Southwestern Salsa Style Pasta Sauce Recipes

CHEESY PASTA SALSA SKILLET

Steps:

• Brown meat in large skillet; drain.
• Add salsa and water; stir. Bring to boil. Stir in macaroni. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover. Simmer 15 minutes or until macaroni is tender.
• Add corn and 1 cup of the cheese; cook until cheese is melted and mixture is heated through, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese; cover. Let stand 1 minute or until cheese is melted.

SOUTHWESTERN SALSA-STYLE PASTA SAUCE

Steps:

• I always make sure to chop my stuff up before I start, so peel your garlic and mince it, then put it aside. I keep my minced garlic in a shot glass. Next, dice your onion. Put that aside. Also, mince your cilantro. The cilantro doesn't HAVE to be minced now but it IS good to mince it during the last 2 minutes of sauteing your onions and garlic.
• Get a saucepan and line the bottom with Olive Oil over medium heat.
• Once hot, throw in your garlic and onions.
• Immediately add a layer of salt and pepper and stir.
• Set your kitchen timer for 12 minutes and stir about once every 1-2 minutes thereafter, to keep the garlic and onion cooking down and to prevent it from cooking the middle portion of the pan.
• After 12 minutes, open your can of tomatoes and add those in there. Also, add your salt, sugar, cilantro, and Tabasco Sauce. Stir REALLY well. Use the pepper to taste. If the sauce tastes too "salty", add a tiny bit of sugar and stir to balance it out. If it tastes too sweet, add a tiny bit of salt to balance it. You want it someplace in the middle.
• Turn the heat up to the highest setting and boil it for about five minutes while stirring frequently to prevent burning as well as to burn off some of the extra juice from the tomatoes and thicken the sauce.
• Turn the heat down to LOW (about "2" on any stove) and let the sauce simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring about every 5-10 minutes.
• Prepare your pasta according to the package. It would help to add a splash of olive oil to your water to prevent foaming.
• Drain and serve the pasta in a large serving bowl and add the sauce separately.
• Add Cheese.
• Enjoy!

SALSA SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• In a saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, salsa, tomato paste, cumin, garlic salt, salt and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Serve over pasta. Sprinkle with cilantro.

SOUTHWESTERN SALSA PASTA

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain.
• Meanwhile, combine the beans, corn, salsa, and scallions in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
• Combine the pasta and sauce, toss well, and serve.
• Southwestern Salsa Pasta (this page)
• Avocado and Ricotta Soft Tacos (page 174)
• Coleslaw cabbage, dressed with vinaigrette
• Calories: 187
• Total Fat: 0g
• Protein: 8g
• Carbohydrate: 37g
• Cholesterol: 0mg
• Sodium: 442mg

SOUTHWESTERN PASTA

Steps:

• Peel sweet onions and cut into slices about 1/4-inch thick; separate slices into rings.
• In a large deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onions, chicken, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and golden, about 25 minutes.
• Stir in the tomatoes, corn and chiles and cook 2 minutes longer.
• Pour in the chicken stock and increase heat to high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Combine the sauce, cooked pasta, cilantro and goat cheese, stirring and tossing to soften the cheese.