rustic meal, but perfect to share with friends.  Or family for that matter.

Take it to a potluck dinner and have everyone raving…  Or make it for someone who is in serious need of comfort food as one of my best friends did this weekend for her mother-in-law.

I have discovered a new brand of pasta that’s made with sourdough.  It’s called Kaslo and I am loving it!

I find that gluten free pasta is not awesome for leftover pasta bake.  Its great if you eat it all right away, but it gets soggy the next day.

Kaslo sourdough pasta is partially fermented so its easier to digest and it doesn’t bother me like regular pasta does and it tastes great.  It also doesn’t get soggy!  I’m not sure how many stores its sold if, but if you happen to see it, I highly suggest it. (not for celiacs obviously, or people with severe gluten intolerance)

Beef, Mushroom and Jalapeno Pasta Bake

5 from 1 vote

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Author: Cooks with Cocktails

Ingredients

• 500 g lean ground beef (grass fed if you can get it)
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp salt and pepper each
• 1 onion , chopped
• 4 garlic cloves , minced
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 3 large tomatoes , chopped
• 1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp more salt
• 1/2 to 1 small jar sliced jalapenos (depending on how spicy you like it) and all the juice
• 500 g Kaslo Sourdough pasta (or any pasta you like)
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I used mixed cheddar and swiss)

Instructions

• Heat a large frying pan to med-high heat. Add the olive oil and throw in the beef, garlic powder, salt and pepper, onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook till the beef is cooked through and the mushrooms are nicely browned. Make sure to break up the beef as it cooks.
• Add the tomatoes, chopped and crushed, the salt and the juice from the jalapenos and as many jalapenos as you like. I add 3/4 of the jar and it's got some good kick but not too spicy. Cook down till the tomatoes are like a sauce.
• While the sauce cooks, heat a pot of water on the stove on high. When it boils, throw the pasta in. Cook the pasta till el dente, or till it still has some bite to it, but its almost cooked through.
• Mix it with the beef sauce, pour it in a casserole dish and sprinkle the cheese on top.
• Bake at 400 till the cheese is bubbling and browned. About 20 mins or so, but check it after 15 in case.
• Serve right away!
• After you add the tomatoes and crushed tomatoes, add the juice of the jarred jalapeños and cover. Let simmer for 5 mins at least.