Texas Chili'N Pasta
Submitted by Copper
Diced beef chuck slow-simmered with chili powder, cumin, and cayenne, thickened with cornmeal and ladled over hot pasta. A Tex-Mex spin on meat sauce that’s hearty enough for hungry crowds.
Think of this as Texas chili that went on a date with a big bowl of pasta.
Beef chuck gets diced small and browned with garlic, then coated in chili powder, cumin, and cayenne before simmering with canned tomatoes for a good hour and a half. The cornmeal paste stirred in at the end is the clever move here. It thickens the sauce into something velvety and rich that clings to every noodle.
Ladle it over your favorite pasta and you’ve got a filling, no-fuss dinner that stretches to feed a full table.
Pro Tips
- Dice the beef small, around a quarter inch. These tiny cubes break down during the long simmer and almost melt into the sauce, giving you a chunky, spoonable texture that hugs pasta better than big pieces would.
- Mix the cornmeal with cold water first. Dumping dry cornmeal into hot liquid creates instant lumps. The cold water paste dissolves smoothly and thickens evenly.
- Let the sauce reduce uncovered for the last 20 to 30 minutes. This is where the sauce goes from soupy to clingy. Stir often so the cornmeal doesn’t stick to the bottom.
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare pasta according to package directions, drain.
Heat oil over medium hig h heat in a large, heavy pan.
Add meat and garlic and brown lightly.
Add seas onings and stir to coat meat.
Add tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil, then r educe heat, cover and simmer 1½ hours, stirring occasionally. Add cold wate r to cornmeal and stir to make paste. Stir into hot beef mixture. Continue to cook and stir for 20 to 30 minutes uncovered until desired consistency. Serve ov er hot pasta.
Comments
