One Pan Vegetarian Enchilada Pasta | One pan pasta skillet dish with homemade enchilada sauce, onions, bell peppers, fresh herbs and grated cheddar cheese. Easy vegetarian dish to warm your soul on your next meatless Monday.
Even as I catch the last few warm rays of sun, I'm aware that fall is on the way. Some of the leaves on our trees are slowly turning yellow. The nights are a bit cooler, and sitting around the fire has become more of a necessity to keep warm outside at night rather than simply for a social gathering.
Our dinners are less about standing around the BBQ and pairing something grilled with a cool, crisp salad, and more about slow simmering soups and warm and comforting pasta dishes and casseroles.
If you're in the same boat as me then I'm sure this One Pan Vegetarian Enchilada Pasta is about to become one of your go to dishes, making it's easy way into your meal plan for each week.
Why? Because it:
- is easy to make
- only dirties one pan (if you already have the enchilada sauce)
- is delicious
- has cheese, mmmm
- has a Mexican/Southwest kinda feel
- is comforting
- only takes half an hour
Go ahead and make this and be sure to check out some additional notes down below.
How to Make a One Pan Vegetarian Enchilada Pasta Skillet
Decide on a pan that's big enough. Its gotta hold the corn and beans, the pasta and 6 cups of liquid, as well as a few other things. I like a large cast iron pan.
Heat the pan and then the oil. Add the onion and jalapeno and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. I you want to add meat, do it now and cook fully.
Add the chopped tomato and the garlic and cook for a few minutes, until the tomato breaks down a bit. Then add the beans, pasta, enchilada sauce and water.
Bring to a boil and cook pasta until done, about 10-12 minutes.
Add the corn and bell pepper, cook for a few minutes to heat through. Stir the cheese in until melted.
Serve with optional garnishes of Mexican cream, plain yogurt or sour cream, plus lime wedges, diced avocado, additional grated cheese and some cilantro. Sliced black olives would be nice too.
How to Make a One Pan Pasta
Do I have to keep it vegetarian? Or can I add some meat?
No. You can add some ground beef or diced, or poached chicken in right after you cook the onion and jalapeno and before you add the rest of the ingredients like the tomatoes, beans, enchilada sauce, water and pasta. Just make sure to cook any raw meat fully before moving on with the recipe.
Can I use store-bought Enchilada Sauce?
Yes you totally can. I just love homemade things, plus I can't find enchilada sauce in my city so I created my own recipe that I absolutely love because it's smoky and wonderful. You can find it here, at My Smoky Chipotle Enchilada Sauce. Or go store-bought.
Can I use a different pasta shape?
Sure, use whatever small pasta shape you like. The smaller you go, the less liquid you might need to fully cook your pasta, so just keep that in mind.
Do I need to cook it in a cast iron pan?
No, you don't need a cast iron pan. You can cook it in whatever pan will fit all the ingredients. BUT, if you cook it in a pan that can go in the oven after, such as a cast iron frying pan, then if you want to, you can grate more cheese on top and bake it for a bit. You could even add some bread crumbs on top before baking too – similar to a homemade mac n cheese.
I don't like spicy food, do I have to add the jalapeno?
Nope. You do what your family likes. Take out the jalapeno, even the bell pepper if you want to. Spinach or kale would be a nice addition.
Recipe
Vegetarian Enchilada Pasta Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- ½ large onion diced
- 1 jalapeno diced
- 1 large tomato chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 8 oz black beans ½ a 19 oz/540 ml can
- 1 lb pasta I used Fiorelli
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups
enchilada sauce homemade or store bought - 6 oz corn ½ a 12 oz/340 ml can
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese plus more for topping
- garnish optional: crema, yogurt, sour cream, cheese, lime, avocado
Instructions
- Make the enchilada sauce if necessary.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium. Cook the onion + jalapeno for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and let cook for another few minutes until they start to break down. And the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the beans, pasta, enchilada sauce and water. Bring to boil, keep at a gentle boil until pasta is cooked, about 10-12 minutes.
- Stir in the corn and red peppers and let cook for about a minute until heated through. Stir the cheese in to melt.
- Serve as is or with optional garnishes of Mexican crema, sour cream or yogurt and some lime slices, cilantro and avocado.
Notes
- My Smoky Chipotle Enchilada Sauce takes about 25 minutes to make.
- Use the small pasta shapes you prefer.
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used. Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
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N Alexander says
Excellent and easy
Jacqueline Piper says
Yes it is, glad you tried it 🙂
Cathy says
When is garlic added?
Why are the black beans and corn listed with liquid measurements when they’re solids?
Jacqueline Piper says
The recipe card has been updated to show both adding in the garlic and using measurement conversions for the ingredients. The beans and corn are shown in ml because that is how they are sold where I live, in Canada - the cans are labeled as 540ml/19 fl oz. Use the conversion buttons to show different measurements.
Thanks for commenting!
Jacqueline