Whip up bold, saucy Tex-Mex flavor in just 30 minutes with this one-pan cheesy enchilada pasta skillet! It’s the perfect quick and cozy weeknight dinner—no extra dishes, all the flavor. Top it off with your favorite enchilada fixings like sour cream, avocado, jalapeños, or fresh cilantro for a personal touch!
Want similar dishes? Try my Instant Pot Spanish Sausage and Rice, Super Easy Mexican Rice (Spanish Rice), and Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa.
Why This Recipe is a Winner
Perfect Comfort Food — This is my comfort food. This one pot, Mexi-flare, 30-minute yumminess. For some people it’s bread, for some it’s mashed potatoes, other’s it’s creamy Italian pasta. For me? Cheesy, saucy, enchilada pasta that I can heap into a bowl, top with all of my favorite fixins, and douse with hot sauce galore.
Easy to Customize — If enchilada orzo isn’t your thing, you can sub it out for another short pasta like penne or shells. You can also add ground beef or shredded chicken too if you’d like a meat option. I don’t know about you but I’m always looking for ways to use up leftover taco meat or rotisserie chicken.
Makes Amazing Leftovers — This recipe makes a pretty sizable batch of meatless enchilada orzo and if you’re feeding only 2-3 people, you’ll definitely have leftovers for a couple of days which means more yummy vegetarian enchilada orzo for you!
One Pan Dish — This enchilada skillet dish is so darn easy. There’s hardly any prep and only one pot to clean up, so you won’t mind one little bit putting it on the weekly rotation.
“I made this last week while my husband was away (he hates Mexican food which makes no sense to me because I LOVE Mexican food!) Anyways, this was SO good. It had really good flavor, and I loved the leftovers! I will definitely be making this again!” – Emily
Ingredients
- Dry orzo pasta — Start with a dry orzo and it’ll cook up with the broth right in the pan. You can also use another short pasta as well if you don’t have orzo.
- Low Sodium Chicken Broth — I use low sodium chicken broth because I like to add the salt later to my taste. You can also sub vegetable broth for chicken to make it vegetarian.
- Red Enchilada Sauce — I use a mild or medium enchilada sauce as I don’t want to overwhelm the dish with too much spice.
- Can Yellow Corn & Black Beans — Drain and rinse the beans before adding to the vegetarian enchilada skillet.
- Taco Seasoning — Use store-bought taco seasoning or make your own (it’s easy!)
- Chili Powder & Cumin — These are the perfect complementary spices for this enchilada pasta. It really brings out the Mexican flavors and makes you want to come back for a second helping.
- Mexican-Blend Cheese — I prefer a Mexican-blend cheese but you can use any kind of cheddar, monterey jack, or any combination of cheeses.
- Optional Toppings — Okay ready for the best part? The toppings! Add avocado, tomatoes, chopped cilantro, olives, sour cream, cottage cheese, salsa, crushed tortilla chips…I could go on and on forever.
How to Make It
- Combine your star ingredients: First, get out the pot that you want to cook in. I like a dutch oven or deep cast iron with a lid. Next, combine the orzo, broth, enchilada sauce, corn, beans, and seasonings together and stir to combine. (photos 1-2)
- Cook the pasta: Add the lid and cook the enchilada skillet dish over medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the orzo is tender. (photo 3)
- Make it cheesy: Uncover the dish, give it a stir, and sprinkle the cheese on top. Cover the dish up again and allow it to cook 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is melted. (photos 4-5)
- Add your toppings: Add any desired toppings (cilantro, sour cream, sliced avocado) and serve! (photo 6)
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Any enchilada orzo skillet leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Store toppings separately from the orzo dish in the refrigerator.
- Let a hot dish like this cool to room temperature before putting away any leftovers.
- You can substitute kidney, pinto, or any other bean you like as a substitute for black beans if you don’t have those on hand.
- Try a protein-boosted, vegetarian version with this Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa.
Frequently Asked Questions
When you go to order at a Mexican restaurant and you open that giant menu and there’s so many different options: burrito, taco, enchilada, quesadilla…what’s the difference?
Enchiladas and Mexican dishes are both made with tortillas that are rolled up over fillings but they have different presentations. Enchiladas are typically made with corn tortillas and are rolled with toppings inside, then layed down side by side in a dish before being baked all together. They are typically eaten with a fork.
Burritos, on the other hand, are made with larger flour tortillas. They have fillings as well but they are eaten by hand and not baked.
Personally, I think that this enchilada orzo dish is so filling it would be tough to eat anything else but there are a few things I’d pair this with if I were having company over and needed more of a meal.
A Simple Tossed Green Salad is great with this orzo and bean dish. A simple salad is always a great side dish.
A roasted vegetable like broccoli, asparagus, or beans is always a good idea and so easy to make, the veggies will roast while the orzo cooks, so everything will be ready at the same time.
If you’d like a bread option with this one-pan, vegetarian enchilada pasta, then cornbread is the perfect accompaniment!
More Recipes Like this
- Enchilada Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini Boats are a great vegetarian, low carb enchilada option.
- Try a baked version with my Chicken Enchilada Casserole.
- Green Enchilada Sauce (did someone say enchiladas verde??)
- Another great meatless option: Black Bean Enchiladas.
- My favorite Beef Enchiladas (sometimes I use leftover pork!)
- My husband and kids favorite White Chicken Enchiladas.
Did you make this recipe? FANTASTIC. Please rate the recipe below and be sure to tag me on social when you share a photo on social – I love seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Cheesy Enchilada Pasta Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth - (sub vegetable broth for vegetarian)
- 2 15-ounce cans mild or medium red enchilada sauce
- 1 15-ounce can yellow corn - drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can black beans - drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt - or to taste
- ½ cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese
- optional toppings: avocado, tomatoes, chopped cilantro, olives, sour cream, salsa
Instructions
- First, get out the pot that you want to cook in. I like a dutch oven or deep cast iron with a lid. Next, combine the orzo, broth, enchilada sauce, corn, beans, and seasonings together and stir to combine.
- Add the lid and cook the enchilada skillet dish over medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the orzo is tender.
- Uncover the dish, give it a stir, and sprinkle the cheese on top. Cover the dish up again and allow it to cook 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Add any desired toppings and serve.
Notes
- Store toppings separately from the orzo dish in the refrigerator.
- Let a hot dish like this cool to room temperature before putting away any leftovers.
