Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce.

Halve, deseed, and thinly slice green pepper into strips. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens.

Once water is boiling, add cavatappi to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes.

Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water (2 cups for 4 servings), then drain.

Meanwhile, heat a large drizzle of oil in a medium pan (use a large pan for 4) over medium-high heat. Add green pepper and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, 4-5 minutes.

Add a drizzle of oil to pan with green pepper; add beef* and scallion whites. Season with Southwest Spice Blend, salt, and pepper. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until beef is browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. TIP: If there’s excess grease in your pan, carefully pour it out.

Add half the crushed tomatoes (all for 4 servings) and cook, stirring occasionally, 30 seconds more.

Add ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water (¾ cup for 4 servings) and stock concentrates to pan with beef mixture. Season with ½ tsp salt (1 tsp for 4) and a pinch of pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, 2-3 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and stir in drained cavatappi, sour cream, smoky red pepper crema, half the Mexican cheese blend (you’ll use the rest in the next step), 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings), and hot sauce to taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste. TIP: If needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce.

Top beef cavatappi with remaining Mexican cheese blend; cover pan until cheese melts, 1-2 minutes. Top with scallion greens and serve.