Enchilada pasta is made in one pan in under 20 minutes. Not only is this enchilada pasta recipe easy to make, but each bite will bring you back for more.
Whenever I'm in a hurry, I love making one-pot pasta recipes with minimal mess in under 20 minutes. So today, I made a one-pot vegan enchilada pasta recipe that turned out exactly as planned. Even though I love vegan enchiladas, vegan enchilada pasta is quick, easy, and a family favorite.
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So, on those busy nights, make one pan enchilada pasta in under 20 minutes instead of grabbing an unhealthy quick fix.
How to Get Protein as a Vegan
One of my favorite questions people ask is where vegans get their protein.
Like many other beans, black beans are a great source of fiber, protein, and folate. As a result, they are a staple food in Central and South America.
One cup (172 grams) of cooked black beans contains roughly:
- Calories: 227
- Protein: 15.2 grams
- Fiber: 15 grams
- Folate (vitamin B9): 64% of the RDI
- Manganese: 38% of the RDI
- Magnesium: 30% of the RDI
- Thiamine (vitamin B1): 28% of the RDI
- Iron: 20% of the RDI
Furthermore, black beans may also help reduce the spike in blood sugar after eating a meal, which may help reduce the risk of diabetes and weight gain.
On the other hand, Lentils are a great source of vegetarian protein and can be great additions to soups and stews. They may also have several health benefits .
One cup (198 grams) of cooked lentils contains roughly:
- Calories: 230
- Protein: 17.9 grams
- Fiber: 15.6 grams
- Folate (vitamin B9): 90% of the RDI
- Manganese: 49% of the RDI
- Copper: 29% of the RDI
- Thiamine (vitamin B1): 22% of the RDI
Like chickpeas, lentils can help reduce blood sugar compared to other foods.
Enchilada Pasta Ingredients
Of course, let's keep it simple with regular pantry ingredients and vegetables.
- Rigatoni Pasta: I like rigatoni pasta because the tubes of pasta hold the ingredients inside and outside of the pasta tubes.
- White Onion: Although strong in flavor, white onion sweetens when cooked.
- Red Bell Pepper: Red bell peppers are naturally sweet, and their vibrant red color enhances the taste and appearance of this pasta dish.
- Jalapeño Pepper: When cooking with jalapenos, where gloves and remove the seeds and vein, before chopping.
- Black Beans: Black beans are firm, hearty, and often used in Mexican cuisine.
- Garlic: I prefer fresh garlic cloves when cooking.
- Fire-Roasted Tomatoes: Fire-roasted tomatoes are canned tomatoes that are fire-roasted over an open flame to accentuate their flavor. They taste sweet and subtly smoky right out of the can instead of bitter and acidic like most standard canned tomatoes.
- Prepared Lentils: I used half of a package of Trader Joe's steamed prepared lentils as a shortcut.
- Taco Seasoning: I buy organic vegan taco seasoning packets at Whole Foods or Sprouts.
- Vegetable Broth: The vegetable broth is the base of this enchilada pasta recipe.
Enchilada Pasta Ingredient Substitutions
- Choose any pasta type and shape. If using gluten-free pasta, cook the pasta separately and reduce the vegetable broth by 3 cups.
- Yellow onion is often substituted for white onion in recipes.
- Try green bell peppers for baby bell peppers.
- Skip the jalapeno if sensitive to spice.
- One clove of fresh garlic equals ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic powder. The same conversion applies to dehydrated or freeze-dried garlic or even minced refrigerated garlic.
- If you don't have fire-roasted tomatoes on hand, definitely don't attempt to char your own. The truth is, regular canned tomatoes will work fine as a substitute. You can even add a pinch of smoked paprika to make up for it.
- Cook the lentils or use drained canned lentils or pre-packaged steamed lentils.
- Pinto beans are used to substitute black beans in recipes.
- Make your own taco seasoning blend. Most taco seasoning mixes contain salt, warming spices (such as paprika, oregano, and chili), onion powder, and garlic powder. The measurements I use are 1 Tablespoon of chili powder, 1 Tablespoon of cumin,1 Tablespoon of Paprika, 1 Tablespoon of garlic powder, 1 Tablespoon of oregano, 2 Tablespoons of onion powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt.
How to Make Enchilada Pasta
Instead of cooking the pasta in a separate pan, everything goes in one pot together. And one pot means minimal mess.
- In a large pot, saute garlic and onions until translucent.
- Add red bell peppers and jalapenos and saute for a few minutes.
- Then, add black beans, lentils, and fire-roasted tomatoes.
- Now, add the dry pasta.
- Top with 6 cups of vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
- Add 1 package of taco seasoning.
- Stir everything together.
- Cover the pot and reduce to simmer
- Simmer for 15 minutes
- Remove the cover and stir again; replace the lid.
- Leave for 5-10 minutes; sauce thickens upon standing
Recipe FAQs
Enchilada comes from Mexican Spanish — it's the past participle of enchilar, or "season with chili." Traditional enchilada sauce is tomato-based and, appropriately, heavily seasoned with chili.
Lentils have very similar health benefits as beans, but they have a few advantages. They are lower in phytates than beans. Phytates, decrease the body's ability to absorb micronutrients. In fact, red lentils may have less than 50% of the phytates than some low phytate varieties of corn, wheat, beans, and soybeans.
According to the USDA, one-half cup of uncooked black lentils provides 26g protein, 18g fiber, 100mg calcium, 8 mg iron, and 960mg potassium.
Tips
- Choose any type and shape pasta.
- If using gluten-free pasta, cook the pasta separately and reduce the vegetable broth to half (3 cups).
- Add other vegetables like corn, zucchini, or any preferred vegetables.
- If sensitive to spice, skip the jalapenos.
- When cooking with jalapenos, always wear gloves to avoid burning your fingers, eyes, or hands.
- Serve enchilada pasta with vegan sour cream, chips and guacamole, and hot sauce for guests to add additonal spice.
- I suggest serving the pasta with vegan cornbread or a Mexican Quinoa Salad.
For a quick and delicious meal in under 20 minutes, try this enchilada pasta recipe!
Other Great Vegan Mexican Recipes
If you love this enchilada pasta recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Enchilada Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 ounces whole-grain Rigatoni pasta or pasta of choice gluten-free pasta works as well]
- 1 white onion cut in half and sliced thin
- 1 red bell pepper sliced thin
- 1 jalapeño pepper deseeded and vein removed, sliced thin
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 15 ounces fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 cup prepared lentils I used half a package of Trader Joe's steamed prepared lentils
- 15 ounces black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 6 cups vegetable broth
Instructions
- In a large pot, saute garlic and onions until translucent.
- Add red bell peppers and jalapenos and saute.
- Then, add black beans, lentils, and roasted tomatoes.
- Now, add dry pasta.
- Top with 6 cups of vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
- Add 1 package of taco seasoning.
- Stir everything together.
- Cover the pot and reduce to simmer.
- Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove the cover and stir again; replace the lid.
- Leave for 5-10 minutes; sauce thickens upon standing.
Notes
-
- Choose any type and shape of pasta.
-
- If using gluten-free pasta, cook the pasta separately and reduce the vegetable broth to half (3 cups).
-
- Add other vegetables like corn, zucchini, or any preferred vegetables.
-
- If sensitive to spice, skip the jalapenos.
-
- When cooking with jalapenos, always wear gloves to avoid burning your fingers, eyes, or hands.
-
- Serve enchilada pasta with vegan sour cream, chips and guacamole, and hot sauce for guests to add additional spice.
-
- I suggest serving the pasta with vegan cornbread or a Mexican Quinoa Salad.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Lindy
Comments talk about enchilada sauce however I don't see that ingredient in the recipe.
Are you making your own enchilada sauce with the tomatoes, peppers & taco seasoning? If so, could I use 1 can of enchilada sauce and reduce the broth a little?
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Lindy, the sauce is made with the ingredients in the recipe. You could use enchilada sauce as a substitute.
Rene
This looks yummy especially for cold weather. I am the only one who will eat this in my house unfortunately. I guess I could freeze some of it.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Renee, you can always cut the recipe in half or quarter; it stores well in the refrigerator all week. We usually eat it for lunch if we have leftovers.
Alexis de Leon
very tasty, almost like Cincinnati Chili... I turned mine into a 3-way!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Alexis, I've never had Cincinnati chili, but I'll take that as a win. What is a 3-way?
Melissa
I received this recipe in my email tonight and happened to have all of the ingredients on hand....DELICIOUS! Definitely going into dinner rotation. Thank you!
Wendy C
Any ideas on how to make this in an instant pot?
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Wendy, to be honest, when I tried, it took longer for the Instant Pot to get to temperature and then release than it took to make the enchilada pasta in a pot on the stove. And, it turned out a bit drier.
Mary
I made this for dinner tonight. Very delicious and easy…thank you!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Mary, I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate it.
Shellie
Hi Kathy. The recipe came out great. The enchilada sauce I had was verde. I thought I had the red but it worked. I did add some seasoning as the sauce was mild. Definitely going to try this again as written with the taco seasoning and will try the red enchilada sauce as well. Thanks for a keeper.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Shellie, that's great! I love verde enchilada sauce. I use it often. Thanks so much for letting me know. I will add it as an option to the recipe. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Shellie
I don't have taco seasoning, but I do have a 15 oz. jar of Siete enchilada sauce. Can I use that instead and if so would I change any of the other ingredient amounts? Looking forward to trying this, Kathy. Thanks.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Shellie, I would skip the canned tomatoes altogether. Technically, the enchilada sauce is seasoned with tomatoes, and you don't want too much fluid or runny. It's a great idea and substitution. Please let me know how it goes. I can offer it as an alternative if it works out well. Thank you for reaching out. I hope this is helpful.
Anonymous
Susan
Have made this recipe,a few times. My husband, daughter, and grandson gobble it up, they are not plant based eaters. I use brown rice pasta, and omit the lentils and beans....it's a great recipe, tastier the day after, and delightful as a cold pasta salad. I appreciate that your recipes are for numerous people. Creates left overs for husband and myself.
Jo-Anne L
This was on my plate last night for dinner and it was really good! It was a very warm evening and I didn't want to spend too much time in the kitchen. The only things I did differently was make 1/2 the recipe and I finely chopped 2 corn tortillas and added them in to dissolve. I was wonderfully surprised a the flavor! I'm not a big pasta fan, but this was a winner.
Kathy Carmichael
Jo-Anne, I am so glad you liked it. My son said he dreamed about it the night after we had it for dinner because it was so good haha. The tortillas are a great idea. I make oil-free air-fried tortilla strips for my tortilla soup recipe that would work too. Thanks for the great idea!
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