Black bean enchilada pasta bake
Pasta, black beans and corn baked in smoky red enchilada sauce under melted cheese, all the flavor of enchiladas with none of the rolling.
- 45 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.65 a serving
- 740 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 12 oz gluten-free pasta, short shape; regular pasta works too
- 1 can red enchilada sauce, 10 oz
- 1 can tomato sauce, 8 oz
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 2 cups Mexican blend cheese, divided
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
- ½ cup sour cream, to serve (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
Each serving has about 740 calories, 28 g protein, 104 g carbs and 25 g fat, and costs about $2.65 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No tomato sauce? Crushed tomatoes work.
- No black beans? Pinto beans or kidney beans work.
- No frozen corn? Canned corn works.
- No Mexican blend cheese? Shredded cheddar or cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 375°F. Fill a large pot with water, add the salt, cover and over high heat.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
the onion while the water heats.
Dice. Dicing means cutting food into small, even cubes, usually a quarter to half an inch across. Pieces the same size cook at the same speed, so nothing burns while the rest catches up.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are little cubes about the size of a chickpea, and they all look close to the same.
Cook the pasta 3 minutes less than the package says, then it.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
High heatTimer: 8 min
Dolly’s tip: It finishes cooking in the oven, so it should still be firm now.Heat the oil in the empty pot over medium heat and cook the onion 5 minutes, until soft. Stir in the chili powder and cumin for 30 seconds, .
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min 30 sec
Stir in the enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, beans, corn and 1 cup cheese, then the pasta.
Low heat
Spread it in an 8x8-inch baking dish and scatter the rest of the cheese on top.
Dolly’s tip: To freeze, cover it well at this point and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.20 minutes, until the cheese and the edges bubble.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Timer: 20 min
Serve topped with cilantro and a spoonful of sour cream.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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