Spicy Beef Enchilada Tortellini
Add Preferred SourceBeef Enchilada Tortellini gives you the taste of beef enchiladas without rolling or baking a single tortilla. It comes together mostly in one skillet on a busy night, with cheese tortellini in place of the rolled shells.
One pound of beef, black beans, and corn stretch it across six servings, so a little meat feeds the whole table. If your skillet is oven-safe, it goes under the broiler for 3 minutes to melt the cheese.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s enchilada flavor without the work. You skip softening, filling, and rolling tortillas, because the cheese tortellini does the job of the shells. It eats like a cheesy enchilada bake, but it’s made on the stovetop.
- It’s mostly one skillet. Aside from a pot for the tortellini, the whole dish cooks and finishes in one pan, so there isn’t much to wash up on a weeknight.
- A pound of beef feeds six. The black beans and corn add enough volume that a single package of ground beef covers the whole table, which is where the value is.
- The heat is yours to set. Pepper jack and taco seasoning bring some heat, and it’s easy to push it up with a chopped jalapeno or pull it back with a milder cheese.
- Leftovers get better. Leftovers cover a few lunches. One skillet keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge, so a single batch stretches past dinner.
Ingredients You’ll Need
A few of these are worth a closer look before you start; the printable card below has the full list with quantities.
- Cheese tortellini. This stands in for the rolled shells, and the cheese filling does a lot of the flavor work. If all you can find is dried or frozen rather than fresh, it still works; it just takes longer to cook and soaks up more sauce.
- Ground beef. The main protein, browned and drained so the sauce doesn’t turn greasy. One pound across six servings is where the stretch comes from, with the beans and corn filling it out.
- Enchilada sauce and taco seasoning. These two carry the flavor, and both are salty on their own, so taste before you add any salt. Red enchilada sauce is the default here, and you’ll want the full two cups for it to go around.
- Black beans and corn. Canned black beans, drained and rinsed, and canned corn, stirred in with the beef. They add substance and volume, which is how a single pound of meat still covers six, and the beans bring fiber along with them.
- Pepper jack cheese. Two cups melt over the top and add heat. Colby Jack or Monterey Jack makes it milder, or use a mix if you like more going on.
- Sour cream and scallions. Spooned over at the end to finish. Full-fat Greek yogurt stands in for the sour cream if that’s what you keep on hand.
How to make Beef Enchilada Tortellini
A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.
Creating this dish is a breeze and perfect for a busy weeknight. Let’s walk through the steps to get this meal on your table.
Cook the tortellini
Cook the cheese tortellini in a large pot of water according to the package, then drain and set it aside.
Brown the beef
While the tortellini cooks, brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up until no pink remains, then drain off the grease.
I drain it well, because fat left in the pan pools under the sauce and makes the whole dish greasy.
Ground beef is safe at an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C), so check it with a thermometer if you’re unsure.
Build the sauce
Stir the taco seasoning, one cup of water, two cups of enchilada sauce, the drained and rinsed black beans, and the corn into the beef until everything is mixed.
Add the tortellini and melt the cheese
Fold the drained tortellini into the sauce, then scatter the pepper jack over the top.
If your skillet is oven-safe, broil it for about 3 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and golden; if it isn’t, cover the pan and let the cheese melt over medium to low heat.
The sauce tightens as it stands, so pull it while it still looks a little loose rather than cooking it dry.
Finish and serve
Top with a dollop of sour cream and a handful of chopped scallions, and serve it hot.
To get ahead, brown the beef and make the sauce through the beans and corn up to a day early, then refrigerate it.
Reheat the sauce when you’re ready and cook the tortellini fresh to fold in, since the pasta is best cooked just before serving so it doesn’t go soft.
Recipe Notes and Expert Tips
- Taste before you salt. The enchilada sauce and the taco seasoning are both salty, so wait until the dish is built before adding any salt. A low-sodium taco seasoning gives you more room to season to your own taste.
- Chase the right texture. If the skillet looks dry, loosen it with a splash of water or a little more enchilada sauce. It firms up as it sits off the heat.
- Set the heat where you want it. A chopped jalapeno stirred in with the beef pushes the spice up, and Monterey Jack with a mild seasoning blend pulls it back for younger eaters.
Recipe Variations
- Ground turkey or chicken stands in for the beef when you want it lighter; it’s a tested swap that browns and seasons the same, so the timing holds.
- Diced bell pepper or onion cooked in with the beef adds more vegetables to the pan, a well-supported change that needs no other tweak, since they soften right along with the meat before the sauce goes in.
- A can of drained diced tomatoes stirred in with the beans and corn makes it chunkier and fresher; I’ve tested that, and it doesn’t change the timing.
- To make it meatless, drop the beef and use a plant-based grind, which should brown and season much like beef, so the timing should hold; the extra-beans-and-vegetables route instead is untested here, and you’ll want to watch the liquid since you’ve lost the beef.
How to Store Leftovers
Don’t leave the skillet out to cool first. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the kitchen is above 90°F (32°C).
Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge, and the tortellini drinks up sauce as it sits, so add a splash of water when you reheat.
Warm them gently in the microwave or on the stovetop to 165°F (74°C). It freezes, though the tortellini turns softer once thawed, so it’s best fresh or from the fridge.
If you do freeze it, keep it to 2 to 3 months for the best texture, then thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
What to Serve With Beef Enchilada Tortellini
This is a rich, cheesy skillet, so I keep the sides simple and fresh.
A scoop of Mexican rice stretches the meal to feed a few more and soaks up the enchilada sauce, while Mexican street corn brings a sweet, tangy note against the spice.
If you want something cool and light alongside, a bowl of guacamole or a crisp green salad with lime cuts through the richness.
FAQs
Yes. Red is the default here and gives the dish a deeper, earthier heat, while store-bought green is usually milder. Switch to green if you want to pull the spice back, and keep the same two cups either way.
Fresh or refrigerated tortellini keeps the timing as written. Dried or frozen takes longer and drinks up more of the sauce, so cook it according to the package and expect to loosen the skillet with a splash of water or a little extra enchilada sauce.
A loose-looking skillet firms up as it stands off the heat, so give it a moment before you judge it.
More Easy Pasta Dinners to Try
A few more pasta dinners from the site, each one a different kind of weeknight.
- Walking Taco Casserole takes the same taco-seasoned beef and cheese into a baked pasta dish, finished with lettuce and pico at the table, for nights you’d rather bake than stand at the stove.
- Chicken and Corn Pasta goes creamy instead of cheesy and spiced, with chicken, corn, and bacon, for a milder night.
- Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta brings a smoky chipotle sauce with chicken and peppers when you want more heat.
- Pasta Carbonara is the one for a non-Mexican pasta night, bacon and egg over spaghetti in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cheese tortellini
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 ounce packet taco seasoning
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups enchilada sauce
- 15 ounces can of black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups canned corn drained
- 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- Sour cream for topping
- Chopped scallions for topping optional
Instructions
- In a large pot cook the tortellini according to package. Drain and set aside.16 ounces cheese tortellini
- While the tortellini is cooking, begin browning the ground beef in a large skillet. Drain any grease once done cooking.1 pound ground beef
- Add taco seasoning, water, enchilada sauce, beans, and corn, and stir until everything is mixed.1 ounce packet taco seasoning, 1 cup water, 2 cups enchilada sauce, 15 ounces can of black beans, 1 ½ cups canned corn
- Add in the tortellini and stir once more. Top with the shredded cheese and if using an oven-safe skillet broil for 3 minutes or until the cheese has melted. (You can just put a lid on the pan and cook over medium to low heat to melt the cheese.)2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- Top with sour cream and scallions and enjoy!Chopped scallions for topping, Sour cream for topping
Notes
- Brown the raw ground beef to a safe internal temperature of 160°F (71°C). before you add the sauce.
- Fresh or refrigerated tortellini keeps the timing as written; dried or frozen takes longer and drinks up more sauce, so loosen the skillet with a splash of water if needed.
- Both the enchilada sauce and the taco seasoning are salty, so taste before adding any salt; a low-sodium taco seasoning gives more room to adjust.
- Ground turkey or chicken works for a lighter version, and Colby Jack or Monterey Jack makes it milder.
- Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge, and the tortellini drinks up sauce as it sits, so add a splash of water when you reheat.
- Reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C).
Sounds Delicious, Can’t wait to try it. MMMMM
It really is, hope you get to try it soon!
Made this last night. It was phenomenal. Used a little less water and added a little bit of chopped jalapeño. Will definitely be making this again. Thank you for sharing this recipe. PS: husband and I will probably be fighting over who gets to eat the leftovers LOL
I’m wondering who won the fight for the leftovers – glad to hear it was a hit!