Sausage & Red Pepper Chilli Con Carne Pasta Bake
Calories per portion: 617 / 46 Mins to cook
This chilli con carne style pasta bake is great for a family meal. It packs a wallop of protein and fibre and tastes great too boot! If you've got fussy eaters. You can leave out the black beans and you can finely dice the red peppers to try hide them in the tasty sauce. Sneaky!
Nutritional Values
| Calories | Fat | Saturated Fat | Carbs |
| 573 cals | 24g | 11g | 63g |
| Sugar | Fibre | Protein | Salt |
| 14g | 9g | 28g | 2g |
Ingredients
This recipe serves 4 people. Half the ingredients if you're cooking for 2 people.
- 3 garlic cloves. 4 if you really like garlic!
- 2 red / orange peppers. The lighter the pepper the more chance the fussy eaters will spot them!
- 2 tsp of ground cumin
- 2 tsp of ground coriander (cilantro)
- 2 tsp of ground paprika (not the smoked variety)
- A packet of fresh coriander / 10g worth
- 1 chicken stock pot or cube
- 200g of pasta. Farfalle works well, but any pasta shapes will do.
- 300g of sausage meat. Either buy it in packet or squeeze the meat out of the sausage casings.
- 400g of passata / finely chopped tomatoes
- 400g tin of black beans
- 100g of mature cheddar cheese.
Other items you'll need
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Plain flour
- Large non-stick frying pan
- Cheese grater
- Oven-proof dish
- Kitchen knife
Method
Step 1
Peel the skin off the red onions and finely dice them.
Peel the garlic cloves and either slice them finely or have them ready in a garlic press for step 5.
Cut the tops off the red peppers and cut the seeds and pith out carefully with a knife - or use a spoon if you don't feel confident. Dice the peppers (finely if cooking for kids who don't like them).
Step 2
Chop your fresh coriander up roughly - doesn't have to be finely chopped.
Grate your cheddar cheese and set aside.
Drain your black beans and the pop them in a sieve and give them a rinse under the tap.
Step 3
Get a medium to large, non-stick frying pan on a medium to high heat, with a quick drizzle of olive oil.
When the pan has some heat in, add in your sausage meat and cook for 5-6 minutes. Breaking it up and turning it around when it starts to get a nice colour to it.
Boil a full kettle or microwave enough water to fill a pot of pasta.
Wash your hands if you've touched the sausage meat.
Step 4
Turn on your oven and set it to 220 (428) / 392 fan / Gas mark 7.
Add your boiled water to a large pot on a high heat. Add in your pasta and a pinch of salt.
Cook for 7-8 minutes. The pasta doesn't have to be cooked at this point because you'll put it in the oven to finish off.
Once done, stick a measuring jug under a colander, drain the pasta and reserve about 180ml of pasta water. A bit more if you want a "looser" sauce.
Step 5
Moving back to the sausage meat, add your red peppers, onions, garlic and a pinch of salt.
Cook for about 5 mins until the vegetables are starting to get soft.
Once softened, add your ground coriander (cilantro), ground cumin, ground paprika and 2 tsp of flour. The flour will help to thicken up the sauce.
Give it all a good stir and cook for abut 20-30 seconds to get the flavours worked in.
Step 6
Add in your passata, chicken stock and black beans if you are using them.
Give it another good mix and bring up to the boil and allow the sauce to thicken.
Add your drained pasta to the frying pan with the reserved pasta water. (If the frying pan is too small, carefully tip the contents back into the pasta pot with the pasta) and stir to combine.
Step 7
By now your oven should be up to temperature.
Transfer your pasta and sausage mix into a oven proof dish. Smooth it out and add your grated cheddar cheese on top.
Cook for 10-12 minutes or until your cheese is golden and bubbling. Also make sure your sausage meat is cooked thoroughly at this point too.
Step 8
Plate up your sausage and red pepper chilli con carne.
Sprinkle over the chopped coriander (cilantro)
Dig in and enjoy!