One Pot Enchilada Pasta
This post is sponsored by Barilla. As always, I only work with brands I know and love! All opinions are my own.
This delicious enchilada pasta recipe is a creamy pasta dish with plenty of spicy flavor. Made with , this vegetarian one-pot meal is packed with 13g of protein and fiber! Barilla® Red Lentil Spaghetti was also a 2021 People Food Awards Winner!

As a vegetarian, I’m always looking for ways to add a little more protein to my meals. This enchilada pasta recipe is made with Barilla® Red Lentil Spaghetti, so each serving of this dish has over 20g of protein (13 grams comes from just the pasta)! I picked up a few boxes at Kroger and I love how versatile it is! Plus, this pasta only contains one simple ingredient: red lentils. That’s it!
Enchilada Pasta Ingredients
- Barilla® Red Lentil Spaghetti– This pasta has a neutral flavor but it adds tons of protein and fiber to the recipe!
- Yellow Onion– You can substitute white or red onion, if needed. For a more mild flavor, try it with shallots instead.
- Bell Pepper– I used a green bell pepper and I like the color it added to this dish, but any color bell pepper will taste great!
- Garlic- If you don’t have fresh garlic, feel free to substitute garlic powder.
- Water- You may need a tiny bit more water to ensure the pasta is cooked until al dente.
- Enchilada Sauce– If you want to make your own sauce, try this enchilada sauce recipe!
- Corn- I love the sweetness this adds to the dish. You can use canned or frozen for this recipe.
- Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies– I like fire roasted tomatoes with diced green chilis. If you want to keep this recipe less spicy, substitute regular fired roasted tomatoes.
- Cream Cheese– A little cream cheese makes the sauce taste deliciously rich and helps balance out the spiciness of the enchilada sauce.
- Shredded Cheese– I used a Mexican cheese blend but you can use any kind of shredded cheddar cheese.
How to Make Enchilada Pasta
Saute the onion and pepper until soft. Then add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add the pasta, water, enchilada sauce, corn, and diced tomatoes. You can either break the pasta noodles in half in order to submerge them, or just wait a minute or two until the noodles start to soften, and stir them into the sauce.
Cook until the noodles are al dente and the sauce has thickened.
Remove from heat and add the cream cheese and part of the shredded cheese. Stir until well combined.
When you’re ready to serve, add the remaining cheese on top. Serve with fresh limes for garnish.
Looking for another way to use red lentil pasta? Try my vegan One Pot Red Lentil Pasta which is so creamy and delicious!
PrintBarilla® Enchilada Pasta
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican Inspired
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This delicious enchilada pasta recipe is a creamy pasta dish with plenty of spicy flavor. Made with Barilla® Red Lentil Spaghetti pasta, this vegetarian one-pot meal is packed with 13g of protein and fiber! Barilla® Red Lentil Spaghetti was also a 2021 People Food Awards Winner!
Ingredients
- 1 8oz package Barilla® Red Lentil Pasta
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup red enchilada sauce
- 1 15oz can corn
- 1 15oz can diced tomatoes with green chili
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese, divided
Instructions
- In a large skillet, add the olive oil, onion and bell pepper and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute.
- Add the Barilla® Red Lentil pasta, water, enchilada sauce, corn, and diced tomatoes.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low.Â
- Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente.
- Remove from heat and stir in the cream cheese and ¾ cup of shredded cheese. Stir until the pasta is evenly coated.
- Sprinkle with remaining cheese just before serving.
Looking for a side dish to pair with this recipe? Try my Street Corn Salad!
I’m not vegan, but I love Barilla’s lentil pasta. I haven’t tried the spaghetti noodles, though. I think this is going to be my lunch next meatless Monday. Thanks for the inspiration!
These one pot dishes make my weeknight dinners so much easier. The flavors on this was amazing, who would’ve thought one could replicate enchilada for pasta??
Wow! We eat Barilla gluten free pasta all the time, and I’m so excited to try this red lentil one – especially in this great flavor combination!!!
I never thought that I would love red lentil pasta. But I definitely fell in love with this recipe. The pasta is rich in flavor and is so comforting. The whole family enjoyed it.
And it’s so packed with protein! I’m hooked on it, too!
This is such a fun and delicious recipe! I just made it and everyone loved it! Going to make again next week!
This one pot enchilada pasta was delicious and so easy! Love the spice and simplicity of this dish. Will be making this again soon as it was a hit 🙂
Yummo! What a great idea to serve enchilada sauce this way!
This is not your ordinary pasta recipe and that is what is so great about it! The enchilada sauce perfectly coats the pasta and adds tons of flavor.
It’s definitely a fun one when you’re craving something different!
Super loved this recipe, very easy to make and tasted really delicious and amazing! Will have it again, Highly recommended!
This yummy Bowl is surely a treat to my family. They to love it. Cant wait to try this out.