One Pot Tex-Mex Pasta

Amber is settling into eighth grade in a way that makes my chest tight with pride and worry in equal measure. She is doing well. She is doing really well. And the fact that I am surprised by this tells you something about the last four years, about the way I have been bracing for disaster since 2012, waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for the damage to surface in ways that therapy cannot fix. But here she is: thirteen in two months, honor roll, reading everything she can get her hands on, tall and quiet and steady. Like me. Like Darla, before. She is so much like Darla sometimes that it takes my breath away, and I have to remind myself that Amber is not Darla. Amber is Amber. And Amber is going to be okay.

Justin is playing football like it owes him something. His coach called me after practice this week and said Justin is the fastest kid on the team and also the most aggressive, and he meant both as compliments but the second one worried me. Aggressive is a word that follows Justin, and I want it to follow him onto the field and stay there and not come home with him. So far, so good. He runs off the field empty and comes home tired and eats dinner and goes to bed without a fight, and tired-and-empty is the best version of Justin right now, which sounds sad but is actually a relief.

I made my one-pot chicken and rice this week, which is my go-to for busy school nights. Brown chicken thighs in a Dutch oven, remove them, saute onion and garlic, add rice and chicken broth, put the chicken back on top, cover, and bake at 375 for thirty minutes. One pot. One dish to wash. Enough for dinner plus tomorrow lunch. The rice absorbs the chicken broth and gets this creamy, savory quality that the kids cannot get enough of. Tyler ate his portion in the time it took me to sit down. Justin had two helpings and said nothing, which from Justin is a five-star review.

Josie announced at dinner that the class hamster name is Mr. Whiskers, and that Mr. Whiskers likes her best, and that she has been chosen to feed Mr. Whiskers on Fridays, which is apparently the greatest honor a second-grader can receive. I told her I was very proud. I was very proud. Of Josie. Of all of them. Of this loud, complicated, beautiful family sitting around a table eating chicken and rice and talking about a hamster named Mr. Whiskers, and none of them knowing how lucky they are that this table exists at all.

That chicken and rice is my signature weeknight move, but on the nights when I want something with a little more personality — something that matches the noise and energy of this house — I reach for this One Pot Tex-Mex Pasta instead. It has that same one-dish, minimal-cleanup logic I rely on when the afternoon has already asked too much of me, but it brings bold, smoky flavor that Justin will eat two helpings of without saying a word, which, as I mentioned, is the highest praise I can hope for. One pot. One table. All of us, together.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10 oz) Ro-Tel tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen or canned corn, drained
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or beef broth
8 oz rotini or penne pasta (uncooked)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
Optional toppings: sour cream, sliced green onions, fresh cilantro, jalapeño slices

Instructions

Brown the meat. In a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef, breaking it apart, until no pink remains, about 5–7 minutes. Drain excess fat.
Saute aromatics. Add the diced onion to the pot and cook for 3 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more until fragrant.
Add tomatoes and seasoning. Stir in the diced tomatoes, Ro-Tel, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine.
Add broth, pasta, beans, and corn. Pour in the broth, then add the uncooked pasta, black beans, and corn. Stir everything together and bring to a boil.
Simmer covered. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Add cheese and rest. Remove from heat, sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top, and replace the lid for 2–3 minutes until melted. Stir gently to incorporate.
Serve. Dish into bowls and top with sour cream, green onions, or cilantro as desired. Serve directly from the pot.

Nutrition (per serving)

One Pot Tex-Mex Pasta — The Dinner That Held Us All Together