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.
I made this last night for dinner and it turned out amazing! It makes enough for 5 meals (lunch all week – score!) and I modified it a bit. I tried a semi-healthier version using baked chicken instead of canned, eliminated the cheese and tossed in Cilantro for a fun twist. At just under 300 calories (297!), 2 grams of fat, and packed with 21 grams of protein, this is the perfect lunch or dinner. Thank you so much for the recipe, I’ll be making this again!
I cannot wait to try this! It looks fabulous!
This was SO good! I really need to go grocery shopping, so I was trying to find a recipe that just uses what I already have on hand (which wasn’t much). I just happen to pretty much always have all of these ingredients. It came together so quickly and easily. I loved that I didn’t have to boil the pasta before hand, just through it all in and let it go.
The flavor was fantastic, I loved the enchilada sauce and Rotel to give it a little bit of zip. The taco flavoring was a nice addition too. I will definitely be making this again…and again…and again. I might try and add some corn in next time, I think it would go along with the rest of the flavors nicely. Thanks for this delicious easy meal! 🙂
Thank you so much for this comment Shelby! 🙂 I’m so glad you liked it and took the time to write this – it made my day! Have a great week!
Pinning this as it’s pretty much a perfect meal in my eyes, I love everything about it! You are making me hungry girl!
Haha thanks so much Pamela! And thanks for the pin 🙂
My finance would love this! He’s a huge black bean and Tabasco fan.
I know my husband sure loved it! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and for the comment Natasha!
Looks deeeelish! Pinning for later – plan to make it this week. Thanks for the dinner idea!
Well I hope you like it! Thanks so much Bre:)
This was so good and so fast and easy to make–I made it last night with some leftover chicken and my family loved it!!!
Yay! So good to hear! Thanks 🙂
Oh my gosssshhhhh Chelsea! This is amazing!!! What a delicious simple clever creative meal! Love it.
Thanks Heather!
I will take enchiladas in any way, shape or form I can get them! Love that this is all in one pot!
I’m all about having minimal dishes after cooking a meal. This looks so flavorful. Pinned.