Enchilada Pasta
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Make a delicious meal in just 20 minutes, with only 7 ingredients! This Enchilada Pasta recipe combines pasta shells, ground beef, enchilada sauce and cheddar cheese into an incredibly easy and flavorful meal!
Table of contents
I absolutely love taking my favorite Mexican recipes and turning them into epic weeknight pasta dishes! From Taco Baked Ziti to Mexican Stuffed Shells to One Pot Buffalo Taco Spaghetti, Mexican pasta mash-ups are my jam!
For my latest Mexican pasta fusion dish, I’m sharing how to make enchilada pasta with beef!
I love this recipe because it’s so easy to make! Simply boil the pasta shells, toss together the homemade red enchilada sauce, (or use a jar of store-bought enchilada sauce) cook the ground beef with onions and garlic, toss it all together, melt some cheddar cheese on top and voila, dinner is served!
Ingredients
- Medium pasta shells – macaroni noodles, rotini pasta or penne pasta would also work for this recipe.
- Olive oil – or another neutral-flavored vegetable oil.
- Onion – I recommend a yellow onion, for it’s nice neutral flavor.
- Garlic – I always recommend fresh minced cloves for the best flavor.
- Ground beef – or ground turkey would also work for this recipe.
- Red enchilada sauce – while I love my homemade enchilada sauce (linked to the left), I’ve also come to love the Sprouts red enchilada sauce pictured above. If you’re looking for something quick and easy, feel free to grab a jar at the grocery store. If you have an extra 15 minutes, click the link and whip up my homemade sauce!
- Cheddar cheese – you could also use pepper jack cheese to spice up the recipe, if you’d like!
Instructions
I’ve included the full instructions below, but if you want to see how the recipe is made, head to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for a full step-by-step video.
- Boil the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil on the stove over high heat. Add the pasta shells and cook until al dente, according to the instructions on the box. Drain the pasta shells and set them aside.
- Cook the ground beef with onions and garlic. While the pasta is boiling, add olive oil to a large skillet, or dutch oven, on the stove over medium-high heat. Add diced onions and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Place the ground beef in the skillet and cook until it’s browned, about 6-7 minutes. Drain any grease from the ground beef.
- Combine everything. Once the pasta and ground beef are cooked, add the pasta shells to the skillet with the beef. Also, add the enchilada sauce and stir to combine everything. Reduce the heat on the stove to low and let everything simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Make it cheesy! Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese evenly over everything in the skillet, cover the skillet and allow the cheese to melt for 1-2 minutes. Remove the lid, and serve the pasta immediately.
Topping options
Enchilada pasta can be topped with any of your favorite enchilada toppings. Try it with 1, 2 or all of these delicious topping ideas!
- Sour cream
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Diced green onions
- Sliced fresh or pickled jalapenos
- Diced avocado
- Hot sauce
Recipe tips
- To make your own enchilada sauce, follow this recipe for red enchilada sauce. Or use this recipe for enchilada seasoning, and combine it with a can of tomato sauce and chicken broth, or water.
- To make this recipe spicy, add 2-4 tablespoons hot sauce with the enchilada sauce. This recipe is not spicy, using the ingredients shown above. Different brands of red enchilada sauce will vary on how much spice they have in them.
- To add more protein or veggies to this pasta recipe, add a can of corn (drained and rinsed) or a can of black beans (drained and rinsed) with the enchilada sauce.
- To make chicken enchilada pasta, skip the step of cooking the ground beef. Instead, replace the ground beef with 2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken, added to the skillet with the cooked onions and garlic, along with the cooked pasta and enchilada sauce. The chicken can be pulled from a rotisserie chicken, or you can use this super easy Instant Pot Shredded Chicken recipe.
- Leftover enchilada pasta will stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days, stored in an airtight container. To reheat the pasta, place it in a microwave safe bowl and reheat on high for 2 minutes.
Dietary options
To make this recipe gluten free, replace the pasta shells with gluten free pasta. Always make sure the enchilada sauce used is gluten free. This enchilada sauce recipe is gluten-free. Some jars of enchilada sauce you’ll find at the grocery store, or other recipes for homemade enchilada sauce, can contain flour, so always be sure to check the labels. This Hatch Red Enchilada Sauce in the can is gluten-free, as well as this Frontera Foods Red Chile Enchilada Sauce.
To make this recipe vegetarian, replace the ground beef with meatless crumbles, soy chorizo or diced vegetables. If using meatless crumbles or soy chorizo, follow the recipe as instructed simply using these ingredients instead of ground beef. If using diced vegetables, cook 2 cups diced veggies with the onions for 6-8 minutes. I recommend using diced bell peppers, mushrooms or zucchini.
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20 Minute Enchilada Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 cups medium pasta shells, uncooked
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cups red enchilada sauce, click the link for my homemade recipe
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil on the stove. Add the pasta shells and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, add the olive oil to a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, cook 3-4 minutes, add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook until browned, about 6-7 minutes.
- Drain any grease from the ground beef, then add the enchilada sauce and cooked pasta to the skillet.
- Reduce the heat on the stove to low and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top, cover and allow the cheese to melt, 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, uncover and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- To make your own enchilada sauce, follow this recipe for red enchilada sauce. Or use this recipe for enchilada seasoning, and combine it with a can of tomato sauce and chicken broth, or water.
- To make this recipe spicy, add 2-4 tablespoons hot sauce with the enchilada sauce. This recipe is not spicy, using the ingredients shown above. Different brands of red enchilada sauce will vary on how much spice they have in them.
- Leftover enchilada pasta will stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days, stored in an airtight container. To reheat the pasta, place it in a microwave safe bowl and reheat on high for 2 minutes.
- To make this recipe gluten free, replace the pasta shells with gluten free pasta. Always make sure the enchilada sauce used is gluten free.
- To make this recipe vegetarian, replace the ground beef with meatless crumbles, soy chorizo or diced vegetables. If using meatless crumbles or soy chorizo, follow the recipe as instructed simply using these ingredients instead of ground beef. If using diced vegetables, cook 2 cups diced veggies with the onions for 6-8 minutes. I recommend using diced bell peppers, mushrooms or zucchini.
Nutrition Facts
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