Spicy Pork-Hatch Chili Casserole is loaded with the savory flavors of roasted hatch chile peppers, tomatoes, pork loin, pasta noodles and cheddar cheese. It's a perfect weeknight meal that also doubles as a potluck favorite!
Spicy Pork-Hatch Chili Casserole
When it comes to comfort food, we're pretty obsessed with this casserole. It's filled with pork loin (I used leftover pork loin, but any cooked pork loin will work here), tomatoes, hatch peppers, jalapeño and serrano peppers for a bit of extra heat and substance, loads of seasonings, pasta noodles and cheese to top the whole thing off. I think I might be drooling over here.
You'll get plenty of roasted pepper flavor in every bite, which always makes us happy! Another thing we really love about this recipe is how easy and convenient it is when we need a quick meal.
There isn't a whole lot of cooking here, especially if you're using leftover pork like I am, though this recipe will work easily with chicken if you'd prefer.
It also works very well as a make-ahead meal. You can prep it early, then cover it and bake it later that evening. Bring it to a party. Everyone will love you! After all, who doesn't love roasted peppers served in the same cheesy bite as spicy pork and tender noodles?!
Ingredients in Spicy Pork-Hatch Casserole
- Olive oil
- Pork loin (cooked)
- White onion
- Jalapeño
- Serrano
- Celery stalk
- Garlic
- Roasted hatch chili peppers
- Canned whole tomatoes
- Cayenne powder
- Dried oregano
- Salt and pepper
- Pasta
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Chopped basil (for garnish)
How to Make this Pork Casserole
Sauté the pork and veggies. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the pork, onion, peppers and celery. Stir often for about 6-7 minutes until the vegetables have softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
Add the peppers. Toss in the hatch peppers and tomatoes. Break the tomatoes apart with a spoon as you cook.
Make it flavorful. Stir in the seasonings and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
Cook the pasta. While the sauce is cooking, cook your pasta according to package instructions in salted water. Drain and add the cooked pasta to the pan.
Bake. Give everything a good stir and transfer it to a baking dish. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake for 10 minutes at 350°F, just long enough to melt the cheese.
Enjoy! Give the casserole a good sprinkle of fresh basil just before serving.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Don't over-cook your pasta. The pasta should be cooked to al dente! Follow the package instructions to make sure your noodles aren't over-cooked and mushy.
- Freshly shred your cheddar. I know it may seem like a pain when you can so easily grab a bag of pre-shredded cheese. However, freshly shredded/grated cheese has much better flavor and melts beautifully.
- Keep your eye on it. This pork casserole only needs about 10 minutes to bake in the oven. The goal here is to melt the cheese to gooey perfection! If you pop it in the oven and walk away for too long, you may dry it out and burn the cheese.
Storage
Once the casserole has cooled to room temperature, store it in an airtight container and pop it in the fridge for up to 4 days. Feel free to reheat in the microwave or oven until warmed through again!
Where Can You Buy Hatch Chili Peppers? Here are my recommendations.
Try Some of My Popular Hatch Pepper Recipes
- Hatch Chile Salsa
- Pork Chili with Roasted Red Hatch Peppers
- One Pan Hatch Chile Cheese Dip
- Roasted Hatch Chile-Beer Mustard
- Spicy Pork-Hatch Chile Casserole
- Caribbean-Style Flame Roasted Pepper Bisque with Seared Shrimp
- Roasted Red Hatch Chile Sauce
- King Ranch Casserole
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Spicy Pork-Hatch Chili Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 ounces cooked pork loin cubed
- 1 large white onion chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper chopped
- 1 serrano pepper chopped
- 1 celery stalk chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 6 ounces roasted Hatch chili peppers chopped
- 1 14- ounce can whole tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon cayenne powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups uncooked pasta
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar
- Chopped basil for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan to medium heat. Add the pork, onion, jalapenos, serranos, and celery and cook, stirring often, 6-7 minutes, until vegetables are softened.
- Add garlic and cook another minute, until you can smell that awesome garlic.
- Add the Hatch peppers and tomatoes. Break the tomatoes apart with a spoon.
- Add seasonings and stir. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- While you’re cooking, bring a small pot of salted water to boil and add the uncooked pasta. Boil for 10 minutes or so, until al dente, according to your package instructions. Drain and add the noodles to the pan.
- Transfer the ingredients to a baking dish and top with shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F, until cheese is melted.
- Sprinkle with fresh chopped basil and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Louise Maranzana says
Delicious, I am always looking for new and tasty recipes that are easy to prepare and healthy. So many recipes call for cream sauces and this one doesn't. I can easily tweak this by using chicken for pork, maybe add bell peppers to amp the veggie factor and use only jalapenos since I like just a little bit of heat. I will try it with pork and then chicken to see what I like better.Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
Absolutely! Glad you like it, Louise! Thanks!
Leslie says
This is one of the best recipes for pork, pasta and Hatch green chilies. You can adjust the temperature for those who like a milder dish especially the amount of cayenne. I use diced tomatoes with green chilies because we love chilies!!!
Mike Hultquist says
Nice! Thanks, Leslie!
JoAnn V says
What temperature do you bake this at?
Mike Hultquist says
350 degrees F, JoAnn. I will make sure to note that in the recipe. Thanks.
Chip - Minnesota says
I just made this for dinner and it was wonderful. I used a pound of ground pork instead of a pork loin but it was great. I really liked the subtle tomato taste almost like a Tex Mex spaghetti. Next up is some mustard.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Glad you enjoyed it, Chip!
John says
Hi. Recipe sounds awesome. Which vendor do you use for ordering the peppers online?
Also, if you mixed up the hot sauces with this pepper vs the standard pepper, which hot sauce would you use it for a substitute?
John
REPLY: John, I have a link here where you can find resources to buy Hatch peppers. https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/resources/where-to-buy-hatch-chile-peppers. I think Hatch peppers would work with any number of hot sauces, though I would personally prefer to work with red peppers here. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.