Are you ready to celebrate Cinco de Mayo? The 5th of May is a time to celebrate Mexico and the culture of these passionate people. I grew up on the border in El Paso, Texas, so I was inundated with the flavors of Mexican food early.

While at the grocery store, I picked up a jar of Chipotle Salsa Crema. Chipotles were not such a frequently mentioned word when I was growing up, but lately it and chorizo have become the new flavors of this century. Anyway, I went to the Herdez company’s recipes to see what sounded good with the salsa and found this combination sounded wonderful.

I’ve adapted it to work with a low carb lifestyle and managed to keep it below 10 net carbs. This does involve slightly smaller portions, so if you have carbs to spare, go ahead and make your portions a little larger. Otherwise, use a low carb side dish to help fill out the meal. You can use cauliflower rice, a salad, or asparagus for this purpose.

I made my dish with the Great Low Carb Bread Company’s rotini pasta, which is 7 net carbs per serving. Four servings are in an 8 ounce package, so I am using only two servings for this dish. I plan to make it again for this month’s celebration using 2 cups of spaghetti squash as a substitute. I believe the squash will be a great replacement and I’ll update this post after I try it. It saves about 1 1/2 carbs per serving to use spaghetti squash, and it is a good substitute if you can’t find low carb pasta.

Be sure to use the right chorizo. You want the sausage-style Mexican chorizo, not the one in a tube with a chile sauce with it that works great with scrambled eggs, and not the Spanish hard chorizo. Sometimes you can find the sausage in a bulk package but you can also use a tubed sausage. such as Don Juan brand. You want a ground meat you can break down in the skillet.

This is the first time I have tried toasting the pasta before cooking it. I wasn’t sure how well it would cook once it was toasted, but it works fine. It does take the pasta a little longer to cook. If you make this with spaghetti squash, skip the toasting step.  Instead, you will cook the spaghetti squash in the oven or microwave and use a fork to separate the strands, then just stir it in after you add the chorizo back to the pan.

I reduced the amount of Cotijo cheese used in the original recipe as I found the dish to be very salty and it seemed a lot of it came from the Cotijo. The sauce is also salty. If you can’t find Herdez Chipotle Salsa Cremosa, you can substitute any other brand you might find, or you can make your own from the recipe below the main dish.

If you’re looking for other Mexican food recipes, just type Mexican in the search on the top left. You’ll find many options. You’ll also find 16 other recipes in my booklet, Mexican Food for a Low Carb Lifestyle.

Chiptole Chorizo Skillet with Pasta

1 Tablespoons Olive oil
4 ounces Ziti, Rigatoni, Rotini, or medium Shells Low Carb Pasta, uncooked
1⁄2 cup White Onion, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons of Garlic, minced
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
Salt to taste
dash Black Pepper
1 /2 (16-ounce) jar Herdez® Chipotle Salsa Cremosa (433.7 grams)
2 cups Chicken Broth
8 ounces Mexican Chorizo, cooked
1/2 cup Mexican Crema
4 ounces Oaxaca or Chihuahua Cheese, crumbled or Mozzarella Cheese
2 ounces Cotija Cheese, finely crumbled
2 tablespoons Cilantro or Parsley, finely chopped (optional)

In a large skillet, break up the chorizo into pieces and cook until almost done. Use the spatula to continue to break the pieces down while you’re cooking. Set aside. If you are using the same skillet for the next step, then wipe it out with a paper towel.

In a large, deep oven-safe skillet (such as cast iron or copper), add oil and heat to medium.  Add uncooked pasta. Toast and fry the pasta, stirring often, for about 6 minutes.

Add onions, garlic, bell pepper, and black pepper to the toasted pasta and sauté for 3 or 4 minutes until the onions are softened.

Stir in the chipotle salsa cremosa and chicken broth.  Cover, reduce heat slightly, and continue cooking for 15-25minues or until pasta or spaghetti squash, if you are using it, is cooked through and most of the liquid is absorbed or reduced.

Turn the oven to the broiler setting.  Mix in the chorizo, Mexican crema and Oaxaca cheese. Reserve other cheese for garnish. Cook on low just until cheese melts.

Place skillet under the broiler on high. Broil until Cheese starts to bubble and brown lightly. Remove from oven. If your deep skillet doesn’t fit under the broiler, put it in the oven on 500 degrees (F) and cook for about 5 minutes.

Garnish with Cotija cheese and cilantro. Makes 6 servings.

To make Chipotle Salsa Crema if you can’t find it bottled, use this recipe from Laylita.

Chipotle Salsa Cremosa Recipe

1 cup Mexican Crema or Crème Fraiche
1-2 small Chipotles in Adobo, seeds removed
1 clove of Garlic
Juice of 1 Lime
Salt to taste

Place all the ingredients in a blender or mini-blender, like a Bullet or drink mixer. Pulse until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the spice level.

Use immediately or refrigerate until ready to use. The sauce will be thin, refrigerate to thicken it.

TIP: I found the flavors melded together more and the sauce was thicker after it had a chance to sit overnight. So, this is perfect to make the day before you want to serve it, then just reheat.