This Mexican pasta bake is one of those easy family dinners that is always a hit. If you love a rich, tomatoey chilli and a comforting pasta bake, this recipe brings the best of both together in one delicious dish, with pasta coated in flavourful chilli and topped with melted cheese.
It is a great way to switch up a regular chilli into something that feels a little different, while still being simple and satisfying. Perfect served with a mixed salad, some extra veggies or your favourite toppings like sour cream, yoghurt, avocado or guacamole, this is the kind of comforting meal everyone can dig into and enjoy.
Calories in Mexican Pasta Bake
This recipe serves 4 and is 586 calories for two slices when slicing the frittata into 6
If you're looking for more recipes within the same calorie range, you'll find an abundance of options in my dedicated collection of 500+ calorie recipes.
If you're following a calorie-controlled diet or a healthy eating plan, it's important to calculate your daily calorie needs using a reliable calorie calculator. The calorie counts provided are estimates and can vary depending on the exact ingredients and portion sizes you use. Using your own calculations helps ensure you're meeting your individual needs. A calorie calculator can help you make informed choices and stay on track with your goals.
See the recipe card for full nutritional estimation.
Ingredients Notes
To make this recipe you will need the following ingredients:
- Extra lean ground beef: This adds plenty of hearty flavour while keeping the dish lighter. It works really well in the rich tomato sauce.
- Onion: Adds a lovely savoury base flavour and helps build depth in the dish.
- Garlic: Brings extra flavour and works perfectly with the beef, tomatoes and spices.
- Red Bell pepper: Adds a little sweetness, colour and extra texture to the sauce.
- Green Bell pepper: Gives even more sweetness and colour, which works really well with the Mexican-style flavours.
- Kidney beans or black beans: These make the dish more filling and add extra fibre and protein. Either works well, so use whichever you prefer.
- Passata: Creates that rich tomatoey sauce that brings everything together.
- Stock: Helps cook the pasta and adds extra flavour to the sauce. You can use either vegetable or chicken stock.
- Tomato paste: Adds a deeper, richer tomato flavour and helps give the sauce a nice thickness.
- Seasonings: Chilli powder, cumin, oregano, paprika and cayenne pepper add plenty of flavour and warmth. You can easily adjust the cayenne depending on how much heat you like.
- Pasta: Soaks up all that delicious sauce and turns the chilli into a comforting pasta bake. Fusilli works really well, but any similar pasta shape is fine.
- Colby Jack Cheese: Adds that golden cheesy topping and makes the whole dish even more comforting and satisfying.
- Salt and black pepper: Used to season the dish and bring all the flavours together.
- Olive oil spray: Just enough to soften the vegetables and cook the beef without needing lots of oil.
Once you've gathered all the ingredients and prepared them accordingly, you're all set to create this easy and delightful recipe.
See the recipe card for specific quantities and instructions.
Variations and Substitutes
There are lots of easy ways to adapt this Mexican pasta bake depending on what you have on hand or what suits your family best.
- Protein Swap: You can swap the beef for ground turkey, chicken or pork if you prefer.
- Make it vegetarian:You can leave out the beef and use lentils, a meat-free mince or even extra beans instead. It is a great way to make the dish meat free without losing that hearty texture.
- Beans: Kidney beans and black beans both work well here, so just use whichever you prefer or already have in the cupboard.
- Pasta: Fusilli is great because it holds onto the sauce well, but other similar pasta shapes like penne or rigatoni are good options too. You can also use gluten free pasta if needed.
- Cheese: Colby Jack gives a lovely golden topping, but cheddar, red leicester, mozzarella, Monterey Jack or a mix of cheeses all work well too.
- Adjust the heat: You can easily make this milder or spicier to suit your taste. Reduce the cayenne for a more family-friendly version or add a little extra if you like more heat.
- Add extra veg: Sweetcorn, courgette or mushrooms all work well stirred into the sauce if you want to add a few more vegetables.
- Toppings: This is delicious served just as it is, but you can also add chopped tomatoes, spring onions, avocado, guacamole, sour cream or a spoonful of seasoned Greek yoghurt on top.
Side Suggestions
This Mexican pasta bake is a hearty meal on its own, but a few simple sides can round it out really nicely.
A mixed salad is always a great choice, especially with crisp lettuce, cucumber, tomato and red onion for a bit of freshness alongside the rich pasta bake. Steamed or roasted vegetables also work well if you want to add something extra to the meal, with broccoli, green beans or corn all pairing nicely with the Mexican-style flavours.
If you want to make it feel a little more like a sharing meal, add some toppings on the side too. Low fat sour cream, seasoned Greek yoghurt, sliced avocado, guacamole, pickled jalapenos, chopped tomatoes or fresh coriander are all great for spooning over the top.
Storing, Freezing and Reheating
This Mexican pasta bake is great for meal prep and leftovers, as it keeps really well and the flavours are just as delicious the next day.
To store - Allow to cool, then cover and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can store it in one large dish or portion it out into individual containers for easy lunches.
To freeze - Once cooled, place in a freezer proof container or wrap the dish well and freeze for up to 3 months. You can freeze the whole bake or individual portions, depending on what works best for you.
To reheat - Defrost overnight in the fridge if frozen. Reheat in the microwave until piping hot, or cover with foil and warm in the oven until heated through. You can remove the foil for the last few minutes if you want to crisp the top back up a little.
More Pasta Recipes
Love pasta? There are lots more pasta recipes to choose from on Slimming Eats:
See more Pasta Recipes →
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Recipe Card
Mexican Pasta Bake
Mexican pasta bake is a hearty, comforting family meal that combines a rich beef chilli with pasta and a golden cheesy topping.
Ingredients
- 450g (1lb) of extra lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 400g (14oz) of kidney beans, drained
- 360g (1.5 cups) of passata
- 480ml (2 cups) of stock (vegetable or chicken)
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon of mild chilli powder
- 2 teaspoon of cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon of oregano
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper (add more of less depending on how much heat you prefer)
- 250g (9oz) of pasta of your choice (I used fusilli), gluten free pasta can be used
- 120g (4oz) of colby jack cheese, grated
- salt and black pepper
- olive oil spray
Instructions
- Spray a pan over a medium high heat with olive oil spray
- Add onion and fry till softened.
- Add ground beef and garlic and cook until browned.
- Add in the chopped peppers, passata, stock, tomato paste, spices, herbs and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30mins until sauce thickens. Season as needed with salt and black pepper.
- Stir in the kidney beans and remove from heat.
- Preheat oven to 180c or 350f (gas mark 4)
- Cook pasta in boiling hot water until al dente, drain and mix together with the Mexican beef mix.
- Place in a oven proof dish and top with the grated cheddar.
- Bake in oven till cheese has melted and is golden, approx 30 mins.
Notes
Please see below for full nutritional info and additional details about recipe:
- Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
- WW Points and other Slimming or Weight Loss programs - due to plans regularly changing and updating, we recommend calculating with the official tools you get as a member to those plans to ensure accuracy of values.
- Gluten Free - use gluten free pasta and stock
- ❄️ Freezer Friendly - see storing, freezing, reheating section
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Nutrition Information
Serving Size
1 SERVINGAmount Per Serving Calories 586Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 33.6mgSodium 803.7mgCarbohydrates 79.4gFiber 11.1gSugar 6.4gProtein 25g
Karen Sanger says
This recipe is sooooo nice, had it with a glass of wine, really hit the spot!! 🙂
Chrissy says
Gorgeous and very filling 🙂
Carlie says
Mads this wednesday was delicious even my 14 year old loved it will be making it again.☺☺
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
So happy to hear that Carlie 🙂
Gems says
This recipe is so fab, it really doesn't taste like it should be a 'healthy' chilli recipe!! Such a big hit in my house, I love your recipes!!
Dawn says
So yummy , I've got enough for tomorrow nights dinner too
Jenny says
Just made this for dinner and it was absolutely delicious! Both my husband and me devoured our portions and there's more left for dinner another time, yay 🙂 Thanks for the brilliant recipe, I'll definitely make this again!!
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
so glad it was a hit for you and your husband Jenny.
Tina says
What a yummy recipe!!
Can this be frozen?
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Tina, Pasta is always best eaten once cooked for that al dente texture, that said I freeze pasta bakes all the time with no problem. I don’t mind a little bit of overcooked Pasta
Mary says
Had this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious. Very tasty and satisfying. Loved it.
Wendy Marlane says
Our family go to favorite, just delish! and It freezes great 🙂
Jackie Pickering says
Sooo tasty this will be a regular meal for us Would not let me rate 5/5
Heidi says
This was absolutely delicious 2 days into SlimmingWorld and was feeling quite hungry filled me up will definitely be making this again
Heidi xx
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hey Heidi - so happy to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by to comment.
Indie says
Dying to try this! When sustituting the beef for lentils, how would you recommend I cook them? Thanks
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Indie - If using canned lentils, you can follow the recipe straight from the browning the ground beef step of the recipe. If using dried lentils, I recommend cooking the lentils first as per package instructions and then following from that step. Hope that helps 🙂
Jacquie says
Absolutely delicious. The chilli is really flavourful. I followed the recipe exactly (apart from adding tinned chopped tomatoes instead of pasata and added an extra teaspoon of hot chilli powder as we like our chilli quite hot). It’s the first time I have mixed chilli with pasta but it works perfectly - especially with the grated cheese on top. I think I prefer this to my usual chilli and rice recipe and this will now become a regular meal in our house.
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Jacquie. I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe and you can totally adjust the heat level to your taste. My kids don't like too spicy, so I tend to keep things mild for them. A pinch of cayenne or two is always great for upping the heat. Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a comment, it's really appreciated.
Marie says
This was delicious - just as expected. Very flavoursome & filling. I chopped some jalapeño peppers & scattered over the top with a dollop of creme fraiche on each serving.
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Sounds like a delicious addition. Thanks for sharing.
Marian says
This has been one of my all time favourites!! Unfortunately I cannot eat much pasta now, but wondering how to adjust the liquid for this recipe so I can make it without the pasta? All our meals are now Slimming Eats - Thank You!!!
Marian says
This has been one of my all time favourites!! Unfortunately I cannot eat much pasta now, but wondering how to adjust the liquid for this recipe so I can make it without the pasta? All our meals are now Slimming Eats – Thank You!!!
Margaret says
Hello you say 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Do you mean tomato puree?
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Yes tomato puree is called tomato paste here in Canada and the US 🙂
Leanne says
I made this last night, unfortunately I didn’t get a look in, but I did have a little taste & I have to say it was LUSH! It fed 4 hungry men and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all of them & the portions were huge. Thanks again for another amazing recipe.
Hannah says
Firm favourite with me and my husband! I make it too spicy for our girls to eat. So any leftovers go into the freezer for my husband to take to work when he’s on nights.
I have cooked it using kidney beans but I wasn’t keen on them (even though I like them in a chilli) so each time I’ve made it since I’ve used black beans and I love it!
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us 🙂
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
you are welcome - happy to hear it is a hit.
Irene henning says
I make this every week,really enjoy it,I’m not much of a cook but can follow all your recipes,don’t make them because I’m slimming,i
Debbie Gordon says
This has been a regular since the first time I made it there are only two of us so I still make it for four and freeze half for a quick meal another day ❤️
Amber says
Made this and it was absolutely delicious?
I do have 1 question, what is the typical serving size in weight so I can work out calories in it?
Siobhan (Slimming Eats) says
glad you enjoyed it Amber. As for serving size, if you look to the recipe box of all the recipes, it will tell you how many people it serves, this is 4 servings, so slice into 4 servings and you have a serving.
Sarah Ozigi says
That was absolutely delicious and the portion was generous. I used mozzarella cheese instead so I can have more cheese
Derek says
Hi I have never made a comment on any site before but this recipe is so nice I had to.
absolutely delicious only 2 of us so we have it tomorrow as well
My partner and I Love it
Thank you so much!!
Nikki says
Delicious. Made tonight