Enchilada Pasta mixes delicious enchilada flavors with pasta’s heartiness, creating the BEST comfort food in just one skillet!
Enchilada Pasta is…
- Quick & Simple: Ready in under 30 minutes with just one skillet.
- Flavorful: A tasty combo of enchilada sauce, spices, and cheese.
- Comforting: Enchiladas meet pasta in the best possible way.
- Customizable: Make it mild or spicy to your preference.
- Pantry-Friendly: Uses ingredients you likely have on hand.
Enchilada Pasta Ingredients
- Diced tomatoes: Choose fire-roasted for extra flavor.
- Enchilada sauce: Mild, medium, or hot, based on preference.
- Shell pasta: This recipe is tested with medium-sized shells.
- Chicken broth: Or use water and chicken bouillon in a pinch.
- Taco seasoning: Homemade for the most flavor, or store-bought to save time.
- Black beans: Rinse well to reduce sodium.
- Corn: Fresh, frozen, or canned.
- Bell peppers: Use minis for more color, or 1 large pepper.
- Rotisserie chicken: A quick, flavorful protein; make sure it’s cut into small pieces.
- Cheddar cheese: Sharp or extra sharp for the most flavor.
Topping Ideas:
Our three favorites on Enchilada Pasta: sour cream, diced avocado, and cilantro.
- Sliced green onions
- Chopped cilantro
- Diced avocado or guacamole
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Sliced jalapeños for extra heat
- Quartered cherry tomatoes
- Lime wedges for squeezing
- Crushed tortilla chips (or strips) for crunch
- Sliced olives
How To Make Enchilada Pasta
- Combine & Heat: Mix diced tomatoes, enchilada sauce, pasta, chicken broth, and taco seasoning in a skillet; heat to boil.
- Add Veggies: Add black beans, corn, and bell peppers; boil again.
- Cook Pasta: Boil uncovered 5-9 minutes, stirring; remove when pasta is nearly done.
- Add Protein & Cheese: Stir in chicken; add cheese until melted.
- Serve: Dish up hot with your go-to toppings.
What To Serve With Enchilada Pasta
- Mexican Salad: This salad has all the right complementary flavors especially when its topped with a creamy cilantro dressing.
- Quinoa Corn Salad: A fun and flavorful side. This salad has one of my all-time favorite dressings!
- Chips and Salsa: For a great crunchy starter — or use the chips to dip into the pasta.
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes: The sweetness of these roasted potatoes really nicely contrasts the savoriness of the pasta.
Storage
Leftovers?
- Best Fresh: Enchilada Pasta is best right after it’s done cooking.
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Keep for up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge.
- Reheat: Warm on the stove with a bit of broth or water to regain sauciness.
More One Pot Recipes:
- Taco Spaghetti with melty cheddar cheese
- One Pot Burrito Bowls with chicken and rice!
- Penne Pasta with Sausage using Italian sausage
- Meatballs and Orzo made with one-ingredient “meatballs”
- One Pot Spaghetti with a rich meat sauce
Enchilada Pasta
Enchilada Pasta mixes delicious enchilada flavors with pasta's heartiness, creating the BEST comfort food in just one skillet!
Equipment
- 12-inch, 4.5-quart non-stick skillet (Note 1)
Ingredients
Add First
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes, not drained
- 10 oz mild red enchilada sauce (Note 2)
- 2 cups medium shells pasta
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 batch taco seasoning (Note 3)
Add Later
- 15.5 oz black beans, drained & rinsed
- 1-1/2 cups frozen corn (or 1 can, drained)
- 1 cup thinly sliced mini bell peppers (or 1 regular pepper, diced)
Finishing
- 1-1/2 cups rotisserie chicken, diced to small pieces
- 3/4 cups sharp cheddar cheese freshly grated (pack to measure)
- Optional toppings: cherry tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, fresh lime, fat-free sour cream, olives, guac or avocado
Instructions
- COMBINE: In a large skillet over high heat, combine the "add first" ingredients. Stir and bring to a boil.
- ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS: As soon as it boils, add the "add later" ingredients. Stir and bring back to a boil.
- COOK: Boil, uncovered, for 5-9 minutes, stirring every minute or so to keep pasta from catching. Cook until pasta is almost done, but a tiny bit firmer than you want, and is still saucy. Remove skillet from heat and stir for another minute or so to let the sauce reduce and pasta finish cooking.
- ADD CHICKEN & CHEESE: Stir through chicken. Add cheese, 1/4 cup at a time stirring gently until melted.
- ENJOY: Serve promptly adding any desired toppings to individual plates. We love a scoop of sour cream, squeeze of lime, diced avocado, and some green onions or cilantro. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Skillet: Here's the exact skillet I use and LOVE. Smaller skillets will take longer to cook.
Note 2: Heat levels vary by brand; a mild variety (we love Old El Paso) is recommended.
Note 3: For the most possible flavor, make your own (otherwise we recommend a good brand of Taco Seasoning (1 oz size) for the most flavor).
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon each paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 579kcal | Carbohydrates: 78.5g | Protein: 36.4g | Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 66.4mg | Sodium: 1992.1mg | Fiber: 13.3g | Sugar: 15.6g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Oh I know my hubs would love this. I love that it’s one pot.
I always love the colours you use in your posts Chelsea – so beautiful! I can definitely see myself eating this; I haven’t had enchiladas in years and the mix was pasta sounds heavenly!
Thanks so much Jessica! Haha I eat enchiladas all the time, can’t get enough 🙂
I am so in love with chicken enchiladas. They’re one of my favorite non-sweet foods. And so is pasta! So I’m basically in love with this. 🙂 Plus one-skillet meals are always wonderful! Wish I was having this for dinner tonight!
Haha! Completely agree with you! Chicken enchiladas are definitely one of my favorites as well 🙂 Thanks Beth!
I share that obsession with quick, easy meals, and ones that don’t sacrifice on taste – this looks absolutely delicious!
Thank you so much Anna!
Enchiladas are one of my husband’s favorite dishes and requests them all the time. This one skillet pasta version looks amazing and love how much easier and less messy it is to make 🙂
Less mess = the best! Thanks so much Kelly! Hope you are having a great Monday 🙂
one dish recipes are EVERYTHING, seriously life needs so much more of them. I’m going through a serious enchilada phase right now, so this just looks too good to pass up!
Hahaha!! Agreed! I feel like I am always going through an enchilada phase 🙂 Hope you are having a good start to your week Christine!
Love the sound of this meal! I can never ever ever get enough Mexican food – and this is such an awesome spin on pasta. And I am all for less clean-up – especially during the week!! Happy Monday lady!
Same! The more Mexican food the better 🙂 thanks so much Ashley! Hope you are having a great start to your week as well 🙂
Yum! This is amazing. And one skillet? Yes! So good. Love the customizability but I think I want it just the way it is here–your photos are gorgeous, Miss Chelsea! 🙂
Thanks so much Erin! 🙂 Hope you are having a great Monday! (Oh and SO excited about your giveaway!)
Oh yum! This looks like the perfect winter comfort food!
Thanks so much Kelly!
love the chicken enchilada pasta, very creative thinking, ty
Thank you!
Love me a one pot dinner! I am the queen of mess making, so once in a while I need something that will tone down the messy gal in me. This looks fab….and, that cheese. Drool.
Haha I think my kitchen after baking could rival the messiest kitchen out there! So I totally agree with you haha! Thanks Taylor 🙂