This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Quick, easy, and flavorful Enchilada Pasta Casserole is a great weeknight dish for the entire family!

Email Yourself This Recipe!
Get the recipe link sent to your inbox! PLUS, we’ll send you fresh recipes weekly!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Enchilada Pasta Casserole

I LOVE Mexican food, especially enchiladas, but I don’t always have the time and dedication to make and roll individual enchiladas.

With this enchilada pasta casserole, I can bypass the tedious work of rolling enchiladas, without sacrificing my craving for enchiladas.

It’s like a deconstructed enchilada in a casserole where all of the beef, cheese, and sauce is freely flowing throughout a casserole dish, weaved in between egg noodles for a little pasta flair.

Don’t be afraid that a large casserole dish will make too much, trust me you’ll love having the leftovers, and I’m sure not even a single noodle will go to waste.

How To Make Enchilada Pasta

In a large pot, bring water to boil and cook egg noodles according to package instructions. In the meantime, in a very large skillet, brown your ground beef then drain the fat. Then add the chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine and add in the cream cheese until melted and combined.

In a large bowl, combine sour cream, enchilada sauce, half the cheddar cheese, half the monterey jack cheese, corn kernels, and diced green chiles. Stir to combine. Pour mixture over the beef and let simmer for 2-3 minutes. In the meantime, drain your pasta and add it to the beef mixture.

In a large casserole dish, pour in the pasta mixture and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake until cheese has completely melted. Serve hot.

Can I Make It A Vegetarian Enchilada Pasta Casserole?

It’s very easy to make this recipe into a vegetarian option. You have a couple different options to chose from.

The easiest way to turn this into a vegetarian enchilada pasta is to simply omit the ground beef.

Since there’s a lot going on in the casserole, the dish can still stand on its own (and taste delicious) without the added ground beef.

If you don’t want to just completely eliminate that protein source, you can also add crumbled tofu to act as a ground beef substitute.

Check out this recipe for Vegan Tofu Taco Crumbles to see how to make tofu the resembles ground beef.

The last option you have is to find some plant-based “ground beef” this will be a plant-based meat-like product that will closely resemble the flavor and texture of ground beef without any of the actual meat.

BeyondMeat is a good product line to try that’s easy to find in most grocery stores.

Can I Use Different Noodles?

You can use just about any noodles you prefer with just a few exceptions. I do suggest the thicker or spiraled noodles because they are better for really grabbing all of the sauce, meat, and cheese. Thinner noodles like spaghetti won’t really work for this one because they just can’t hold up as well for a casserole like this one.

I’ve never tried it with short noodles like penne or ziti noodles, but I’m sure the recipe will work fine with those noodle types too.

Is This Recipe Spicy?

There is a bit of spice to the enchilada pasta because of the cayenne pepper, and the green chiles.

I wouldn’t say its overly spicy though. If you prefer completely mild you can skip those two ingredients, or tone them down, or choose a mild enchilada sauce.

To amp up the spice, try adding a handful of seeded jalapeno slices.

Tips For Serving and Saving An Enchilada Casserole Recipe

Casseroles are amazingly versatile when it comes to how to serve them. This Enchilada pasta casserole would be a great addition to any Cinco De Mayo party or Mexican themed fiesta.

That’s not where the line is drawn; whip out this recipe when you know you have a busy week coming up.

Casseroles are notorious for reheating well and being a dish you can feast on throughout the course of a couple days or even up to a week.

I love fixing up this recipe on a Sunday night before a particularly busy week, so I can still feel like I’m getting a home cooked meal without having to spend time making a new recipe every night.

When stored in an airtight container, in the refrigerator you can store the enchilada pasta casserole for up to one week.

You Have To Try These Other Mexican Recipes:

Stovetop Chicken Tortilla Soup

Carnitas Pizza

Our Favorite Guacamole Recipe

Chicken and Chorizo Rice

Homemade Mexican Churros

4.56 from 18 votes

Enchilada Pasta Casserole

This enchilada pasta casserole is going to be a family favorite, for sure!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound (454 g) ground beef
  • ½ tablespoon (½ teaspoon) chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 5 ounces (142 g) cream cheese
  • ¼ cup (58 g) light sour cream
  • 10 ounce (312 g) can enchilada sauce, I used the red sauce
  • 1 cup (113 g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
  • 1 cup (113 g) shredded monterey jack cheese, divided
  • 1 cup (164 g) frozen corn kernels, thawed
  • 4 ounce (142 g) can diced green chiles
  • 12 ounces (340 g) egg noodles
  • Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 °F (177 °C)
  • In a large pot, bring water to boil and cook egg noodles according to package instructions.
  • In the meantime, in a very large skillet, brown your ground beef then drain the fat. Then add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine.
  • Add in the cream cheese until melted and combined.
  • In a large bowl, combine sour cream, enchilada sauce, half the cheddar cheese, half the monterey jack cheese, corn kernels, and diced green chiles. Stir to combine.
  • Pour mixture over the beef and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.
  • In the meantime, drain your pasta. After you’ve drained it, add the pasta to the beef mixture. Make sure everything is coated in the sauce.
  • In a large casserole dish, pour in the pasta mixture and top with the remaining cheese.
  • Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese has completely melted.
  • Serve hot. Keep in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Notes

Source: adapted from Buns in my Oven
Email Yourself This Recipe!
Get the recipe link sent to your inbox! PLUS, we’ll send you fresh recipes weekly!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 366kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

Photography by Jesse Reilly

You May Also Like...

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




174 Comments

  1. Kir says:

    I have made this many times for our family and for other families as well. I always double the enchilada sauce and use 1 block of cream cheese. It is always a hit. Thank you!!

  2. Katherine says:

    Very good! I did add some chopped fresh onion to the mix before adding it to the meat. I like chopped onions on top of enchiladas and they gave me the perfect crunch and additional flavor I like. I’ll be making this again so thank you for the recipe!

    1. Julie Chiou says:

      so happy you enjoyed, Katherine!

  3. kellie says:

    Ugh. No flavor. I had such high hopes, too.

  4. Naomi Himel says:

    I just made this tonight for the 1,000th time. It’s a family favorite. So easy & delicious.

  5. Hannah says:

    I love love love this recipe. I’m not a huge fan of ground beef, but have made this with slow cooker shredded beef or pork multiple times. It’s so good and great leftover! Thanks!

  6. Sven says:

    Liked the dish a lot, very cleverly constructed and comes out moist and satisfying… a true comfort food. As written, this recipe is not spicy at all… in fact if I make it again I would double all the seasoning amounts, and maybe add some chipotles in adobo sauce to give it some extra kick and enchilada flavor.

  7. Billie says:

    I can’t wait to make this!!! Thais is my kind of comfort food!

  8. Katharine says:

    I was won over by how good this looks! I adapted it to suit our vegan diet, how the vegan ingredients cook and to use up some leftovers! It was so tasty! We’ll definitely be making this again and a bonus is I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

  9. Brie says:

    I made this tonight after all the awesome reviews. I didn’t like it. At all. But honestly, I think it was the enchilada sauce I used. The Kroger by me was out of almost all their sauces, and I think the one I bought just wasn’t good. We are a family of 4, my youngest and I didn’t like it, my husband just thought it was ok, but my oldest liked it. I will try again with a different sauce, or make my own sauce.

  10. Mame says:

    It is good, but way too rich for my taste. If I make it again, I’ll probably half the amount of cream cheese.