I had intended my Memorial Day post to be about barbecue. Serious barbecue. We’re talking a whole hog. I had all the pictures lined up, but the instructions, which are admittedly a bit involved, didn’t quite come together before I took off for Camp Blogaway. So, here I am, on the eve before my road trip, writing about this easy cheezy vegan chorizo pasta bake instead. It’s all good, as you’re gonna love this recipe. I’ve learned you can never go wrong with creamy cheesy pasta dishes!
This all came together quite by accident. I had picked up Trader Joe’s Soy Chorizo on a whim, without giving much thought to how I would use it. Soon enough, an evening arrived where the day had otherwise escaped me, and dinner wasn’t even on my radar. As I pulled the various items out of the fridge, a plan started to take shape. Saute a little onion and garlic, toss in the chorizo, some spinach, and voila! The end result was a hit and was requested again the following week–hey, could you make that cheesy Mexican pasta dish again? Sure!
Hope you’re enjoying the long weekend, and I’m sure I’ll be reporting back next week on all my crazy Camp Blogaway adventures.
Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil.
Add the chorizo, and cook a few additional minutes.
Stir in the spinach, spices, and tomato sauce and heat through.
Toss the chorizo sauce with the pasta and 3/4 cup of the mozzarella.
Spread into a baking dish and top with the remaining mozzarella. Bake for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Dig in!
Here’s the printable version:
- 12 oz fusilli or elbow macaroni
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 12-oz package Trader Joe's Soy Chorizo
- 1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 cup Trader Joe's Vegan Mozzarella Style Shreds
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain.
- Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat.
- When the onion starts to brown, add the chorizo. Cook for a few minutes then stir in the spinach, spices, and tomato sauce to heat through.
- Stir the pasta and ¾ cup of the mozzarella into the chorizo sauce mixture.
- Transfer to a 2.5 quart baking dish, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the top. Bake about 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly.
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This looks mouth watering Anne! Though I would probably use pork chorizo…lol!
lol it *is* tempting to try it that way! The vegan chorizo isn’t exactly low fat anyway!
Do you cook the pasta first, or add dry pasta?
Um, never mind. :/
No worries! Looking back through the post, I should probably make that clearer in the instructions under the pictures!
I am thinking about making this for my friend who just had a baby and is unable to cook right now. Would I bake this ahead of time, or can I not do that so that she can make it whenever she wants it (Others are bringing food).
Thank you!
Hi Kasey–I think this would be fine to make/assemble up to the point of baking, then let your friend do the final bake. While I haven’t done that with this dish in particular, I have done it with other pasta dishes, and it has worked out well. She could also freeze it for later baking, if she has too much food on hand right now. Hope your friend enjoys this!
My fiance and I have made this recipe twice now and I wanted to say thank you. It’s come out delicious every time. 🙂
Thanks! Glad you’re enjoying it!
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