Chicken Enchilada Pasta

As some of you know, I grew up in Arizona. This means most of my favorite comfort food dishes are things like quesadillas and tacos. Brian has been known to surprise me with tacos when he knows I'm not feeling good. My list of to-learn dishes is half classic French stuff a la Julia Child and half native hispanic and native american dishes like sopapillas and "Indian Fry Bread"/Navajo tacos.

All that said, I'm not a huge fan of super spicy dishes. I like to be able to - you know - taste my food.

Those factors combined, it should come as no surprise to you dear reader that I LOVE this recipe. It is super easy to control how much spice you get, it combines all my favorite things (cheese, pasta, mexican food flavors), and it makes tons of leftovers that re-heat really really well.

Once I put this one on the menu, I crave it all week.

Seriously.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

from Navy wife cook

Ingredients:

rotisseri chicken

2 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1 medium onion

1 red pepper

1 can diced green chiles (4oz)

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp chili powder (I only use one...)

1 tsp ground cumin

2 cans green chili enchilada sauce (10 oz each) (I only use one....)

2/3 cup red enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded cheese (any kind - we tend towards cheddar)

1 cup sour cream

penne pasta (we used a 1 lb box)

Toppings: (pick what you like)

avocado

tomato 

green onions

black olives

sour cream

Directions:

Shred your chicken. Boil pasta. Chop veggies.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cook the onions until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add the red pepper and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes. 

Add everything except the cheese, pasta, and sour cream (and toppings, duh, those go on top). So that's the green chiles, salt, chili powder, ground cumin, green enchilada sauce, and red enchilada sauce. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Add cheese and stir until melted. Now turn the heat down to low and add sour cream, but don't let it boil. If it boils, it may curdle the sour cream (everyone says, and I say ew, so I've been careful here.) Stir until sour cream is heated and well mixed in. 

Drain pasta. Combine sauce and pasta, stir well to combine. Serve with toppings of your choice. Sit back and bask in the adoration. 

Your turn!
What is your go-to comfort food?