Enchilada Pasta
Enchilada Pasta is a quick one-pot dish your family will love! This Mexican-inspired pasta is loaded with corn, black beans, and egg noodles with a touch of spice!
When I hear pasta, I usually think of Italian dishes like alfredo pasta, but not today! This creamy Enchilada Pasta is so easy with a yummy red enchilada sauce all over juicy chicken, corn, black beans, and egg noodles. Your whole family will love this Tex-Mex main dish you can truly make with just ONE pan!
ENCHILADA PASTA
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Pasta is a great dish for a variety of reasons; it’s versatile, cheap, and quick. It is the perfect ingredient when you don’t know what else to make for dinner and don’t have a lot of time. This cheesy chicken enchilada pasta recipe is a super simple pasta dish that’s a whole meal with veggies and beans, too.
This dish has everything you would want in an enchilada, but with pasta. It’s one of those dishes that you will most likely have everything in your pantry. I love this one-pan enchilada pasta because you can grab all your ingredients and drop them into the pot. Makes doing the dishes after dinner much more enjoyable, if that’s even possible.
What Do You Put Inside Enchiladas?
CHICKEN: I always use pre-cooked chicken for this chicken enchilada pasta. It’s so easy to shred a rotisserie chicken and throw it in the pot. Makes for less clean-up, too!
Ground turkey is another great option if you’re trying to clean ou the freezer. Just be sure to cook it first.
VEGETABLES: I make this main dish into a whole meal with green chiles, diced tomatoes, and corn. I also add a can of black beans for extra protein and extra hearty pasta. Make this even easier with a can or two of Rotel!
ENCHILADA SAUCE: It’s not enchiladas without that luscious red sauce. I mix it with some seasonings and chicken broth to make a delicious pasta sauce that’s similar to a thin marinara sauce with all the Mexican flavor your heart desires.
The southwest flavor combo of green chiles, tomatoes, red enchilada sauce, and black beans is so perfect on noodles. Adding a dollop of sour cream makes this even creamier!
At first bite, this dish doesn’t seem spicy, but after a couple more bites the spice will build and delight your taste buds. You can leave out the green chiles and use less red enchilada sauce if your kids don’t like the spice.
How to Make Enchilada Pasta
- First, sauté the scallion whites and garlic until your kitchen smells delicious.
- Then, add the green chiles, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth. Bring it all to a simmer.
- Next, add the egg noodles. Cover the skillet and bring it to a boil. Let the noodles simmer until they’re slightly underdone. They’ll finish cooking as the recipe goes on.
- Now, add the black beans, corn, enchilada sauce, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and cooked chicken. Cook for a few minutes until the corn is warmed through.
- Finally, cover it all with a little shredded cheese and let it melt. You can do this on the stovetop or a little faster under the broiler.
A key tip for this dish is to let it sit for a few minutes to allow the pasta to absorb all the juices. This will give you a nice thick pasta dish! I always garnish mine with a dollop of sour cream, some sliced green onions, and a little lime juice.
What Can I Use Enchilada Sauce For?
I love that creamy red enchilada sauce, but I don’t always have time to make enchiladas. Luckily, I’ve found so many recipes like this enchilada pasta that are the same yummy flavors with way less work.
Your family will love this chicken enchilada casserole! It’s got all your favorite enchilada ingredients without rolling individual enchiladas.
Make your enchiladas handheld with these chicken enchilada sliders! It’s perfect for game day spreads or a quick weeknight dinner.
This enchilada dip is one of my favorite appetizers. It’s so creamy and delicious with tortilla chips!
More Yummy Mexican-Inspired Recipes
- Mexican Chicken Casserole
- Chicken Empenadas
- Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
- Mexican Shrimp Skillet Dinner
- BBQ Ranch Chicken Tacos
- More DINNER recipes…
Tools used to make Enchilada Pasta
Large skillet: You want to make sure your skillet has tall sides to keep all the yummy sauce in the pan. If you want to use the broiler to melt the cheese, make sure it’s oven-safe!
Chef’s knife: I love this knife! It’s so easy to use for slicing scallions, chopping chicken, and dicing tomatoes. It’s definitely t/h/e most used knife in my kitchen.
*This post originally posted on 08/06/2014.
Enchilada Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 green onions thinly sliced with greens and whites separated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 ounces canned diced green chiles undrained
- 15 ounces diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup water
- 12 ounces egg noodles
- 15 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
- ½ cup frozen corn
- 8-10 ounces red enchilada sauce (1 can)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cooked chicken breasts chopped
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- Sour cream for garnish
- Lime wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the scallion whites and garlic to the pan. Stir constantly for 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add green chiles, tomatoes, and chicken broth to the skillet. Stir and bring to a simmer.
- Add the egg noodles and stir. Cover and cook for 7 minutes until noodles are almost al dente. (They'll finish cooking as the recipe goes on.)
- Uncover the skillet. Add the black beans, corn, enchilada sauce, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and chicken. Stir to combine. Cooked for 2-3 minutes until the corn is warmed through.
- Sprinkle shredded cheese over top and let rest until melted. (You can pop the pan under your oven’s broiler to speed up the melting - if your pan is oven-safe.)
- Top with a dollop of sour cream, green onions, and lime wedges. Serve warm.
This sounds absolutely delicious and so easy to put together, too.
Thanks, Christine
Nice recipe and easy to follow. What would be your cooking directions be if I wanted to add ground beef, chicken or pork to the recipe? When during the process would I add the cooked meat product?
I would cook the meat first in a separate pan and then add it at the same time you add the beans. That will give the meat enough time to absorb the flavors.