A fresh take on taco pasta, this cheesy ground beef enchilada tortellini is a quick weeknight dinner everyone will love. This winning dinner combines classic enchilada flavors and pillows of cheese tortellini for a quick recipe you will want to make over and over again.
Summer is over friends. I’m not sure if I’m sad or excited for all the festive fun right around the corner.
To be honest, with the busyness of back to school, I don’t have time to think. Heck, I don’t have time to do much of anything other than try to keep us all fed and get us where we all need to be.
I barely have time to get dinner on the table. But I’m still trying to keep us all happy by making new easy dinners that I can put together on the busiest of days.
Why enchilada tortellini?
We all love enchiladas, and we all love tortellini but done on their own they each get kind of old. Plus, enchiladas require more time assembling than I have on a weekday.
They are great on a weekend when I have extra time to spend cooking. In fact, this is the time of year when I start making breakfast enchiladas on the weekends because they are cozy and filling.
But this cheesy ground beef enchilada tortellini is light on the prep time unlike a traditional enchilada casserole. It only needs 5 minutes of prep and roughly 20 minutes of cook time.
And also, unlike traditional enchiladas, the prep this enchilada tortellini requires is a breeze. There’s no rolling involved, nothing that gets your hands dirty. It’s mainly browning beef, boiling water, and that’s it. If I didn’t already know how delicious this was, I’d still already be 100 % sure it’s my kinda meal!
How to Make Cheesy Ground Beef Enchilada Tortellini
Making this is so easy! Cook the tortellini according to the directions on the package. Then drain the tortellini. When the tortellini is boiling, cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. As it cooks, break up the beef.
When it is totally cooked through, drain any excess grease.Season the cooked beef with the taco seasoning and pour beef broth and enchilada sauce over the beef, stirring until the meat and seasoning is well mixed. The sauce will be on the thin side. Nothing’s wrong, don’t panic- it’s supposed to be.
Next you can stir in the beans, corn, and cooked tortellini. Let the sauce come to a simmer. It will thicken nicely in the process. Give it a good stir and then top the whole enchilada (see what I did there?) with shredded cheddar cheese.
Then to finish, just pop it under the broiler for a minute or two to melt the cheese. When it’s nice & melty, remove the skillet from the oven & top with your family’s favorite Tex Mex garnishes before serving.
We like to keep extra of each garnish in little prep bowls on a lazy-susan in the center of the dinner table. This way, everyone can personalize their own individual servings just the way they want to satisfy their unique tastes.
TIPS & TRICKS FOR MAKING THIS ENCHILADA TORTELLINI SKILLET RECIPE:
- Don’t have beef broth on hand? Chicken broth or even plain water both make suitable alternatives.
- We use a plain cheese tortellini in this recipe, but that’s not the only option. Spinach stuffed are equally tasty, and one of my favorite ways to sneak in some extra veggies in an otherwise carb heavy one dish skillet supper.
- Fresh or frozen tortellini both work well, but I wouldn’t recommend using dried tortellini.
- Don’t like black beans? Kidney & pinto beans both make excellent substitutions. Even garbanzo beans (aka chick peas) are good in this one.
- What kind of ground beef you use in this recipe can make a difference in the overall results of the sauce. I would opt for a leaner ground beef. Even with a good strain after it’s fully cooked, the meat will still release some excess grease while it’s cooked with the other ingredients. We want to keep that at a minimum since the sauce is thin enough on it’s own, and to keep it from being ‘greasy’.
- When people think of enchilada sauce, they tend to think of the red version. That’s what we used in the photographed version seen here, but the green sauce (in equal amount) is just as tasty and a great way to shake things up for a yummy change of pace.
- Everybody tends to have their own favorite toppings with Tex Mex dishes. As written, this is great served with a dollop of sour cream, thinly sliced green onion, and some fresh cilantro leaves. Other tasty options include thinly sliced jalapenos, crushed tortilla chips, diced red onion, & pico de gallo.
Other Fun Ideas for Tortellini
Part of why I love this recipe so much is because it uses every day ingredients in a new, unexpected way like in my cold tortellini salad with ranch dressing. I love using tortellini in an enchilada pasta for a surprising, fun twist. These other tortellini recipes also shake things up a bit with fun tortellini combinations:
Who knew you could use something as simple as cheese filled tortellini pasta, and give it a savory Tex Mex flavored makeover? Not only that, but with just a handful of ingredients that whips up into a one stop shop for supper in a breeze?
Well, thanks to this easy cheesy ground beef enchilada tortellini recipe- we all do now. Put this on the menu board asap- just know it’s gonna become a regular feature there!
If you’ve tried CHEESY GROUND BEEF ENCHILADA TORTELLINI, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Cheesy Ground Beef Enchilada Tortellini
Ingredients
- 12-16 oz tortellini
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 cups enchilada sauce
- 1 15 oz can black beans drained & rinsed
- 1 15 oz can corn kernels drained
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- sour cream for garnish
- green onions thinly sliced, for garnish
- fresh cilantro leaves roughly chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the tortellini according to the package directions, until al dente. Transfer to a colander to drain completely.
- While the tortellini is coming to a boil and cooking, get started on the ground beef. In a large over safe skillet, brown the ground beef.
- Break the ground beef up as it cooks. When completely cooked through, drain the skillet of any excess grease.
- Sprinkle the taco seasoning out over the beef, and stir. Next pour the broth & enchilada sauce over top, and stir together until the seasoning is completely incorporated in to the thin sauce.
- Stir in the beans, corn, and tortellini until evenly incorporated. Heat the skillet over medium heat, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let the mixture simmer for 1-2 minutes, just until everything's heated through and the sauce has thickened.
- Stir the mixture well. Sprinkle the cheese evenly out over the top, and transfer the skillet to the oven. Broil, watching carefully, just until the cheese has melted- shouldn't take but a minute or so.
- Remove the skillet from the oven, and top it with sour cream, green onion, and cilantro- if using- for garnishes.
- Serve & enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Lynne K says
Your recipes sound delicious. It’s beyond irritating, though, that one has to scroll down for what seems an eternity – with all the ads, etc – to actually be able to view the “proper” list of ingredients. Just a wee bit too time consuming, but sounds out-of-this-world mouthwatering. : /
4sonsrus says
While it may be a wee bit time consuming, the ads help pay for recipe development and to maintain and run our website. If you’re short on time, at the very top of each post is a clickable black box that says ‘jump to recipe’- click it and it will take you straight to view the recipe card. Thank you for the compliment, and I hope you find many recipes to make & enjoy!!
Mandi says
This looks good! Meat or cheese tortellini?
4sonsrus says
I used plain cheese, but you could use whichever you prefer.