All the flavors of your favorite Beef Enchiladas, this Instant Pot Enchilada Pasta is the perfect weeknight pasta dish for the whole family! Gluten free and 21 Day Fix Containers and WW Points included, of course! This post contains affiliate links for products I’m obsessed with.
Welcome to my first recipe of the decade!
Yikes!
Kind of a lot of pressure in that statement, lol…I had to think about what wanted to share to mark this occasion. I tested a whole bunch of recipes this fall and this was one of our favorites!
Plus, I am really crushing hard on all this Instant Pot Pasta because they are honestly the quickest recipes around!
And if you follow my blog regularly, you know I love enchiladas! So, I think it’s worthy for 2020.
In fact, this is basically a remake of my 21 Day Fix Enchilada Beef Dip recipe from way back. I was craving it one night but also craving some carbs (because I heart carbs) and, well, the rest is recipe history.
There’s no canned enchilada sauce or sodium filled powders in here either – we are using a yummy blend of pantry spices and tomato sauce and it’s freaking delicious if I do say so myself.
I use this same blend in my other Enchilada Recipes:
21 Day Fix Lazy Zucchini Enchilada Skillet
Pork Enchiladas Flatbread Pizza
and the dip I referred to earlier: 21 Day Fix Enchilada Beef Dip | Stove Top | Instant Pot
Tips and Tricks for Making Instant Pot Enchilada Pasta:
- Be sure you read the whole recipe first before starting! (That’s a great tip for any recipe!).
- After browning your meat and veggies, scrape the bottom of your pot to make sure nothing is burned or stuck on the bottom. If you feel that food is stuck, deglaze with a 1/4 cup of water
- Be sure to layer the pasta on top of the meat and veggies but do not stir. And when you add the tomatoes, sauce, and water, try to add it evenly and spread it out over your noodles if you can. If you feel you need to add a little more water to achieve this, go ahead.
- If your pasta doesn’t feel cooked all the way or evenly after cooktime, don’t panic! Stir it all up and then just lay the lid on the pot. In a couple of minutes, the heat from the pot should finish your pasta! You can also put it on saute to help this!
Substitutions for this Instant Pot Enchilada Pasta Recipe
- I love using Butcher Box’s ground sirloin for this recipe, but you can sub ground chicken or ground turkey in this!
- If you want to make it with chicken breast, you can sub
- If you don’t have tomato sauce, you can sub tomato puree, crushed tomatoes, or another can of diced tomatoes
- I use gluten-free brown rice pasta, but you can sub whole wheat or regular pasta (if you aren’t on the FIX). Cooktime should stay the same regardless!
- If you are dairy free, you can just omit the cheese (this is how I serve it to my son!) or add your favorite dairy free cheese. It will still be SOOOOO Yummy!
More Instant Pot Pasta Ideas
Instant Pot Sausage Broccoli Pasta (21 Day Fix)
Healthy Instant Pot Baked Ziti | 21 Day Fix Instant Pot Baked Ziti [Gluten-free]
Healthy Instant Pot Chili Mac [21 Day Fix | Gluten-Free | StoveTop Option]
Healthy Taco Pasta | The Foodie and The Fix
Looking for More Healthy Instant Pot Recipes? Here’s enough for a month!
31 Days of Healthy Instant Pot Recipes [21 Day Fix | Weight Watchers Freestyle]
Instant Pot Enchilada Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean grass fed ground beef or sub ground turkey or ground chicken
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons chili powder or more to taste
- Sprinkle salt
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 2 bell peppers any color, diced
- 2 garlic cloves diced
- 1 can tomato sauce 8 or 10 oz
- 15 oz diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained 1 can
- ¼ cup water
- 1 ½ cups gluten free brown rice pasta penne, ziti, spirals all work well
- ⅔- 1 ⅓ cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese i used a full cup and then added more on top
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
Instant Pot
- Set Instant Pot to saute and brown ground beef until almost cooked through.
- Add in onion and bell pepper and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic and seasonings
- Layer pasta on top of meat and veggie mixture, but do not stir. Add the diced tomatoes with green chilies, water, and tomato sauce on top of pasta and smooth it out a bit to cover the noodles.
- Cook for 3 minutes on manual and then quick release.
- Stir in 2/3- 1 1/3 cup of sharp cheddar cheddar cheese and place the lid on for a few minutes to allow it to melt. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!
Stovetop
- Cook pasta according to the instructions on the box.
- In a large pan, saute and brown ground beef until almost cooked through. Add in onion and bell pepper and cook until tender. Stir in garlic and seasonings.
- Add the diced tomatoes with green chilies, water, and tomato sauce.
- When pasta is finished cooking, drain well and add to meat and veggie mixture. Stir in cheese and mix until it's all melted.
- Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!
Cristie Noble says
One of our faves, Nancylynn! Delicious as always!!
Nancylynn says
You’re the best, Cristie, thank you!
AmyG says
This turned out excellent! Flavors and textures were delightful. I used 2 10-oz cans of Rotel tomatoes with green chiles (in addition to the 8 oz plain tomato sauce) and that is about as spicy as I would want. I made it in an 8-quart IP and ensured all the pasta was covered in tomato-y stuff. This seems to have paid off, as my GF brown rice noodles were nicely cooked.
Nancylynn says
Thank you for this feedback, Amy! So glad you loved it!
Robyn says
Can you use chicken in the enchilada meal instead of beef?
Nancylynn says
Yes! Diced or ground will work!
Elizabeth Thoryk says
We made this substituting 2×15 oz cans of drained black beans for the meat. I also had a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes and a can of chopped jalapeños in place of the recipe’s tomato ingredients. Prepared it stovetop and it was a hit. Definitely seems like a recipe that will taste even better the next day! Thank you for such a great recipe.
Nancylynn says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Lisa says
This is listed under the freezer meals. Just wanted to confirm that you cook the noodles with the rest of the meal and then put into the freezer. Will the noodles be soggy?
Nancylynn says
Yes, cook the noodles with the rest of the meal! I haven’t had any issues with them being soggy. For reheating – I like to thaw the dish and then actually heat it in the microwave instead of the oven due to the oven sometimes drying pasta out when reheating. Hope that helps!
Amber says
Made this in the instapot last night and it was SO GOOD! Easy to make I left the red onion out since I didn’t have one. Only used 1 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder and it was still tasty. Even warmed up good today. This is definitely getting added to the I will make again list.
Nancylynn says
Thank you, Amber! I love it as leftovers, too!
Allison Hunt says
Can this recipe be doubled in a 6 qt IP?
Nancylynn says
YES! 🙂
Julianne Kaye says
Delicious! So easy to make.
Nancylynn says
Thank you!
Elana says
This was so good and very easy to make! One question, I cooked for 3 minutes and did the quick release, but my pasta was not done so I cooked it 2 more minutes and some of the noodles were still hard and some were cooked. Has anyone else had to cook it longer?
Nancylynn says
Different brands cook a little different. Are you using GF pasta or Whole wheat? You should just be able to put the lid back on and let those hard noodles finish cooking from the heat/steam.
Irina Brovtchenko says
Loved it! Made it with ground turkey and whole wheat pasta… sooo good.. definitely saving this one!
Nancylynn says
Yay! Thank you for taking the time to rate and comment!
Kara says
I’m a little confused here. At the top it says 1.5 green but below the recipe says 1/2 green. What is it? Thanks!
Nancylynn says
It is 1 1/2, thanks for catching that! All fixed now!
K says
Your site looks amazing and I want to give some of these a try! What size IP are your recipes portioned for? I have a 6 qt.
Nancylynn says
Recipes are all tested in 6 qt. Can’t wait for you to try them, thank you!
Carrie Dunning says
This has quickly become an absolute favorite with our family. We make it at least every other week and leave us all with that “we gotta have that meal again” feeling! It’s become my “go to” recipe when I bring a meal to a family in need. Thank you, NancyLynn! You work magic with recipes! My tummy and my heart… and my waistline… are so appreciative. I love how I can always come to your site and be confident that your recipes are not only delicious, but delicious and keep me chipping away at my wellness goals.
Jessica says
Delicious! I ended up with 3 servings instead of 4. Not sure what I did wrong. Any tips?
Nancylynn says
You may have just had smaller peppers and onions, or your pasta may not have expanded as large as mine. I’m guessing you didn’t do anything wrong, though! Next time try dividing the recipe into four equal servings, rather than measuring out by cup. Hope that helps!
Janna says
This recipe is delicious!
Nancylynn says
Thank you, Janna!
sarah says
to make this a freezer meal should i fully cook this before freezing?
Nancylynn says
Yes! It should freeze very well!
Laura says
This was a huge hit for my family. We used chickpea pasta instead of regular pasta and it was delicious! Thank you for the great recipe!!!
Nancylynn says
I am so happy to hear this, Laura! Thank you for your comment and rating!! ❤️
Juliette says
I have been living off of your recipes for the last month and LOVE them! Is there a way to make this without an instapot? I have a slow cooker. Any help is much appreciated!
Nancylynn says
There are now stovetop directions- does that help?
Nicole says
The flavor was sooo good! Very filling and huge portion for the 21 day fix!
Joyce says
Love, love, love this dish!😍 The only change I made was adding a cup of chopped zucchini (because I put fresh zucchini in everything this time of year!) I can’t wait for lunch leftovers tomorrow! Thanks for an amazing 21 Day Fix recipe I can add to my short list of favorites! Yummy!!
Nancylynn says
What a great idea!
Natalie says
Holy moly that was AMAZING!! So flavorful and so filling. This will definitely be added to my short list of recipes of yours that I love!!
Krysta says
I only have 85% lean ground beef on hand wlll I need to drain the beef? If so can this be done using instant pot?
Nancylynn says
You can drain the beef, yes. After the meat is done cooking, use oven mitts to pick up the inner pot and drain the beef. You can use a paper towel to catch any drips on the side, place it back in the cooking base, and keep going!
Brooke says
Hi! Is the 1 1/2 cups of pasta, cooked or uncooked??
Nancylynn says
uncooked 🙂
Brooke says
Thank you!! It was delicious!! This was my 3rd recipe of yours. I am new to your blog and a new instant pot owner. Loving every bit of it!!
Susan says
If using ground turkey would you just adjust the WW points down by 4? That’s how I’m looking at it (4 points for 90% ground beef) but wanted to make sure I was thinking right. Thanks!
Sara says
Made this earlier in the week for the first time and it was so good! It’ll definitely be in our meal rotation! So flavorful, easy, and made with simple ingredients we almost always have on hand. We left the cheese out, as my daughter is allergic to dairy. My son added some shredded cheese to his, but the rest of us loved it without.
Claire says
Delicious! Thank you for this recipe! We increased the veggies for personal preference, but this was so good!!
Elizabeth Strahan says
Hi!
In the stovetop version, you might want to add to put in the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes when combining everything. I figured it out, but just a thought. 😊 I did not add the water bc it would have been too watery. Already I don’t feel like there’s enough of a sauce.
Thanks!
Nancylynn says
Thank you!
Terri says
How many calories per serving are in this.
Nancylynn says
For the most accurate calorie counts, check out https://www.myfitnesspal.com/
Deb says
Can you use a regular crockpot for this recipe if you don’t have an instapot? Sorry if I missed that in the Q&A already!
Nancylynn says
If you don’t have an instant pot, try the stovetop directions!
Lauren Norkett says
Where can I find the stove top recipe?
Nancylynn says
The stovetop directions are in the recipe card, under the instant pot directions 🙂
Kerri says
This was soooo good!! I used protein pasta instead of the brown rice pasta. I wonder if that counts for more red? Just a thought
Nancylynn says
I think in theory, but it still counts as a yellow for the FIX. Does that make sense?
Kiron says
Can you use regular pasta (not GFree) and it’s all same ratios? Thanks!
Nancylynn says
Yes!
Kiron says
I did it and turned out great!
Jen says
This sounds delicious! Would it work with regular whole wheat pasta? I don’t know if the amount of liquid needed would be different!
Nancylynn says
Yes!
Shelly says
Made this tonight, tastes great! I did feel like there wasn’t enough pasta to “other stuff” ratio. I ended up doing ground turkey and of course my package was 1.25lbs but feel even without that extra 1/4lb it would still be light on pasta. If I added more pasta would it just need more water?
Nancylynn says
Yes – you want to double the water and also add more diced tomatoes for more liquid. It is lighter on the pasta to keep the meal a one yellow meal for the 21 Day Fix. I hope that makes sense!
Sno E. says
Yes I agree with Shelley! I added more pasta, not more liquid and increased manual cook time to 6 minutes total instead of 3 and it was
Perfect!
OMG this recipe was so amazing though that my
Picky toddlers wanted seconds!!
Thank you!!
Nancylynn says
Glad this worked for you!!!
Nancylynn says
Glad you made it your own and so happy the kids love it!
Elyse says
The stovetop recipe doesn’t say when to add tomato sauce, tomatoes & chiles and water. I’m assuming when you add garlic & spices??
Nancylynn says
Thank you, all fixed now! 🙂
staci says
Made this tonight! Luckily I had everything on had. So fast, easy and delicious!!!!!!
Nancylynn says
AWESOME!!