March in My Kitchen – Corn Pasta with Southwestern Leanings

Don’t you think all the new pasta varieties in the store are amazing? Even if you are not on a gluten free diet, they are fun to cook with. The quality has dramatically improved from a few years ago. When I saw this corn rotelli (wheat free and gluten free), I had to try it. And, it was very, very good. It was especially good with a Southwestern inspired sauce.

You’ll need to bear with me now because I don’t have a recipe as such. It was one of those “clean out the fridge” dinners. I had just returned from a week on the East coast and was craving something spicy, flavorful, and semi healthy.

Gluten Free Corn Rotelli with Southwestern Sauce

•  1 12-oz package of corn rotelli or pasta of choice
• 2 tablespoons of olive or avocado oil
• 1- 1/2 cups of mixed cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 large red onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn, (I used frozen roast corn from Trader Joe’s)
• 4 scallions, chopped
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided in half
• 1 cup of spicy lemon salsa verde (or avocado sauce)
• Salt to taste
• chopped cilantro to serve
• crushed tortilla chips and diced avocado (optional for serving) 

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil on high heat.
2. While it is heating, add the olive or avocado oil to a large skillet and heat it on medium high.
3. Add the chopped onion to the skillet and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and halved cherry tomatoes, turn the heat down to medium, and continue to saute until the tomatoes start to soften, maybe another 3 minutes.
5. Add the drained black beans, scallions, cumin, and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Turn the heat down to low.
6. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook as per the directions on the package.
7. When cooked to your liking, drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Do not rinse.
8. Add the pasta to the vegetables in the skillet and cook all together. Add some pasta cooking water if it seems dry.
9. Add the Spicy Lemon Salsa Verde (or avocado sauce) and toss together.
10. Toss in 1/2 cup grated cheese and mix together
11. Taste for salt
12. Top with the additional 1/2 grated cheese and chopped cilantro.
13. Garnish with optonal crushed tortilla chips and avocado.

This dish was even more delicious reheated a day later, the flavors had time meld.

I’m taking this to share on Fiesta Friday #58 at Angie’s blog, The Novice Gardener. It’s a perfect Friday evening dinner…serve some guacomole to start and add a salad. It might be even more popular than pizza!