PASTA. When I get stressed, I crave pasta. Cheesy or creamy pasta. So, when I saw this recipe for Sour Cream and Jalapeño Chicken Enchilada Pasta, my stomach was all like, “FEED ME, NOW.”
But, I didn’t have any chicken on hand and meat has been really expensive lately, so I decided to try to make a vegetarian version… and I ended up changing it quite a bit in the process (what else is new?). Anyway, my version is still super scrumptious, very filling, and relies on beans and corn to help fill out the pasta. The pasta cooks right in a delicious mix of vegetable broth, green chiles, and spices to make the whole dish packed with flavor, not to mention really easy (one skillet!). Sour cream is stirred in at the end to make everything rich and indulgent, then just a little cheese is sprinkled on top. I went light on the cheese, cuz that’s been hella expensive lately, too.
Oh man… I just realized that a diced up avocado would be awesome on this. If you have extra cash, get an avocado! Do it!
Creamy Vegetarian Enchilada Pasta
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Creamy Vegetarian Enchilada Pasta
Servings 4 to 6 servingsIngredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 4 oz can green chiles ($0.87)
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels ($0.60)
- 15 oz can pinto (or black) beans ($1.19)
- 1 tsp cumin ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes ($0.02)
- 8 oz wide egg noodles ($1.46)
- 2 cups vegetable broth ($0.27)
- 1/2 cup sour cream ($0.71)
- 3 green onions, sliced ($0.20)
- 1/4 bunch cilantro (optional) ($0.25)
- 2 oz shredded pepper jack cheese ($0.69)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and sauté it in a skillet with olive oil over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, or until soft and fragrant. Add the can of green chiles (with juices), frozen corn kernels, can of beans (rinsed and drained), cumin, and red pepper to the skillet. Stir well.
- Add the uncooked pasta and vegetable broth to the skillet. The broth will not fully cover the noodles. Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to high, and allow the liquid to come up to a full boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let the skillet simmer for 10 minutes, stirring well half way through.
- While the skillet is simmering, slice the green onions, roughly chop the cilantro, and shred the cheese.
- After ten minutes of simmering, the noodles should be tender and most of the liquid absorbed. Stir the skillet well, then add the sour cream and stir until it has fully coated the pasta. Stir in most of the sliced green onions and cilantro, reserving a little to sprinkle over top.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the skillet, place the lid back on top, and let the residual heat melt the cheese. Once melted, add the remaining green onions and cilantro to the top of the pasta. Serve hot.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Step by Step Photos
Begin my mincing two cloves of garlic, then sautéing them in one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the garlic is soft and fragrant.
Next, add one 4-oz. can of diced green chiles, 1 cup of frozen corn kernels (no need to thaw them), one 15-oz can of beans (pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained), 1 tsp of cumin, and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (less if you’re sensitive to heat). Stir these ingredients together well.
Add 8 oz. uncooked wide egg noodles and 2 cups of vegetable broth to the skillet. The broth will not cover the noodles, but that’s okay. While it’s simmering with the lid on, the steam will cook the upper noodles while the lower noodles simmer in the broth.
Place the lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to high, and let it come to a boil. Once it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Stir it well once, half way through.
While the skillet is simmering, slice three green onions, roughly chop about 1/4 bunch of cilantro, and shred about 2 oz. of pepper jack cheese.
After simmering for ten minutes, the noodles should be tender and most of the liquid absorbed. Stir in 1/2 cup of sour cream. Add most of the sliced green onions and cilantro, saving just a little for the top.
Lastly, sprinkle the cheese over top, place the lid back on the skillet for a few minutes, and let the residual heat melt the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro and green onion over top, then serve.
Oooh, creamy comfort.
This recipe was delicious! I used my wok because it’s the biggest pan I have and it cooked everything really well, although I did have to cook the noodles for 15 minutes instead of 10. I also used low fat sour cream and 1/4 of a tbs of low sodium taco seasoning. I am addicted to this recipe! Thanks for sharing :)
just had this for lunch and it was delish! thanks for another great recipe. i didnt have any frozen corn so i used canned and it still turned out great
This was so amazing! I skipped the cilantro but kept everything else the same. The combo of flavors is perfect, and it is going in our recipe rotation. Thank you!
Just wanted to say that I added ground beef and used yellow onions instead of green, and this recipe was amazing. My husband loves it, I love it and my 10-month-old loves it!
Made this tonight, but I added rotisserie chicken and used chicken broth instead of veggie. So good! Next time, I might add a bit more spice.
I made this the other night and it was great. I forgot to pick up cumin at and didn’t have any in my cupboard, so I used a chipolte seasoning I had from Penzy’s instead. I also used black beans which I maybe didn’t rinse as well as I should have. Mine was quite as photogenic as it looks above. It was darn tasty, though.
This recipe is seriously amazing, the egg noodles are the perfect vehicle for this deliciousness. I added some really finely slivered red onions to the garlic start because I had a red onion in the freezer and added some nice flavor. Thanks again, budget bytes is the only website I visit for recipes now!
I made this dish with rice instead of pasta, and it turned out great!
I made this dish yesterday and it was great! I made as written but threw in some leftover rotisserie chicken at the end. It didn’t heat up well the next day; better served immediately. Total comfort food…loved it!
I made this tonight and it was SOOO good. We had chicken we needed to use up, so I threw that in (fully cooked) along with jalapenos and green peppers from my garden. It turned out great! I’m excited about eating the leftovers tomorrow for lunch.
Have made this twice already and my family loves it! I love how quick and easy it is, perfect for rushed nights. Because my girls are sensitive to heat, I wait to add the pepper jack until I serve their plates and just sprinkled Mexican cheese blend on theirs. Then I added the pepper jack to the rest because my husband and I love the spiciness. It makes yummy leftovers too.
Omg I just made this and had to comment while I chew… This is sooo good and sooo easy to make. I omitted the corn and added in chicken! I’ll definitely be back on this site to try other recipes :)
Eating this as I type! Another delicious recipe! I added more corn because I just love corn. Thank you so much for your website. The step by step pictures and specific directions really are so helpful to newbie cooks like me.
I love everything that I’ve tried on this site, it all is sooo tasty
For this dish, I browned some ground turkey and seasoned with smoked paprika, onion powder and chili powder. Also, diced up a jalapeno to add. Soooo satisfying and delicious! Thanks for all the great recipes!
So this sounds amazing but I don’t have sour cream! I do have a bunch of cream cheese I’d like to use up….what do you think??
I think that would work! I stirred cream cheese into a past dish until it melted in this Creamy Tomato and Spinach pasta and it had a very similar effect.
I subbed plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream. It seemed to work well.