Easy Enchilada Pasta Bake (Gluten Free, Vegetarian)
This Baked Enchilada Pasta (gluten-free, vegetarian) is a plant-forward dish packed with protein, fiber, and warm spices. The perfect healthy comfort food meal for busy weeknights or meal prep. This quick and easy recipe is a crowd-pleaser everyone will love!
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I’ve made this recipe for an easy weeknight dinner, a progressive dinner party, and a more intimate couples dinner. Hands down, every time I make this enchilada pasta recipe, everyone loves it!
Why you’ll love this Enchilada Pasta:
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Gluten-Free Pasta. Choose your favorite gluten-free or regular variety of rotini pasta in any shape you like. Try brown rice, quinoa, lentil, or chickpea pasta. The latter two provide extra protein and fiber!
- Enchilada Sauce. I like Simply Organic Enchilada Sauce or Frontera Red enchilada sauce. You can choose any premade variety or make your own!
- Black Beans. Adds plant-based protein and fiber. Lentils or red kidney beans would be a tasty swap!
- Corn Kernels. Add a bag of frozen sweet corn for extra texture and flavor.
- Onion. I love red or sweet onion for flavor and a prebiotic boost!
- Black Olives. A staple on top of traditional enchiladas and delicious added to this recipe.
- Cottage Cheese. Low-fat cottage cheese adds protein while decreasing saturated fat. Good Culture is my go-to cottage cheese!
- Cheddar Cheese. If you’re really short on time, buy pre-grated cheese. A Mexican cheese blend would also be tasty in this enchilada pasta.
- Cilantro. A must for topping if you’re a cilantro lover like me!
- Optional Toppings. Avocado, sliced jalapeños, or Greek yogurt.
Substitutions & Variations
- Make it Vegan: Use dairy-free cheese or nutritional yeast.
- Add More Protein: Stir in shredded chicken, cooked lean ground beef, or crumbled tempeh.
- Grain-Free Option: Use spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles instead of gluten-free pasta.
- Spice It Up: Add extra chili flakes or diced jalapeños.
How to Make Baked Enchilada Pasta
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.
- Cook the Pasta: Prepare according to package instructions until al dente.
- Blend the Sauce: While the pasta is cooking, blend the enchilada sauce and black beans in a blender until smooth.
- Prep Veggies & Cheese: Chop the onion and olives. Grate the cheese if not using pre-shredded cheese.
- Combine Ingredients: In the prepared baking dish, mix the drained pasta, enchilada/bean sauce, corn, onions, olives, and cottage cheese.
- Add Cheese & Bake: Top with shredded cheese and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Garnish & Serve: Cool for five minutes before serving. Top with cilantro and any additional toppings.
Storage & Meal Prep Tips
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Freeze portions for up to 2 months. Reheat in the oven or microwave.
- Meal Prep Friendly: Assemble ahead and bake when ready to serve.
Enchilada Pasta Nutrition
One serving of baked enchilada pasta (gluten-free and vegetarian) provides approximately 470 calories, 30 grams of protein, and 15 grams of fiber. It’s one of my favorite ways to eat more plants and protein for gut health and vibrant aging!
Serving Suggestions
This recipe is a meal in itself, but you can serve it with a simple side salad or fresh fruit. As filling as it is, you don’t need anything more. HELLO, SUPER EASY DINNER!!!
And, if you’re craving a margarita, I’ve got you covered with my infamous Triple Citrus Pomegranate Rosemary Margarita. Cheers!
Easy Baked Enchilada Pasta
Ingredients
- Avocado Oil Spray
- 12 ounces gluten-free pasta, i.e. chickpea or lentil pasta
- 16 ounces red enchilada sauce
- 15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 sweet onion, finely chopped
- 6 ounce can of black olives, chopped
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
- 8 ounces shredded cheddar or other cheese
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and lightly spray a 13×9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot according to directions. While pasta is cooking, combine enchilada sauce and black beans in a blender or food processor and combine until smooth.
- Chop onion and olives, and grate cheese.
- When pasta is cooked, pour it in to a colander to drain well.
- Add the cooked pasta, onions, olives, frozen corn, enchilada/bean sauce, and cottage cheese directly to the baking dish. Mix the ingredients together until well combined.
- Top with grated cheese, and bake for 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve with cilantro on the side.
Notes
- Optional Toppings: Avocado, sliced jalapeno’s, or Greek yogurt.
- Pasta Suggestions: I like to make this with gluten-free or lentil pasta for extra protein and fiber. Two brands to try are Banza and Tolerant.
- Make it Vegan: Use dairy-free cheese or nutritional yeast.
- Add More Protein: Stir in shredded chicken, cooked lean ground beef, or crumbled tempeh.
- Spice It Up: Add extra chili flakes or diced jalapeños.
- Grain-Free Option: Use spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles instead of gluten-free pasta.
Nutrition
More Easy Healthy Gluten Free Pasta Recipes You’ll Love!
Did you make this recipe?
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Great Recipe.
Thanks for sharing with us.
I love the flavors in enchiladas, but can’t stand the texture of cottage cheese (or ricotta). Do you think I could sub something? A light cream cheese or more cheddar?
Hi Lisa! Thanks so much for your comment, and, yes, you could absolutely omit the cottage cheese and add more cheddar, or I think monterrey jack would be a great choice too. I’d love to hear how it turns out 🙂
Great enchilada! Love your photos! Thanks for sharing the pasta love!
What a great and original recipe you posted here! Love it!!
Found your site through Recipe Redux and thought I’d stop by to check it out. I subscribed to your feed and can’t wait to see what your next post will be!
OOOh, so glad I found you through Kellie at Food to Glow. Your blog is gorgeous & the photos make the food look like I can reach in and touch it. My son is DF & GF so this is a great find. 🙂
Happy Mother’s Day! 🙂
The pasta bake sounds wonderful.
Have a great day!
I like pasta and enchiladas but never thought of mixing the two, looks delish! I also love love love those sunflowers 🙂
hi sweetie! Took me a while to get to the bottom of all the lovely comments 😀 Great spicy (RD) post – mmm (make mine tofu though). I just wanted you to know that I nominated you for Versatile Blogger award. Have a visit to my blog (which is not gf today. Sorry) and see what it’s all about. I love your blog and I wanted to let you and others know.
fun pasta recipe with Mexican flavors and wow your hubby knows how to propose
What a creative dish! I love anything Mexican AND pasta, so enchilada pasta is perfection. Looks delicious!
This is such a great meal. I adore pasta. I find when I work out more my body just craves it. I love that you celebrated everything. Made me smile.
Thanks so much for your sweet comment on the post about my dad. I was touched and wanted to let you know it meant so much to me. xx
I’ve got to try this quinoa corn pasta. What a fun pasta idea. I get in the same way too during the week. Your pasta ideas are almost identical to mine every week…lol. I do try to make more veggie pasta dishes when I find something wonderful at our local market. This is something we would all love and is perfect for #pastalove month:)
Thanks Lora! Yes, it’s so easy to get in a pasta rut 🙂 Great reminder to add fresh, local veggies to any pasta dish. Roasted veggies can be especially yummy too!
#pastalove!! Do you have any suggestions of what I could use in place of cottage cheese? I need to make it dairy free for my little guy? This sounds so yummy! 🙂
Cindy
Hi Cindy-I would just omit the cottage cheese, and try using your favorite vegan cheese on top to melt such as Daiya brand. Let me know how it works out 🙂
I love the fusion going on! with all those beans, flavors and deliciousness! #pastalove to u!
Also, Please do drop by fundraiser on my blog, if you have a minute, to bid, or share. I am trying to raise funds through auction of items donated by fellow bloggers for an amazing organization in India. Thanks a bunch! http://hobbyandmore.blogspot.com/p/fundraiser-for-vspca.html
Hi Richa-Thanks so much for the #pastalove! Just went to check on your fundraise, and put a bid on your yummy macaroons 🙂
also what kind of GF pasta brand do you use?
PS~The corn quinoa pasta I use is Ancient Harvest.
this looks delicious!! i love enchiladas :D. you are right, what a great way to change things up…. 🙂 hope you had a wonderful cinco de mayo weekend.
Thanks Junia~it was a fun weekend, and the gluten-free pie my friend made me turned out to be delicious!
this sounds delicious! i’ll definitely have to try a version of this soon!
Thanks Amy! Hope you try it soon 🙂
Loving all the flavors in this delicious goodness…
all that cheeses, sauce, beans…Yum…
I bet this taste divine!!
Thanks so much Reem! I love your simple #pastalove dish too~pesto made with sun dried tomatoes…yum!
Yum, love it and gluten free is perfect too. I’m always looking for ways to incorporate gluten free since my mom is and when I visit her or she visits me I like her to feel like she is not being deprived :). Sending you some #pastalove, I love the sunflowers just beautiful.
Thanks for the #pastalove Suzanne, and glad you like the sunflowers! I love how cheerful the are 🙂 Hope you can make this for you mom some time!
If love love love enchiladas! So having an enchilada in pasta form is such a fantastic idea!! Definitely want to make this! 🙂
Thanks Kristen! I love enchiladas too~hope you give this a try!
You got that right, no complaints on pasta night. Go to pastas I do pesto/peas OR I have butternut squash pasta sauce and Raos that we use in a pinch. My boys play hockey late 2 nights so there’s always pasta making at odd times. This recipe looks great. I have one who isn’t fond of melted cheese (can you imagine?) do you think recipe would still work?
Oo…yes, peas…love peas with pasta!! What is Raos? I’ll have to look that one up! Hmm…odd son that doesn’t care for melted cheese, but you can easily do without 🙂 Just make sure to sauté the onions first if you aren’t baking the pasta, otherwise the flavor might be a little to strong.
Oh, this sounds fantastic! We have pasta at least twice a month and I do tend to get into a rut with it, doing the same things (usually marinara sauce with roasted veggies) again and again. This would be a great way to do something different that’s still fairly easy!
Thanks Kiersten, and so glad you stopped by to say Hi!
Such a nice jolly recipe! My only predicament here is the red enchilada sauce; not sure if I can get such a beast in Scotland. We have a Mexican deli so I will have a venture out and see because this looks like something we would all love here at ‘casa foodtoglow’. If I can’t get it do you have a recipe or know of a good one? We like it spicy! And the whizzed black bean trick is a good one to bump up the fibre too. Btw, the home page of wordpress features a blog with hibiscus margaritas that looks really good. Although yet another ‘iffy’ ingredient for us northern latitude folk… And thanks for the kind big up on your FB page. Still not on it myself, on but I saw the mention on your sidebar.
Hi Kellie~Confession time…..I have never made homemade enchilada sauce before, so I don’t have a good recipe to recommend to you, but I’m sure you could find a good one googling, or maybe someone reading this will share a favorite recipe with you 🙂 Love the idea of a hibiscus margarita~definitely going to look that one up. And, always happy to give a shout out to your healthy and delicious recipes!
Baked Enchilada pasta sounds so innovative, and those photographs look fantastic.
Thanks so much Richgail! Love your spicy and sweet Filipino pasta too 🙂 Happy to celebrate #pastalove with you!
Love this lighter baked pasta dish – Ancient Harvest Quinoa Corn Pasta is also one of our favorites.
Thanks Jeanette! We go through a lot of Ancient Harvest Pasta at our house 🙂 Would love it if you enter a #pastalove dish in to the bloghop~You have so many healthy and delicious recipes on your blog!
What lovely photos!!! And your recipe sounds just delicious. Sending you lots of pastalove this month.
Thank you so much Susan! Happy to celebrate #pastalove with you this month, and your Swiss Chard and Lemon Ricotta pasta is at the top of my list to make!
Great recipe! I love enchilada pasta! Sending you some #pastalove!
Thanks Jessica! I can’t wait to make your delicious lemony pasta dish with ramps and arugala~delicious! Sending #pastalove back at you 🙂
Thanks so much Liz! I’m loving your “sweet” past idea~Your Nutella and Biscoff Ravioli sound amazing! Just wish there was a gluten-free version of Biscoff 🙂
Look at this! You are a culinary genius! I love the combination of pasta and Mexican…2 favs wrapped into one! Cheers to you!
Thanks Teri 🙂 Somehow I couldn’t figure out how to fit the “Kentucky Derby” angle in to my pasta dish. Add a little bourbon???
What a fantastic recipe! Thank you! I might make this instead of the other pasta recipe I Was planning for tomorrow’s dinner…. I tried the Cabot 75% reduced fat yellow cheddar the other day and it was amazing, by the way. How do they do it?!
Enjoy your weekend 🙂
Thanks Gina! I really like the 50 % reduced fat Cabot, because there are no fillers or additives, and unlike many lower fat cheeses, it melts really well, and tastes {to me} like fulll fat cheddar. Never bad to cut back on some cheese calories 🙂 I’d love to know if you make the enchilada back and hear how it turns out for you!
Really good this one! (lots of) cheese, tomato, spicy sauce… yum!!!!
Sending you some #pastalove!
Thank you Helena! I love your canelone~Mouth watering photos and the recipe sounds delicious too!
Oooh this sounds so good – I too get in pasta ruts as we definitely eat it at least once a week. Good to hear about your favorite gluten-free brands too. Thanks for addition a new recipe to my weekly rotation! Very much like your tequila/lime photo too 🙂
Thanks Deanna-glad to know I’m not the only one who gets in a pasta rut 🙂 Your gnocchi with mushrooms and greens looks divine-can’t wait to try it!
Ha ha,great minds do think alike :)What a coincidence, even I thought of a mexican pasta bake!!!!And using Fusilli :)Great vegetarian version,since I opted for the Non-vegetarian!!Sending you loads of #Pastalove my friend 🙂
Too funny Soni, that we both made a Mexican Pasta dish. We must both be genius’, right? :-). Love your version with the spicy sausage- yum!