Instant Pot Enchilada Pasta (With Stovetop Instructions)

Instant Pot enchilada pasta is a tasty and versatile recipe to get even more use out of your pressure cooker. It’s a super easy recipe to make gluten free or dairy free and can be made on the stovetop if you wish as well. You get all the flavors of enchiladas that you love with the speed and convenience of the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Enchilada Pasta Ingredients

To make this instant pot enchilada pasta you’ll first need a pound of ground beef, minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, onion powder, and salt. You will also need a half of a diced red onion, a diced red pepper, a diced green pepper, and 12 ounces of penne pasta. Lastly, you’ll need a 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes with the liquid, an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce, a 4 ounce can of diced green chiles, a quarter cup of water, and a cup of shredded cheddar cheese.

If you want, you can swap out the tomato sauce and green chiles for 10 to 12 ounces of enchilada sauce. You can also add in a 15 ounce can of black beans if you wish.

How to Make Enchilada Pasta in the Instant Pot

Start this recipe by setting the Instant Pot to “sauté” mode and add in the ground beef, minced garlic, and spices. Brown the beef and mix in the seasonings and garlic until it’s all incorporated and the beef is almost cooked through.

Next, add in the diced onions and bell peppers and cook for about 2 minutes or just until they soften up. Then turn the instant pot off of “sauté” mode.

Now add in the penne over the top of the meat and veggie mix in an even layer. Don’t stir it at all and add in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chiles, and water. This is where you will add the can of black beans in if you decided on those.

Again, don’t stir, but use the back of a spoon or spatula to smooth this latest addition into an even layer and make sure it’s covering the noodles.

Place the lid onto the Instant Pot and make sure the valve is set to “sealing.” Cook on manual high pressure for 5 minutes and when the Instant Pot is done cooking do a quick release on the valve.

Lastly, stir in the cheese and let it sit for a minute or two to melt together. You can add another 1/4 cup of water at this point if you want to for a thinner sauce. Once the cheese is melted just garnish and serve!

How to Make Enchilada Pasta On the Stovetop

Start this enchilada pasta on the stovetop by first cooking the pasta according to the instructions on the packaging.

In a large pan, brown the ground beef until it is almost cooked through. Then add in the onion and bell peppers and cook it together until they start to soften. Stir in the minced garlic and the seasonings until well combined.

Next, add in the diced tomatoes, green chiles, water, and tomato sauce. Add in the can of black beans if you opted for those.

Once the pasta has finished cooking, drain it well and add it into the meat and veggie mixture. Mix in the cheese and let it heat through and melt. Then just garnish and enjoy!

Making Gluten Free Enchilada Pasta

• Instant Pot Gluten Free Enchilada Pasta: To make this recipe gluten free in the instant pot, simply swap out the regular noodles for a gluten free penne and cook like normal. DO NOT use chickpea pasta in the instant pot as it doesn’t cook quite right.
• Stovetop Gluten Free Enchilada Pasta: To make this recipe gluten free on the stovetop, simply swap out the regular penne for your favorite gluten free variety and cook according to the directions on the packaging.

Gluten Free Penne Recommendations:

• Colavita Penne
• Jovial Penne
• Barilla Penne

How to Make Dairy Free Enchilada Pasta

Making this recipe dairy free is as easy as omitting the cheese from the recipe. Another option is to use a dairy free cheese of your choice and make the enchilada pasta the same as you normally would.

Dairy Free Cheese Recommendations:

• Daiya Cheddar Shreds
• Violife Colby Jack Shreds

Serving and Storing Instructions

Garnish your Instant Pot enchilada pasta with cilantro or any extra diced red onions or cheese you may have left. You can also garnish with a small drizzle of enchilada sauce if you opted to use that in the recipe.

This recipe is great to serve as a standalone or with breadsticks, if that fits into your dietary preferences/restrictions. It also goes great with a fresh side salad.

To store this enchilada pasta, let it cool to room temp and place in an airtight container and refrigerate. The pasta reheats well and is also a great option for meal prepping for a filling lunch. It will keep well refrigerated for about 5 days.

Other Pasta Recipes You’ll Love!

• Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta
• One Pot Mushroom Stroganoff
• Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo Pasta
• Easy Meatless Baked Ziti
• Cajun Salmon Pasta

Print

This instant pot enchilada pasta recipe may contain some links that are affiliate links, though products are ones I use personally and recommend. When you purchase anything using my links, it costs you absolutely nothing extra, but it does give healthyheartyrecipes.com a little financial support which helps to keep this blog running. Thank you for your continued support, both with your dollars and your interest.