One Pot Cajun Burrito Pasta
If you’re a fan of burritos and the spicy beef, veggies and Cajun-style rice that often features, then this one-pot pasta dish has all of the above and your name written all over it. Of course, the knack with one pot pasta dishes and using gluten free pasta simply boils (excuse the pun) down to this: not overcooking the pasta! On the hob, look for an al dente texture, and in the slow cooker keep an eye on it during the final 10 minutes. When it’s done, it’s done!
Credited to: Becky Excell
Kcal:
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil spray
- 150g frozen chopped onion or 1⁄2 large leek, finely chopped
- 500g minced (ground) beef
- 2 tsp garlic paste (optional)
- 20g jarred jalapeños, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp mild curry powder
- 11⁄2 tbsp dried mixed herbs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1⁄2 tsp ground black pepper
- 400g frozen sliced red, green and yellow (bell) peppers
- 200g frozen green beans
- 1 x 400g can of black beans, drained
- 2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato purée (paste)
- 800ml gluten free beef or ham stock, for the hob, or 600ml stock, for the slow cooker*
- 500g gluten free dried pasta
- 75g mature cheddar, grated
Notes: * Check Coeliac UK's Food and Drink Information for suitable products
Method
- To cook using the hob and oven, spray the base of a large ovenproof pot that has a lid with oil and place over a medium heat. Once hot, add the onion or leek and fry until the onion is browned or the leek has softened.
- Add the beef and, once it releases a little moisture, scrape anything stuck to the bottom of the pan until it’s deglazed. Once the beef has browned, add the garlic paste, if using, jalapeños, smoked paprika, curry powder, mixed herbs, salt and pepper. Stir well and fry until fragrant and until there’s no liquid left in the pan. Stir in the peppers, green beans and black beans, and fry for 2–3 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, purée and stock, then stir well once more. Add the pasta and ensure it is all submerged under the stock. Place the lid on, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10–12 minutes until the pasta is cooked and the sauce is a little thickened.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C/Gas Mark 7
- Remove the lid and briefly stir once or twice (don’t stir too much as gluten free pasta is fragile!) then pat everything down into a flat, even layer and top with the grated cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown.
Slow cooker
- To cook using a slow cooker, spray the base of a large frying pan with oil and place over a medium heat. Once hot, add the onion or leek and fry until the onion is browned or the leek has softened. Add the beef and fry until browned.
- Meanwhile, add the remaining ingredients apart from the pasta and cheese to the slow cooker and stir well. Once the beef has browned, add the beef and onion or leek to the slow cooker and stir in. Pop the lid on and cook on low for 6–7 hours or on high for 3 ½ hours, stirring in the pasta 20–30 minutes before serving.
- Once the pasta is cooked, sprinkle the grated cheese on top and cover with the lid for 5–10 minutes until melted.
Hints and tips:
Don’t overcook the pasta once it’s added to the pot, or when you stir it afterwards, it can easily all break and disintegrate! Take the lid off after 5–8 minutes (hob) or 15 minutes (slow cooker) to check how it’s getting on. This is a reminder that this will be way too much food to cook in a small slow cooker! This recipe is made for a 6.7l slow cooker; if you don’t have one, then simply halve the quantity of everything needed to serve 3–4 (and bear this in mind for the other in this chapter).
