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Home » Dinner » Enchilada Skillet Pasta

Enchilada Skillet Pasta

September 16, 2018 by Tracy | Updated January 8, 2021 This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

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cheesy pasta in enchilada sauce scooped up with Pinterest pin text.
This Enchilada Skillet Pasta is loaded with flavor and cheese making it a delicious, easy and comfort food at it’s finest!
a spoon scooping up cheesy pasta with Pinterest pin text.
a pan of cheesy pasta with a spoonful being scooped out with Pinterest pin text.

This Enchilada Skillet Pasta is like eating your favorite beef enchiladas but in pasta! It's loaded with flavor and cheese making it a delicious, easy, comfort food at its finest!

a spoon scooping out cheesy pasta from a pan.

Hi!  Well, we survived traveling cross country with a 2-year-old and a (now) 8 week old!  Although we came home to an empty fridge and sooo much unpacking, un-winding, and time zone adjusting to do.  Which meant for dinner I needed easy and comforting.  Welcome, this Enchilada Skillet Pasta!

Ingredients Needed:

noodles, beef, corn, cheese, enchilada sauce, spices, sour cream, and cilantro on counter.

This Enchilada Skillet Pasta is so easy, cheesy, and comforting with super easy ingredients.

  • Ground beef - We prefer leaner like 90%
  • Sour Cream - No sour cream? No problem - you could also use plain yogurt.
  • Corn - We prefer fresh corn on the cob. You can also use canned or frozen.
  • Fresh jalapeno - Adjust to your own taste. We like a little heat so we use a whole one but you could also use just half.
  • Cilantro - Fresh is best!
  • Shredded cheese: We prefer cheddar and mozzarella for this but you could also use a Mexican blend or just cheddar.
  • Black beans - (not pictured because, well, I forgot ha) - Canned or dried and soaked.
  • Spices - Ground cumin and ground chili powder
  • Egg noodles - I prefer egg noodles but this would also work with an elbow macaroni or even a penne.
  • Enchilada Sauce From Scratch - The best part!

Using Canned vs. Dry Beans

We prefer to use as few canned goods as possible here at SFS, but can totally respect and understand when it just makes more sense. When it comes to beans unless you're prepared with a nice batch of cooked black beans already in your fridge, then using dried beans will add at least an hour of cooking time to this recipe. But if you want to cut out that can, I love it. Here's how to do it.

Conversion from dry to canned: A heaping 1/2 cup of dry beans will equal about 1 15 oz can. In general, dry beans will grow 3x their size once cooked.

To Soak or Not to Soak: Soaking the beans means adding the dry beans to a bowl, covering them with water, and then letting them soak overnight and then draining and rinsing before cooking. I always used to soak beans, and then I read this article on Serious Eats that really changed my mind about the need to do it. It's really a cost/benefit analysis, dependent upon what you want / the time you have.

Pros of the Soak:

  1. You'll save yourself about 20 minutes of cook time for just a couple of minutes of overnight prep.
  2. You'll have a thinner "gravy" from the beans.

Cons of the Soak:

  1. You have to remember to do it! If you didn't plan the day before and remember you need the beans for the next day, then you wont have time for your overnight (or 8 hrs before in the am for dinner) soak.
  2. Less flavor! Pre-soaked beans actually do make a difference on the flavor. Cooking them straight dry will maintain more flavor in your beans.

Cooking Dry Beans. To do this, give your beans a quick rinse and then add to a pot of water with at least 4x the amount of water to beans - enough so that the beans are well covered with water in your pot. Then cover your pot, bring it to a boil over high heat, and then turn the heat down and let the beans simmer. This can take anywhere from 1 hr to 1 1/2 hours, dependent upon a lot of factors (from the age of your beans to the amount of minerals in your water!). But once they're soft, then they're ready to use for your recipe.

Pros of Cooking Dry Beans:

  1. Prep. Rinse and toss in a pot - that's it. No need to plan ahead.
  2. Flavor! Definitely much more flavor is maintained using this method.

Cons of Cooking Dry Beans

  1. Time? Question mark because it really depends on what time's more valuable to you. It's more on the stove cooking time, but it's less over all time.
  2. A thicker "gravy" when they're done cooking. This could be a pro dependent upon what you're going for. But if you're using it for a recipe like this that doesn't require any of that thick starchy gravy, then it could be a con.

Again, it's all really up to you! Got a can? Great. Got some dried beans? Perfect. Either is great for this recipe.

Bean Safety: Be sure to never consume raw beans as they contain a toxin called phytohaemagglutinin which can make you sick if beans are not soaked and rinsed or fully cooked.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

This Enchilada Skillet Pasta is loaded with flavor and cheese making it a delicious, easy and comfort food at it's finest!

Step 1: A quick cook of the ground beef with some chili powder and cumin.

Tip: Be sure to break it up as it cooks in your pan into first large pieces first, let it cook, and then break it up into smaller pieces. When it's in the smaller pieces is when you add your spices.

Step 2: While the beef cooks, cook the noodles to al dente.

Tip: This time will depend on what kind of noodle you're using, so follow the instructions on the box. OR if you've made your own noodles (swoon) then fresh homemade pasta then to cook al dente is much less time, usually only about 2 minutes.

Step 3: Then just throw almost everything else in a big bowl with the enchilada sauce and add the pasta.

This Enchilada Skillet Pasta is loaded with flavor and cheese making it a delicious, easy and comfort food at it's finest!

Step 4: Finally, add that bowl of fresh goodness to the beef in your pan, mix well, top with the rest (most of) the cheese.

Step 5: Bake in the oven until all of the cheese is melted gooey deliciousness.

Tip: Baking in the oven is optional. You could just add all of the cheese at once and mix it in your sauté pan to let it all melt.

This Enchilada Skillet Pasta is loaded with flavor and cheese making it a delicious, easy and comfort food at it's finest!

Ooey gooey cheesy pasta goodness!


It's basically a big ol' skillet of cheesy comforting pasta that has all the flavors of delicious enchiladas!  Top it with the fresh cilantro and/or your favorite hot sauce and you're in business. I mean what's not to love?  Pasta? Love. Enchiladas? Love.  Fast and easy?  Requirement, these days

a spoon scooping out cheesy pasta.

This is so good that my husband may have come home after a quick trip to the grocery store with multiple bags of egg noodles so we would be sure to have them on hand anytime we needed them. I'll take that as a good sign!

Other Mexican Inspired Dishes

15 Minute Black Bean and Spinach Burritos

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Tacos 

Mexican Street Corn Chicken Tacos

Mexican Street Corn Salad

Baked Flautas de Pollo

Corn Tortillas From Scratch

Crock Pot Chicken Carnitas Tacos

a spoon scooping up cheesy pasta

FAQs

Can I use a different noodle?

Of course! We like it with egg noodles the best, but we've also made it with elbow macaroni and penne.

Can I substitute a different meat?

Definitely! Chicken or sausage is great in this. Just cook that meat until it's fully cooked and then follow the rest of the instructions the same.

Can I use dried beans?

Sure can! See my notes above about canned vs. dried or instructions on each in the recipe card.

Do I have to bake it in the oven?

Nope! You can also just add everything to the pan, lower the heat, and cover with a lid to let the cheese melt.

Enjoy!  If you try this recipe, please be sure to share them with me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!

Enchilada Skillet Pasta

This Enchilada Skillet Pasta is loaded with flavor and cheese making it a delicious, easy and comfort food at it's finest!
4.94 from 16 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Author: Tracy

Equipment

  • large saute pan
  • Large pot

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef*
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 12 oz wide egg noodles one package
  • 2 ears fresh corn from the cob or 1.5 cups canned or frozen
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained**
  • 2 1/2 cups sharp or medium cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 2 cups Enchilada sauce 1 batch of homemade sauce
  • 1 - 2 tablespoons fresh jalapeno, diced
  • 3/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • fresh cilantro, diced

Instructions

  • In large pot, cook pasta according to package until al dente.  Drain and rinse. 
  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 
  • Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat and add ground beef. Break up beef into large pieces, let cook, and then break up into smaller pieces and add cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper and mix well. Continue until ground beef is browned. Total about 7 minutes. Drain grease from pan if necessary / preferred.  
  • In a large bowl add black beans, corn, jalapeno (to taste - the more you add to more kick you'll get!) sour cream, 1/2 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese.  Add pasta and then pour in enchilada sauce and mix well. 
  • Add mixture to skillet and mix well. Add remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella and 2 cups of cheddar cheese on top and put in oven until cheese has fully melted***. Approximately 5-10 minutes. 
  • Top with fresh cilantro and serve!

Notes

*Ground Beef: I use 85% or 90% lean. If using lower, you may want to drain fat from pan before adding other ingredients.
** Black Beans: You can either use canned or dry. If using dry, you can cook them directly without soaking, or you can soak. 
Soak and then Cook:  Add 1/2 cup of dry black beans to a bowl and cover with water. 8 hrs later, rinse the beans and add to a pot with fresh water.  Heat on high until beans boil, then lower temperature and let simmer for about 45-60  minutes until softened. This time will vary dependent upon the age of your beans and your water. Use filtered water if you have hard water.  
Cook right away: Add 1/2 cup of dry black beans to pot and cover with water. Heat on high until beans boil, then lower temperature and let simmer for about 60-90  minutes until softened. This time will vary dependent upon the age of your beans and your water. Use filtered water if you have hard water.  
*** You can also add all of the cheese, turn pan to low, and then cover to let the cheese melt. 

Nutrition

Calories: 503kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 1264mg | Potassium: 303mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1371IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 460mg | Iron: 3mg
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Maggie Unzueta

    November 18, 2018 at 2:11 pm

    My mouth is literally watering. My family would love this..

    Reply
  2. Tina

    October 06, 2018 at 8:27 am

    5 stars
    Wow! It's usually rough traveling with little ones, but it sounds like you have a couple of little troopers on your hands! I was struggling to come up with some quick weeknight meals for this week, and this is skillet meal we haven't tried yet. The fresh corn and spice mixture should make this a sure it with my family!

    Reply
  3. Donna

    October 01, 2018 at 7:57 pm

    5 stars
    Ooh yum, I love how quick and easy (and cheesy) this is!! Whipping up a batch of that enchilada sauce to have on hand as well, so good for a quick last minute weekday dinner!

    Reply
  4. Dana

    October 01, 2018 at 1:54 pm

    5 stars
    This is amazing! I'm starving right now, so this is a whole lot of torture right now. Sounds like you had a great trip and really did hit the kiddo jackpot. I'm with you though, it's nice to get away and see family, but AMAZING to get home. And this warming, cozy dish would be the perfect way to get settled back in. Complete in pajama pants <3 Haha.

    Reply
  5. Marisa Franca

    October 01, 2018 at 11:02 am

    5 stars
    It's great having recipes you can rely on, especially when you're tired after a long trip and don't feel like cooking a complicated. dish. Your kiddos were angels to survive being dragged cross country. Anyway, this recipe sounds very tasty and a main dish I'd like any night of the week.

    Reply
  6. Amanda

    October 01, 2018 at 4:00 am

    5 stars
    Two things I'd never, ever turn down are pasta and cheese! What a cozy, comforting skillet of deliciousness you've created! I just want to dive right into your photos of that cheesy pasta with my fork. What a great idea for a quick weeknight dinner that really satisfies.

    Reply
  7. Stef

    September 29, 2018 at 6:45 pm

    5 stars
    You sound like a super woman. I can't even imagine considering traveling across the country with two kids that young. So impressive! And, this pasta sounds ah-maz-ing!! I have to try it!

    Reply
  8. debra

    September 28, 2018 at 8:30 am

    5 stars
    I love how simple this is. Ingredients I usually have on hand too. This would be awesome to take to my neighbor that just had her second baby. Thanks for the brilliant idea.

    Reply
    • Tracy

      September 28, 2018 at 7:31 pm

      Ohh yes! It would make a great dish for a new mom! We made it / ate it a lot when our second was born 🙂

      Reply
  9. Sarah

    September 26, 2018 at 12:13 pm

    5 stars
    Traveling east to west is always the hardest for me! I sympathize with your toddler lol. This looks like an easy meal- we just got back home from a Cali vacation and I'm not quite settled in yet. I need something easy like this for dinner!

    Reply
  10. Amanda

    September 25, 2018 at 11:14 am

    5 stars
    I am glad the travels have been going well with the children! This pasta is right up my alley and I know my whole family would love this!

    Reply
  11. Carmy

    September 24, 2018 at 8:09 pm

    5 stars
    This Enchilada Skillet Pasta looks amazing! I'll have to try it with your homemade enchilada sauce as well! I love that your husband makes sure there's always egg noodles in stock at home so he can eat this haha. That's definitely a win!

    Reply
  12. Tina

    September 24, 2018 at 6:36 pm

    5 stars
    I often wondered what else I could use enchilada sauce for. I really love it. This recipe looks fantastic and now I'm inspired! Thanks for this:)

    Reply
  13. Gloria

    September 24, 2018 at 10:24 am

    5 stars
    Yup, this is a winner dinner for sure. You can never go wrong with pasta. This would be a welcome addition to any family dinner table. I would even make a HUGE batch and put some in the freezer for those days you just don't have time to cook. So much better than takeout!!

    Reply
    • Tracy

      September 28, 2018 at 7:33 pm

      Great idea, Gloria! Will def do that the next time we make it, too!

      Reply
  14. Virginia

    September 17, 2018 at 12:28 pm

    4 stars
    With the cooler nights, this will be a great comfort food dish. A great twist on the enchiladas.

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Tracy!

I'm here to help take the fear out of from scratch, whole foods cooking & share easy to make, approachable recipes that you can get excited about making! Read More…

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