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Chili and Cilantro Pesto on Black Bean Pasta

May 15, 2016 9 Comments

Chili and cilantro pesto on black bean pasta

Chili and cilantro pesto pair up well on black bean pasta

This chili and cilantro pesto on black bean pasta dish is my final recipe featuring Trader Joe’s Black Bean Rotini that I recently reviewed and awarded five stars out of five.

Chili and cilantro pesto on black bean pasta

Chili and cilantro pesto for pasta toppings, oh yeah…

The flavor profiles from the chili, cilantro pesto, and black bean pasta are familiar, and yet the uniqueness of the black beans in pasta form, and the vibrancy and intensity of the cilantro in pesto form makes this dish extra special, I think.

Chili and cilantro pesto on black bean pasta

First four ingredients for superb homemade chili

After years of making all kinds of chili, I think the best chili has few ingredients, but quality ingredients.  These days, for my homemade chili, I usually use just five ingredients. Pictured here are the first four: about half of a large diced onion, a can of diced tomatoes (I like the unsalted kind), some relatively lean ground beef, and some good quality chili powder.

Chili and cilantro pesto on black bean pasta

Fifth key ingredient for fab homemade chili: ground cumin seed

The fifth ingredient that I never skip is ground cumin seed…to me this spice is key to making chili tastes like, well,  chili. I sautee the ground beef with the chopped onion until the beef is browned and crumbly, then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of chili powder and 2 teaspoons of cumin seed and cook for an additional two minutes. Then I add the canned tomatoes and juices, plus maybe just a little more water. Then I add salt to taste and let it all simmer for 10 minutes, and good-bye, thank you, we’re done. Simple, and good.

Chili and cilantro pesto on black bean pasta

Black bean pasta topped with chili, cilantro pesto and sharp cheddar

Actually, really really good when you put this homemade chili on top of Trader Joe’s Black Bean Rotini and cilantro pesto, and then top the whole mess with some shredded cheese.

Chili and cilantro pesto on black bean pasta

Chili piled on black bean pasta is tasty!

I’ve never, ever like my chili with beans, and I have no idea why, considering that I’m a pretty open-minded eater. But I love this chili served on top of black bean pasta! Go figure!

Chili and cilantro pesto on black bean pasta

Try a bowl of black bean pasta topped with chili and cilantro pesto…unique and so lish!

I do hope you’ll give black bean pasta a try. I’ve featured two other recipes with Trader Joe’s Black Bean Rotini here and here. You can find my recipe for homemade cilantro pesto here — the cilantro pesto adds a citrusy foil and herbal zing that makes this dish really shine. Here’s the printable recipe for the basic ground beef chili:

5.0 from 2 reviews
Basic Ground Beef Chili
 
Save Print
Prep time
5 mins
Cook time
22 mins
Total time
27 mins
 
Simple and basic recipe for ground beef chili, with just five ingredients
Author: Ginger Wroot
Recipe type: Ground Beef Chili
Cuisine: Southwestern
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • One pound of ground beef or ground round
  • ½ large onion, or 1 small onion, medium diced
  • One 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 2 to 3 Tablespoons chili powder, or to taste
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Place diced onions and ground beef together in large skillet over medium heat and cook until meat is well browned and crumbly.
  2. Add chili powder and ground cumin, and cook two more minutes.
  3. Add canned tomatoes and juices to ground beef and spices, and add extra water if desired.
  4. Lower heat and simmer for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
  6. Reheats well.
3.5.3208

Enjoy!

–G

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Filed Under: Gluten Free, Main dishes, Pasta and Rice, Recipes Tagged With: Trader Joe's

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Comments

  1. Kate says

    January 28, 2019 at 12:05 am

    This was delicious! I’ve been looking for more recipies using the black bean rotini from TJs- and this was great! I used ground turkey. I ended up only using 1 teaspoon of chili powder, because I know my limits with the stuff! (You can always add, but you can’t take away.) I don’t know if the pesto recipe meant to say 4 teaspoons of lime juice, or if it meant 4 Tablespoons, but I ended up using about 3 Tablespoons in all. Served with a small dollop of sour cream, and a light sprinkling of shredded Mexican cheese blend. So good!

    Reply
    • gingerwroot says

      April 30, 2019 at 8:55 pm

      I know, it really is a great combination of flavors. Your comment has inspired me to go back and make this again. Thanks for commenting! -G

      Reply
  2. CakePants says

    June 12, 2016 at 11:04 pm

    I’ve never tried black bean pasta, but it definitely sounds like I should (especially seeing as I shop at Trader Joe’s all the time)! This chili looks excellent – a great recipe to have on hand when I’m looking for something hearty yet not too time-consuming.

    Reply
    • gingerwroot says

      June 13, 2016 at 1:20 pm

      I just purchased another three bags of TJ’s black bean pasta since the last posting-ha! Hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do!
      –G

      Reply
  3. Candace says

    May 16, 2016 at 10:04 pm

    Omg thank you so much for this! I’m always looking for healthy dishes to make here, but still something kid friendly. This will be so quick and easy and I can’t wait to try it out. Definitely adding it to my reading list. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    http://www.thebeautybeau.com

    Reply
    • gingerwroot says

      May 17, 2016 at 10:55 am

      Hi Candace, and you are most welcome!
      –G

      Reply
  4. Shauna says

    May 16, 2016 at 10:42 am

    This looks amazing! Wish I would have seen this last week to make for this weekend!

    Shauna

    http://www.lipglossandlace.net

    Reply
    • gingerwroot says

      May 16, 2016 at 9:24 pm

      It really is amazing–a great weeknight dish too!
      –G

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Black Bean Pasta from Trader Joes is creamy and flavorful! says:
    May 15, 2016 at 1:07 am

    […] This week, I’ll be posting several recipes that feature Back Bean Pasta from Trader Joes, and I’ll be back to link up those posts. Update: you can see recipes made with this rockin’ black bean pasta here and here and here. […]

    Reply

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