Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Pasta Bake with Fajita-Spiced Bell Pepper & Onion

Get ready for a crowd-pleasing family style dinner that everyone (even the kiddos) will love. It’s a magnificent mashup only our chefs could dream up: enchilada pasta! We replace the tortillas with tender penne, season the chicken, onion, and bell peppers with our bold blend of fajita-style spices, then coat everything in a creamy Tex-Mex-style tomato sauce with a blend of Mexican cheeses subbing in for mozzarella. Bake it up, savor the aroma of all those flavors mingling in the oven, then straight to the table it goes with a final flourish of crisp, zippy scallion greens. This recipe is double the typical servings, providing 4 servings and 8 servings for a 2 person and 4 person box respectively.

Prep: 60 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 servings 4 servings
  • 2 scallions
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 12 oz penne pasta
  • 20 oz chicken breast strips
  • 2 tbsp fajita spice blend
  • 8 oz cream sauce base
  • 14 oz diced tomatoes
  • 1 chicken stock concentrate
  • 1 tex-mex paste
  • 1.5 cup mexican cheese blend
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2 tsp cooking oil
  • cooking spray
  • 4 scallions
  • 2 yellow onions
  • 2 green bell peppers
  • 24 oz penne pasta
  • 40 oz chicken breast strips
  • 4 tbsp fajita spice blend
  • 16 oz cream sauce base
  • 28 oz diced tomatoes
  • 2 chicken stock concentrates
  • 1 tex-mex paste
  • 3 cups mexican cheese blend
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2 tsp cooking oil
  • cooking spray

Instructions

  1. • Adjust rack to middle position (top and
    middle positions for 8 servings) and
    preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large
    pot (two large pots for 8) of salted water
    to a boil. Wash and dry produce.
    • Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating
    whites from greens. Halve, peel, and
    thinly slice onion. Halve, core, and thinly
    slice bell pepper.
    • Generously coat a 9-by-13-inch baking
    dish (two 9-by-13-inch baking dishes
    for 8) with nonstick cooking spray and
    set aside.
  2. • Once water is boiling, add penne to pot
    (for 8 servings, divide between two large
    pots or cook in batches). Cook, stirring
    occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes.
    • Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water
    (1 cup for 8), then drain.
  3. • Meanwhile, open package of chicken*
    and drain off any excess liquid. Heat a
    large drizzle of oil in a large pan over
    high heat. Add chicken, scallion whites,
    onion, and bell pepper in a single layer;
    season with Fajita Spice Blend, salt,
    and pepper.
    • Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is
    browned and cooked through and onion
    is tender, 4-6 minutes. TIP: Depending
    on the size of your pan, you may need to
    work in batches, adding another drizzle
    of oil for each batch. Be sure not to
    overcrowd the pan for even browning!
  4. • In a large bowl, whisk together cream
    sauce base, diced tomatoes, stock
    concentrate, half the Tex-Mex paste, and
    two packets of Mexican cheese blend
    (all the Tex-Mex paste and four packets
    of Mexican cheese blend for 8 servings).
  5. • Transfer drained penne and chicken
    mixture to bowl with sauce; stir to
    thoroughly combine. TIP: If sauce seems
    too thick, add splashes of reserved
    pasta cooking water until everything is
    thoroughly coated.
    • Transfer pasta mixture to prepared
    baking dish (divide between two
    prepared baking dishes for 8 servings).
    • Cover baking dish tightly with foil; set on
    top of a foil-lined baking sheet (two
    baking sheets for 8). (The sheet will help
    protect your oven from any sauce that
    may bubble over!)
  6. • Bake on middle rack until bubbly,
    30 minutes (bake on top and middle
    racks for 8 servings). TIP: Lift the foil
    carefully to check on the pasta bake—
    there might be some steam!
    • Remove sheet with baking dish from
    oven. Carefully remove and discard
    foil from baking dish; stir pasta bake.
    Sprinkle with remaining Mexican cheese
    blend; return sheet with baking dish to
    oven and bake, uncovered, until cheese
    melts, 3-5 minutes more.
  7. • Let pasta bake rest at least 5 minutes
    before serving.
    • Garnish with scallion greens and serve
    family style directly from baking dish.
    Chicken is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.