In all honesty, how hard is it for you to get dinner on the table? Â If you’re anything like me, its probably one of the biggest challenges of the day. Â Many of you are just getting home from work, or just getting your kids home from school, and once you walk into the kitchen you face that ever daunting question, “What am I going to make for dinner?”
A while back, I distinctly remember listening to a radio show, where they had an expert in meal planning talking about the best way to tackle the haunting question of what to make for dinner. Â I remember her saying that if you find yourself in the middle of the grocery store at 5pm wandering through the aisles trying to find ideas, you’ve already lost the battle. Â She then said that having specific, go-to recipes that you and your family enjoy, and having those ingredients consistently on-hand is one of the best ways to beat the dinner battle.
This recipe for Loaded Chicken Enchilada Pasta is without a doubt, one of my go-to recipes. Â I consistently stock all the ingredients in my pantry and freezer, and its something that my family and I really enjoy! Â Even my 5-year-old will gobble it up. Â To keep it kid-friendly, I don’t add too much spice, although you can always increase the spices to give it a bit more heat. Â For additional convenience, I often use rotisserie chicken, which helps cut down on the cooking time, and helps get the meal on the table in about 30 minutes. Â Not bad for a hot, delicious meal that everyone will enjoy!
Loaded Chicken Enchilada Pasta
A delicious meal that includes all the flavors of chicken enchiladas in a pasta dish!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. rigatoni or penne pasta
- 1 lb. cooked white-meat chicken, shredded
- 2-3 tbsp. olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
- 1 can stewed, diced tomatoes
- 2 (10 oz.) cans green enchilada sauce
- 2 (10 oz.) cans red enchilada sauce
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. salt
- Optional Toppings:
- Diced green onions
- Sliced jalapenos
- shredded Mexican blend cheese
- guacamole
- sour cream
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil water to cook pasta. Cook according to directions on box.
- In a large skillet, add olive oil and heat pan on med-high heat. Add the garlic, onion and green pepper. Saute for 5-7 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, enchilada sauces, chili powder, cumin and salt. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium low, and bring sauce to a low simmer. Add the shredded chicken and continue to simmer until the pasta is ready.
- Once pasta is cooked. Drain the pasta, and immediately add pasta to the sauce. Incorporate the pasta and sauce. Keep warm until ready to serve.
- Serve and top with your favorite tex-mex toppings, like shredded cheese, guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.
This dish is fantastic will all of your favorite tex-mex flavors. Â I like to top my pasta with sour cream, guacamole, Mexican blend shredded cheese, and some sliced green onions. Â My husband loves him some sliced jalapenos, salsa and some hot sauce to bring the heat! Â Any way you have it, this dish is sure to be a great stand-by when you find yourself asking, “What should I make for dinner?”
Enjoy!
Erin
Shannon {Cozy Country Living} says
This looks like a wonderful dinner Erin! Warm and comforting on a chilly evening! Yum:) Pinned!
Karen Goodman says
I found this recipe on the Show Stopper Saturday link party and it looks so good. The timing is perfect because the featured ingredient for today’s Future Expat Required Ingredient Recipe Link Party is pasta. I hope you’ll come add your recipe, and your other favorite pasta recipes, to the party.
http://futureexpat.com/2014/02/required-ingredient-pasta/
Cathy@LemonTreeDwelling says
OH my goodness does this look good! I love the guacamole on top!! Thanks for sharing at Saturday Night Fever 🙂
delightful.e.made@gmail.com says
Thanks so much, Cathy!! Yes, the guacamole on the pasta is pretty awesome!!
Patricia Gifford says
I love pasta. This looks so easy and delicious. It is on my menu this week.
delightful.e.made@gmail.com says
Excellent, Patricia!! It’s really yummy, and even the leftovers are fantastic! Thanks so much for stopping by. ~Erin
Cheryl Newton says
Yummy stuff, Erin! But I have a question: The cans of enchilada sauce … are those the small (10 oz. cans)? Thanks, Cheryl
delightful.e.made@gmail.com says
Hi Cheryl, you’re right on. The smaller 10oz. cans are what you need. I’ll be sure to edit my recipe to indicate the size. Hope you enjoy! ~Erin
Cheryl Newton says
This looks yummy! Is it safe to assume the cans of enchilada sauce are the 10 oz. size? Thanks, Cheryl
Cheryl Newton says
Never mind that 2nd comment. I checked to see if you had replied the 1st, and didn’t see the 1st comment. Thought it had disappeared on the Interwebs somewhere.
Alison says
This sounds amazing and I’m eager to give it a try! How many ounces are the cans of enchilada sauce? Our store carries 5 different sizes… I didn’t want to buy one size and not have enough or have too much! Thanks!!
delightful.e.made@gmail.com says
Hi Alison – I should definitely clarify this in my recipe. You’ll need two of the small (10oz.) cans of enchilada sauce for both the red and green. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Thanks so much for stopping by! ~Erin
Alison says
Thanks for clarifying, Erin! I’m looking forward to trying this out this week! 🙂
Melanie says
This looks so yummy!