Sometimes, you need a recipe that doesn’t involve a lot of prep-time OR cook time, one that calls for ingredients you already have, or are repurposing…an easy recipe, in other words, for when you don’t have a lot of time.
Like, for instance, when you have a late afternoon meeting with the startup company you recently started working for, and which just released its app for sale! (Okay, so this isn’t just a hypothetical…)
For tonight, that meant trying out a dish I saw on Tracey’s Culinary Adventures for a pretty unique Italian-Mexican fusion dish called chicken enchilada spaghetti. I got home at ten to 6 and was sitting down to eat at 6:45. That’s because I utilized leftover rotisserie chicken, some cheese we had lying around in our fridge, and some spices and pantry staples we had in our cabinets. Saute the aromatics and spices together, add the chicken and a can of enchilada sauce, add cooked pasta, melt in some shredded cheddar, top with cilantro and serve. That’s it. Is it gourmet cooking? Hardly. But it’s a super-easy, intriguing meal combining the comforting chew of pasta and melted cheese with the warm spices of Mexican cuisine.
Chicken Enchilada Spaghetti
Yield: 4 servings
Total Time: 45 min.
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (or equivalent amount of meat from pre-cooked rotisserie chicken)
- 1 1/2 cups red enchilada sauce (most of a 19.5-0z can)
- 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
- fresh cilantro, chopped
Method
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain and set aside
- Meanwhile, add the oil to a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, paprika and cayenne, and cook until the garlic is fragrant and the spices are toasted, about 1 minute
- Add the chicken and the enchilada sauce and stir to incorporate. Reduce the heat to low and add the pasta to the skillet. Use tongs to toss until the pasta is coated with the sauce. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese, continuing to toss until melted and combined. Garnish with cilantro and serve
Noodle Therapy 