This is for Mariann in Kentucky in the 3/14/09 newsletter who wanted recipes using beans, as she wants to have one meatless main dish each week. This recipe lists canned beans, but you can substitute dried black beans that you have cooked. If you don’t have the seasoning on hand, you can use one taco seasoning mix. I use a lot of black beans in cooking as they are very high in fiber.
Robbie In

Mexican Beans And Pasta Bake
1 med. onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2" segment hot chili pepper, minced or 1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 qt. undrained canned diced tomatoes
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 c. uncooked whole wheat elbow macaroni or other pasta broken into pieces
1 1/2 c. frozen or canned corn 3 c. cooked pink or black beans
1/2 c. sliced black olives
1 c. broken taco shells or tortilla chips
1 c. shredded Jack cheese or cheese of your choice

In a skillet coated with non-stick cooking spray sauté onion, garlic and hot pepper for about 3 minutes to soften. Add chili powder and cook briefly. Add tomatoes, oregano and cumin and bring to a boil. Add pasta and corn and simmer 15 minutes until pasta is just tender. Stir in beans and olives. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Transfer bean mixture to a shallow 2 quart casserole. Top with taco shells or tortilla chips and cheese. Bake for 10 minutes to melt cheese. If casserole is assembled in advance and chilled, increase baking time to 20 minutes or until heated through. Top with sour cream at the table.
Robbie IN

http://www.nancyskitchen.com