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Creamy Mexican Chorizo Pasta

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Make this creamy Mexican chorizo pasta in just 20 minutes when you’re craving a cheesy, decadent comfort food dinner. And if you love flavor packed pastas like us, also check out our spicy chicken chipotle pasta!

A saucy, cheesy, Mexican chorizo pasta made with rigatoni

Our final Pasta of the Month recipe combines two of our favorite cuisines (Mexican and Italian) into one delicious fusion dish (just like our elote pizza)! This Mexican chorizo pasta was inspired by our love of queso dip and creamy, cheesy pasta dishes.

It’s a delightful mashup of the tex-mex flavors of queso and the formula for an alfredo sauce. Made with chorizo, cream, cheese, and lime juice, this pasta is irresistibly flavorful, and just might become your new favorite dinner.

What To Expect

  • Great for: Easy dinners when you need something super cozy and comforting, especially in the winter.
  • Ready in: 20 minutes
  • Serves: 3 to 4 people
  • Flavor profile: Super savory and cheesy, decadent, and creamy.
  • How to make it: Boil the pasta, brown the chorizo, build the sauce around the chorizo (butter, heavy cream, cheese, salt, and lime juice), combine with the pasta and serve!

We hope you love this recipe!

If you give it a try, please let us know what you think by leaving a rating and review. We read and reply to every single comment!

Ingredients

  • Chorizo – We recommend using a high quality brand of Mexican chorizo, like Cacique Pork Chorizo, for the best flavor. Make sure to buy ground chorizo, not links.
  • Pasta – Choose a pasta shape that can hold up to a thick, creamy sauce. Rigatoni is our favorite for this recipe! Short noodles work best here.
  • Cheese – You’ll need a blend of Monterey Jack and sharp cheddar cheese for this pasta. Always buy blocks of cheese and shred it yourself for the best texture.
  • Seasonings – All you need to amp up the flavor in this pasta is salt and lime juice. Use fresh squeezed!

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Creamy Mexican Chorizo Pasta

  1. Boil the pasta. Cook according to package directions.
  2. Brown the chorizo. While the pasta is boiling, cook the chorizo in a frying pan.
  3. Build the sauce. Lower the heat on the chorizo, and add butter and heavy cream straight to the pan (you’re building the sauce around the chorizo). Melt in the shredded cheese, then season with salt and lime juice.
  4. Combine and serve. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Stir well to combine, then serve hot, optionally garnished with additional shredded cheese.

Note: Building the sauce around the chorizo is absolutely crucial to developing the flavor of this dish! When you add the butter and heavy cream to the pan, it’s being used to deglaze and loosen up all the bits of flavor that stick to the pan while you brown the meat. Make sure to do all this in one pan so you don’t lose any of that flavor.

Expert Tips

  • Drain the chorizo – If there’s a ton of grease in the pan after browning the chorizo, carefully drain some out before building the sauce.
  • Shred your own cheese – Always buy blocks of cheese and shred it yourself for melting! This yields a smoother, creamier texture than using shredded cheese from a bag. If you don’t have a cheese grater, invest in one now – we love this simple box grater from Amazon.
  • Vegetarian alternative – You can use soyrizo instead of chorizo for a vegetarian version of this pasta. It’s just as delicious! Just make sure to follow the cooking instructions on the package, since soyrizo typically doesn’t take as long to brown as chorizo.

Serving Suggestions

This pasta is quite heavy on its own, so you don’t need much for side dishes! Here are a few options for serving:

  • Serve with a light salad or dressed greens
  • Enjoy fresh bread and dipping oils on the side
  • Skip the sides and have an extra large serving of this cozy pasta when you’re craving pure comfort food

Really, it’s the kind of dish you can just dig into on its own, curled up on the couch in your favorite sweatshirt. Perfect for dinner after a long day of work!

Cheezy Mexican chorizo pasta made with rigatoni being picked up out of a shallow bowl with a fork.

Storing and Reheating

Store leftover chorizo pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat single servings in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Next time you’re craving a creamy Mexican pasta, indulge in this 20-minute chorizo pasta! Let us know what you think by rating and commenting below.

Other Cozy And Comforting Pasta Recipes

Love this recipe? You may enjoy these recipes, too:

Tell us what you think!

We hope you enjoy this recipe! When you try it out, please leave a review and a star rating in the comments below. Happy cooking! – Nicole and Alex

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Creamy chorizo pasta.

Creamy Mexican Chorizo Pasta

Nicole & Alex Langdon
Make this creamy Mexican chorizo pasta in just 20 minutes when you’re craving a cheesy, decadent comfort food dinner.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Fusion, Italian, Mexican
Servings 3 servings
Calories 1026 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

  • ½ pound rigatoni
  • 9 ounces ground Mexican chorizo or soyrizo
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese shredded
  • 2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ½ medium lime juiced

Instructions
 

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the rigatoni according to package directions.
  • In the meantime, brown the chorizo in a large frying pan over medium heat, breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks. This should take about 7 to 10 minutes.
  • Lower the heat to medium-low. Add butter and heavy cream to the pan and stir to combine, until the butter has melted and the mixture is lightly steaming.
    Next, add the shredded cheese in batches, stirring constantly to melt.
  • Once all the cheese has been incorporated, season the sauce with salt and lime juice.
    Drain the pasta and add the noodles to the sauce. Stir to combine, then serve hot.
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Notes

Chorizo: We recommend using a high quality brand of Mexican chorizo, like Cacique Pork Chorizo, for the best flavor. Make sure to buy ground chorizo, not links.
Soyrizo alternative: We love making this pasta with soyrizo (soy chorizo) for a lighter – and also vegetarian – version. If you use soyrizo, make sure to cook according to the package instructions as it typically doesn’t need to cook as long as chorizo.
Cheese: Always buy blocks of cheese and shred it yourself for the best texture. We love our box grater (linked above in the Equipment section) and use it all the time!
Making the sauce: Building the sauce around the chorizo is absolutely crucial to developing the flavor of this dish! If there’s too much grease in the pan after browning the chorizo, carefully drain some out first.
Serving suggestions: This pasta is pretty heavy, so it can definitely stand alone. But you can also serve it with a side salad or fresh bread and dipping oils if you’d like.
Storing and reheating: Store leftover chorizo pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat single servings in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 1026kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 33gFat: 71gSaturated Fat: 38gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 199mgSodium: 944mgPotassium: 287mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 2195IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 349mgIron: 2mg
Like this recipe?Please leave a review below! We read and respond to every single comment.

If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.

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90% of Nicole’s thoughts are about food. She’s had a passion for cooking (and eating) for as long as she can remember! Growing up, she started cooking with her mom at a young age, learned family recipes from her Italian grandmother, took every opportunity to make cookies (so many bake sales), and always loved going out to restaurants to try new foods.

Nicole currently works part-time as a marketing professional for OmieLife while also working nonstop on The Candid Cooks. As a former mechanical engineer, Nicole has consistently found herself at the intersection of creativity and logical reasoning. She credits not only her passion for photography, design, and writing, but also her problem-solving nature and desire to learn, as the foundation on which The Candid Cooks was built.

Nicole’s hobbies include anything that gets her moving - mainly hiking, skiing, ice skating, and dancing - as well as reading fantasy novels and scrapbooking. Her favorite food is a big plate of nachos, as long as they’re cheesy enough!

5 from 1 vote

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Recipe Rating




 

One Comment

  1. 5 stars
    I love fusion recipes, and this is no exception. I love how the flavor of the chorizo combines with the cheese sauce and creates a fun, comforting, and super bold pasta dish.

    Reply