When I ask my family what they want for dinner, Enchilada Pasta Bake is by far the most requested dish. It's bursting with all of the classic enchilada flavors, but without the tedious step of stuffing and rolling of tortillas.
1cupfrozen cornmicrowave for a few seconds to bring to room temperature
1/2cuplight sour cream
10oz canred enchilada sauce
1/2cupshredded cheddar cheese
1cupshredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large pan over med-high heat, add ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon or meat masher like this one, and cook until beef is cooked though and no longer pink. Once cooked through, drain all liquid from pan. Stir in taco seasoning, add 3/4c water and simmer 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and add 8oz of pasta (about 2/3rds of the package). Cook until al dente. Drain the water from the pasta. Set pasta aside.
Cut the cream cheese into smaller chunks and stir them into the taco meat over low-med heat. This will help it melt faster. Stir to combine. I prefer to use reduced fat cream cheese in this recipe simply to save a few calories, but regular cream cheese works fine too.
In a separate, LARGE bowl, measure out 1 c of frozen corn kernels and pop them in microwave for a few seconds to bring them to room temperature. Add in the can of enchilada sauce, 1/2 c lean sour cream, and 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese. Stir to combine.
Add the cooked pasta noodles to the bowl as well (add noodles a little bit at a time stirring to combine in between). Give everything a good stir to make sure the pasta is completely coated.
Bring the noodle mixture over to the stove and pour it into the pan with the warm ground beef mixture. Again, add noodles a little bit at a time stirring to combine in between to make sure that everything is completely coated. Warm over low-medium heat for 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally to ensure all ingredients are fully combined.
Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle remining 1 c shredded cheddar cheese on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes until pasta is warmed through and cheese is melted.
Scoop onto plates and serve with your favorite taco toppings.
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.