One pan meals are perfect for getting us through the work week. Who has time to spend hours in the kitchen making and then cleaning up after dinner? With a one pan meal, everything goes into one - usually stove and oven ready - pan (although not usually at the same time) and the result is a great dinner that covers a lot of ground.
This Tex-Mex meal consists of lots of seasonings, veggies, pasta, leftover turkey or chicken, and cheese to make a flavor-packed meal in less than an hour that leaves cleanup even faster. If you don't have enchilada sauce, you can opt for salsa and tweak the heat by adding some of your favorite hot sauce if you'd like. You can use fresh corn, tomatoes, and chiles, but using the frozen and canned versions save time and that's what this recipe is really all about. You can use pepper jack cheese if you'd like to up the heat as well.
As with most one pan meals, the only thing you need to serve with it is your favorite beverage. If you really want something else, chips and salsa or bruschetta topped with spicy tomatoes would do the trick, but this meal is all about making things streamlined and easy for you on a busy weeknight. Enjoy!
Turkey Enchilada Pasta Bake
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes
- 1 can green chiles
- 1 - 10 ounce can red enchilada sauce, divided
- 2 cups chicken or turkey stock
- 12 ounces short pasta, uncooked - I used radiatore pasta
- 2 cups cooked, chopped turkey or chicken - I used turkey
- 2 cups shredded cheddar jack cheese
- Chopped green onions, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick sauté pan and sauté the onion for 5-6 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the cumin and garlic powder; cook for another minutes. Add the corn, tomatoes, chiles, and ½ of the enchilada sauce. Stir well and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and simmer, stirring frequently, until it is al dente (about 10 minutes or so). Add the cooked, chopped turkey or chicken and the remaining enchilada sauce and stir to combine. Sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling. Garnish with the chopped green onions.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 45 minutes