Creamy Southwest Pasta and Black Beans

I wanted a meatless pasta dish that I could prep ahead of time for Taekwon Do night. I pulled out an old pasta cookbook my aunt gave me and started skimming it. I found some basic ideas and decided to branch off of those. This would also be fantastic with shredded chicken so I am adding the poultry label as well.











1 lb pasta(I have been lazy about pasta making lately so I used Sam Mills Gluten Free Shells)

1 TB butter
2 cups cooked black beans(about 1 can, drained and rinsed)
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup tomato salsa
4 oz green chilies, chopped


1 1/2 cups fat free evaporated milk
2 TB cornstarch
8 oz  shredded pepper jack cheese(you can use Monterrey Jack if you dont want the kick)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 TB lime juice
salt and pepper to taste


1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 small red bell pepper, diced
1/2 small orange bell pepper, diced
*for a spicy kick, add in 1 small jalapeno, minced






Cook pasta according to manufacturers instructions

In a medium pan heat butter over medium heat.  Add in black beans, corn, salsa and chilies. Stir and cook 1 minute.









Whisk cornstarch into milk and slowly add it to black bean mixture, cook and stir until the milk thickens.










Remove from heat add  1 1/4 cups of the cheese. Stir until fully melted. Stir in lime juice, red pepper and salt and pepper to taste.










Add green onions and both bell peppers.












In a large casserole dish gently toss the cheese sauce with the pasta.

I made it to this point and covered it with foil and placed it in the fridge. If you do this , make sure to pull it out about 30 minutes before you plan to cook it!!

Preheat oven to 350

Bake, covered for 30 minutes , remove cover and sprinkle on remaining cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes more until melted and bubbly!