Mexican Chorizo Noodle Bowl

Mexican Chorizo Noodle Bowl

I found a recipe similar to what I'm posting in a magazine 6 or 7 years ago and modified it to suit our tastes. It's fast, reasonably healthy, extremely flavorful and very satisfying. The original recipe had you cooking the pasta in the soup but I found that when I did this the noodles had a tendency to soak up all of the broth so I cook it separately then put a heap into each bowl and ladle the soup over them. It works much better. I have also at times tossed in frozen peas or corn if no zucchini was on hand. I use a medium hot salsa, Pace to be exact, and that gives the soup a moderate degree of heat when combined with the chipotles in adobo. You can use any cheese you like but I have found the brininess of the feta a wonderful contrast to the soup. It takes about 30-40 minutes from start to finish and serves 4-6. Enjoy!



Recipe: Mexican Chorizo Noodle Bowl

Ingredients

1 lb. Mexican chorizo (the raw mushy kind)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 14oz. cans chicken or vegetable broth

2 cups bottled salsa, your choice

1-2 chipotle chilies in adobo, chopped fine

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

12 oz. dried thin spaghetti noodles, cooked al dente

(whole wheat or buckwheat noodles makes it even healthier)

1 cup chopped zucchini (or frozen peas, corn etc.)

1/4 cup cilantro (or parsley)

About 1 cup of  feta cheese

More fresh cilantro (or parsley), to scatter over the top

Lime wedges, optional

Directions

Remove casing from sausage, if present. In a 4-quart Dutch oven, cook the chorizo and minced garlic until brown. Drain off fat.

Stir broth, salsa, chipotle chilies, oregano and cumin into the sausage mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover and simmer 15 minutes.

Add zucchini. Simmer uncovered 2-3 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add cilantro.
Put a serving of noodles in each bowl, ladle soup over, top with cheese and some cilantro. Serve lime wedges on the side.