It’s a no-brainer to serve beans with starches like rice and tortillas, so why not pasta? Our lively enchilada pasta brings together Mexican-inspired flavors with lots of vegetables and the supple texture of al dente pasta. It’s comfort food with a twist! Adding beans to the mix stretches the dish’s heartiness without extending your kitchen cleanup, since the entire meal comes together in one pot.
If you’re skeptical about pasta and beans, consider that the pairing has a long tradition in Italian meals. Pasta e fagioli, the delicious Italian pasta and bean soup, is a homey, family-friendly favorite. In the American comfort-food canon there’s chili mac, a combination of elbow macaroni, beans and ground beef. And many of our favorite healthy pasta salads include beans!
Whether you’re looking for cozy, easy weeknight dinner recipes or protein-filled lunches, pasta and beans might become your new favorite mash-up!
Enchilada Pasta Ingredients
- Mini penne: Small pasta shapes cook quickly and work well with similarly sized ingredients like black beans and corn. If you can’t find mini penne, choose other small pasta shapes, such as small shells, campanelle or ditalini.
- Beans:Â This enchilada pasta features canned black beans, but you can use homemade black beans, too. Not a fan of black beans? Try red kidney beans!
- Enchilada sauce: While traditional Mexican enchilada sauce is made mostly with rehydrated dried chiles, onion and garlic, this American red enchilada sauce is tomato-based with salty, spicy, sweet and acidic ingredients. Use your favorite store-bought brand, or make your own enchilada sauce.
- Taco seasoning: Most taco seasonings rely on cumin, onion, garlic, oregano, salt and chili powder (which is itself a seasoning blend of several spices). The ratio of each blend determines the spiciness and saltiness of each packet. You can choose from our favorite taco seasoning brands for slightly different flavors in this dish, or DIY a homemade taco seasoning mix for complete control over the heat and sodium levels.
Directions
Step 1: Mix the ingredients
In a Dutch oven or large skillet, combine the pasta, vegetable broth, black beans, tomatoes, yellow and red peppers, corn, enchilada sauce and taco seasoning. Stir well to distribute the spices and liquid.
Editor’s Tip: For roasted flavor without needing another pot, first place the peppers and corn in the Dutch oven or skillet, and saute them in a little oil before you add the other ingredients. You can add even more charred flavor by using roasted peppers and grilled corn.
Step 2: Cook the dish
Bring the pasta mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer, uncovered, until the pasta is al dente and the sauce has thickened slightly, 12 to 15 minutes.
Step 3: Add cheese and toppings
Add the cheese to the pot of hot pasta, and stir until it has melted. Serve the meal with topped with optional toppings like fresh cilantro, red onion, cherry tomatoes and lime wedges.
Recipe Variations
- Try a different enchilada sauce: You can switch things up with a green chile enchilada sauce, which replaces the tomato with green peppers, or a green tomatillo enchilada sauce, which tastes more like salsa verde.
- Make it meaty: Change this from a vegetarian to a meat-lover’s dish by adding precooked ground beef, ground turkey or shredded chicken to the mix. Add a little taco seasoning to the meat when you cook it, or mix in lightly seasoned meat left over from another meal.
- Go casserole-style: Once you’ve cooked the pasta mixture on the stovetop, spread it inside one or two 13×9-inch pans, sprinkle on the cheese, and bake at 375°F until the cheese begins to melt and bubble, about 10 minutes. Then, to brown the cheese on top, either leave the pans in the oven a few minutes longer, or set them under the broiler for a couple of minutes.
Can you make enchilada pasta ahead of time?
To make this dish ahead of time, you can prepare the recipe through Step 3 minus the optional fresh toppings, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three or four days. Reheat in an oven-safe pan or pot in a 350° oven until hot, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Or, to freeze the enchilada pasta before serving, first cook the recipe through Step 2, then let it cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container, and store in the freezer for up to three months. To serve, let the mixture thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Return the pasta to a Dutch oven or pan, and reheat on the stove until warmed through. Stir in the cheddar cheese as directed in in Step 3, and garnish for serving.
How to Store Enchilada Pasta
Store leftover enchilada pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three to four days. If desired, reheat as described above.
Enchilada Pasta Tips
Is pasta sauce the same as enchilada sauce?
Although a tomato pasta sauce and red enchilada sauce look similar in color, the flavor profiles differ greatly. Tomato-based pasta sauce veers toward Italian flavors with herbs like basil and oregano, and black and white peppercorns for spiciness. Canned enchilada sauce also has a tomato base, but it gets heat from chile peppers and flavors like cumin and paprika. Traditional Mexican enchilada sauce lacks tomatoes, but it might include a little sauteed onion and garlic. It’s made by toasting, rehydrating and pureeing several types of dried chile peppers.
What do you serve with enchilada pasta?
This one-pot meal stands on its own, but you can add many side dishes to round out the meal. Start the meal with some homemade guacamole and chips or raw vegetables. On the side, serve cornbread or a green salad with complementary ingredients, as in this guacamole tossed salad. Pile on the toppings, too. Beyond fresh cilantro, tomatoes and lime, consider fried tortilla strips for extra crunch. Sliced avocado and a dollop of sour cream help cut the heat, and sliced green olives and pepperoncini add tang.
Can you make enchilada pasta gluten free?
To make a gluten-free enchilada pasta, make sure to choose gluten-free pasta, enchilada sauce and taco seasoning. Read the package ingredients closely, as many commercial brands are thickened with flour. To make a gluten-free seasoning mix, just leave out any flour listed in the recipe. If making homemade enchilada sauce, thicken it with an arrowroot slurry.
