This recipe takes your standard beef pasta and gives it a serious upgrade with chorizo seasoning and a smoky chipotle cream sauce that’ll have everyone coming back for seconds.
The combination of ground beef with chorizo spices creates this incredible depth of flavor, while the chipotle adds just enough heat and smokiness to keep things interesting!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This pasta is comfort food with a kick, but not so spicy that it’ll scare anyone off.
The smoky chipotle cream sauce clings to every piece of penne, while the mozzarella on top gets golden and bubbly in the oven.
It’s also incredibly practical. You can prep it ahead of time and just pop it in the oven when you’re ready to eat. Leftovers actually taste even better the next day once all those flavors have had time to meld together.
Plus, it’s one of those recipes that looks and tastes like you put in way more effort than you actually did. That’s always a win in my book!
Ingredients
For the pasta:
- 1 pound penne pasta
- Salt for pasta water
For the meat sauce:
- 1 pound ground beef (80/20 works great)
- 2 tablespoons chorizo seasoning
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced (plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce)
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- Salt and black pepper to taste
For topping:
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
- Sliced jalapeños for serving (optional)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set it aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the penne according to package directions until just al dente (about 1-2 minutes less than the package suggests since it’ll cook more in the oven). Drain and set aside.
While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon as it browns.
Once the beef is mostly cooked through, add the chorizo seasoning and stir to coat everything. This is where the magic starts happening.
Add the diced onion to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes until it softens. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
Stir in the diced tomatoes, minced chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, smoked paprika, and cumin. Let this cook for 2-3 minutes to let the flavors come together.
Pour in the heavy cream and beef broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let it cook for about 5 minutes until it thickens slightly. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Add the cooked penne to the skillet and toss everything together until the pasta is well coated with the sauce. If your skillet isn’t big enough, do this in the baking dish instead.
Transfer the pasta mixture to your prepared baking dish if you haven’t already. Spread it out evenly, then top with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to brown in spots.
Let it rest for about 5 minutes before serving. This helps it set up a bit and makes it easier to serve. Top with fresh cilantro and jalapeños if you’re using them.
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Chorizo-Beef Pasta Bake
This smoky, satisfying pasta bake combines ground beef seasoned with chorizo spices and tossed with penne in a creamy chipotle sauce.
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the pasta:
- 1 pound penne pasta
- Salt for pasta water
For the meat sauce:
- 1 pound ground beef (80/20 works great)
- 2 tablespoons chorizo seasoning
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced (plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce)
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- Salt and black pepper to taste
For the topping:
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
- Sliced jalapeños for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set it aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the penne according to package directions until just al dente (about 1-2 minutes less than the package suggests since it’ll cook more in the oven). Drain and set aside.
- While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon as it browns.
- Once the beef is mostly cooked through, add the chorizo seasoning and stir to coat everything. This is where the magic starts happening.
- Add the diced onion to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes until it softens. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes, minced chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, smoked paprika, and cumin. Let this cook for 2-3 minutes to let the flavors come together.
- Pour in the heavy cream and beef broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let it cook for about 5 minutes until it thickens slightly. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the cooked penne to the skillet and toss everything together until the pasta is well coated with the sauce. If your skillet isn’t big enough, do this in the baking dish instead.
- Transfer the pasta mixture to your prepared baking dish if you haven’t already. Spread it out evenly, then top with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to brown in spots.
- Let it rest for about 5 minutes before serving. This helps it set up a bit and makes it easier to serve. Top with fresh cilantro and jalapeños if you’re using them.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
