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Easy Baked Enchilada Pasta (Gluten Free, Vegetarian)

By / September 14, 2020 / 4 minutes of reading
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This baked enchilada pasta is an easy, delicious twist on traditional enchiladas. It’s vegetarian and gluten free, and hands on time is only 20 minutes~perfect for a busy weeknight dinner!

Baked Pasta

So… What are you celebrating today? Are you donning a sombrero, a serape, and searching for your last shaker of salt? Are you cheering the ponies on to victory? Or, are you chowing down on a big bowl of delicious pasta??? Me? I’m doing all three 🙂

Happy Cinco de Mayo, Kentucky Derby, and #Pastalove! In honor of this months pasta love fest, and Cinco de Mayo, I created a baked enchilada pasta dish that’s partly based off of this recipe for enchiladas negras I whipped up last weekend for a party at our house.

And, for the Kentucky Derby part, Mr. Spicy, the kids and I, will be heading down to our neighbor’s house for a big ol’ party. I think there’s even a dessert for me, because my neighbor friend stopped by this morning to ask me if I had a gluten-free pie crust and some gluten-free flour she could use to make me a “surprise” pie.

I’m not sure exactly what it is, but I know it has chocolate in it 🙂 Don’t I have the nicest neighbor??? Back to this yummy, super easy, baked enchilada pasta…

We’re big pasta eaters in our house, usually eating it at least once a week, but it’s easy to get in a pasta rut, and I usually end up making the same thing. Pasta with marinara sauce and grass fed ground beef…Pasta with homemade pesto sauce… This Easy Gluten Free Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Basil, and Fresh Ricotta.. And, once in a blue moon, I’ll even whip up some homemade gluten free pasta…

It’s all really yummy, and I never get any complaints on pasta night, but isn’t it nice to try something different for a change?

What you need to make baked enchilada pasta

  • Pasta (of course!). I make this baked enchilada pasta with gluten free pasta, but use any pasta you like. For extra protein and fiber, Banza chickpea pasta or Tolerant Foods lentil pasta are a couple of my favorites.
  • Enchilada Sauce. You could make you own, but this is an EASY recipe, so why not use pre-made enchilada sauce? A couple of brands I like are: Frontera Red Chile Enchilada Sauce and Simply Organic Enchilada Sauce.
  • Black Beans. Or, any beans you have on hand.
  • Corn. Frozen corn works well.
  • Cottage cheese.
  • Cheddar cheese. Pre-shredded cheese makes this super quick and easy.
  • Onion
  • Cilantro, for garnish.

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I hope you love this easy baked enchilada pasta as much as my family and  I do!

P.S. And, if your in the mood for a little libation, a nice sipping tequila with lime, {or a Skinny Mezcal Margarita} makes for a fun celebration too. Cheers!

baked enchilada pasta

Easy Baked Enchilada Pasta

This baked enchilada pasta is an easy and delicious twist on traditional enchiladas. It’s vegetarian and gluten free, and hands on time is only 20 minutes~perfect for a busy weeknight dinner!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces dried regular or gluten-free 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 cook 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 pureed. Set aside.
  • Chop onion and olives, and grate cheese.
  • When pasta is cooked, pour it in to a colander to drain well. Then add in onions, olives, frozen corn, enchilada/bean sauce, and cottage cheese. Mix well, and pour in to a 13 x 9 inch pan. Top with grated cheese, and bake for 25 minutes, or until pasta is cooked through, and cheese is melted and bubbly.
  • Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then serve with cilantro garnish on the side.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 490kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 854mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 8g
EA Stewart, RD | Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine Gluten Free, Mexican, Vegetarian
Keyword baked pasta recipe
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Craving more easy, healthy pasta recipes? Here are 3 of my favorites!

Lemony Kale Pasta Salad with Pistachio Nuts
Lemony Kale Pasta Salad with Pistachio Nuts
Quick and Easy Pasta Salad w/ Tomatoes, Basil, and Fresh Ricottta Cheese. Simple, nourishing, and delicious!
Gluten Free Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Basil, & Fresh Ricotta
Crispy Rosemary Chickpea Pasta
Easy Healthy Pasta with Crispy Rosemary Chickpeas

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55 thoughts on “Easy Baked Enchilada Pasta (Gluten Free, Vegetarian)”

  1. Lisa

    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?

    Reply
    1. The Spicy RD

      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 🙂

      Reply
  5. Niki, unifiedspace

    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. 🙂

    Reply
  8. kellie@foodtoglow

    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.

    Reply
  11. Kim Bee

    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

    Reply
  12. Lora @cakeduchess

    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:)

    Reply
    1. The Spicy RD

      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!

      Reply
    1. The Spicy RD

      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 🙂

      Reply
  19. Suzanne

    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.

    Reply
  21. Lauren Slayton

    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?

    Reply
    1. The Spicy RD

      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.

      Reply
  22. Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies

    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!

    Reply
  23. kellie@foodtoglow

    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.

    Reply
    1. The Spicy RD

      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!

      Reply
    1. EA-The Spicy RD

      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!

      Reply
  28. The Spicy RD

    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 🙂

    Reply
  30. Gina (The Candid RD)

    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 🙂

    Reply
    1. The Spicy RD

      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!

      Reply
  32. Deanna Segrave-Daly

    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 🙂

    Reply
    1. The Spicy RD

      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!

      Reply
  33. Soni

    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 🙂

    Reply

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