Easy Stovetop Beef Enchilada Mac and Cheese is kid friendly and adult approved! Have a cheesy, flavorful dinner in 30 minutes with this enchilada pasta!
This mac and cheese recipe was originally published in October 2013. The images and recipe notes were updated in February 2026.
Aimee’s Recipe Notes
Crockpot Enchiladas and Ritz Macaroni & Cheese are two of my kids all-time favorite dinners. While planning out dinners for the upcoming week, I decided to try combining the flavors we love from beef enchiladas with a creamy mac and cheese pasta.
This Beef Enchilada Mac and Cheese received rave reviews from everyone in my family! Flavorful ground beef with Mexican spices mixed with a cheesy bowl of pasta makes for a fantastic kid-approved meal.
Remember when your mom would reach for a box of hamburger helper to make a fast dinner?
This enchilada pasta recipe is just as easy as those meals I remember from childhood but made with fresher ingredients that deliver a much better flavor.
Enchilada mac and cheese is filled with real cream, real cheese and real taste!
Change up the flavor and try my Chicken Enchilada Mac and Cheese , equally tasty.
I made this last night for my family and they LOVED it!!! I will definitely be making this again. Super easy and super delicious!!! Thanks 🙂
– lynn
Ingredients for Enchilada Macaroni
While I’ll never turn down a gouda macaroni and cheese, this macaroni is made on the stovetop in under 30 minutes using a few simple ingredients.
Here’s what you need for beef enchilada pasta:
- Cooked ground beef– lean ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken work great.
- Heavy whipping cream– some of you will ask if you can substitute milk, yes, but it won’t be as thick and creamy.
- Cooked pasta shells– shells, elbow noodles, and bow ties are my pasta of choice.
- Cheese– shredded cheddar or mexican cheese is best. For best texture, shred your own cheese.
- Red enchilada sauce
- Cumin and kosher salt
How to Make Enchilada Mac and Cheese
Make the cheese sauce. In a large pot (or saucepan), heat cream, enchilada sauce, cumin and salt on medium heat. Whisking often, heat until mixture just begins to bubble.
Cook and Serve. Reduce heat to medium low and add in cheese. Stir until smooth. Mix in the cooked ground beef and the cooked noodles.
Tips and Tricks
- This is a great use for any leftover ground beef you have in the fridge from taco night. If you have the pasta and ground beef ready to go, the enchilada mac and cheese is ready in just about 15 minutes.
- I really like using shell pasta for our macaroni and cheese. Feel free to use any kind of pasta noodles you have on hand. Elbow macaroni, penne and bow tie pasta are all great options.
- If you want to add a little more color to this dish, feel free to throw in some chopped bell peppers or other veggies you like in your mac and cheese. (Creamy pasta is always a perfect vehicle for sneaking a few more veggies onto your kids plates.)
- I’ve used both jarred enchilada sauce and Homemade Red Enchilada sauce for this recipe. Both are equally tasty!
- Leftover enchilada pasta keep well for a few days covered in the fridge. I love making a double batch of this and sticking leftovers in tupperware containers for easy reheating throughout the week.
Enchilada pasta is a full flavorful meal on its own, using minimal equipment and ingredients (not to mention the no fuss clean up). It hardly gets any quicker or easier to get a homemade meal on the dinner table!
Easy Dinner Recipes
- Love easy dinners? Try my caprese chicken skillet for a quick and hearty meal. Or give my chicken fried rice a try next.
- My honey baked ham is perfect for weeknights, Sunday supper, or holidays! And the leftovers are great too.
- Sloppy Joe Casserole takes your favorite comfort food to a crowd-pleasing presentation. Cheese and delicious.
- Don’t forget to add any one of my creative slider recipes to your dinner menu!
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Beef Enchilada Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounce medium shells cooked and drained
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups colby jack cheese shredded
- 1 can red enchilada sauce 10 ounce
- 1 pound ground beef cooked and drained
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a large pot (or saucepan), heat cream, enchilada sauce, cumin and salt on medium heat. Whisking often, heat until mixture just begins to bubble.
- Reduce heat to medium low and add in cheese. Stir until smooth. Mix in the cooked ground beef and the cooked noodles.
- Serve hot and enjoy immediately!
Notes
- This is a great use for any leftover ground beef you have in the fridge from taco night. If you have the pasta and ground beef ready to go, the enchilada mac and cheese is ready in just about 15 minutes. Don’t worry if you have to cook ground beef just for this recipe, it adds just a couple minutes of extra time and it’s well worth it!
- We really like using shell pasta for our macaroni and cheese. Feel free to use any kind of pasta noodles you have on hand. Elbow macaroni, penne and bow tie pasta are all great options.
- If you want to add a little more color to this dish, feel free to throw in some chopped bell peppers or other veggies you like in your mac and cheese. (Creamy pasta is always a perfect vehicle for sneaking a few more veggies onto your kids plates.)
- I’ve used both jarred enchilada sauce and Homemade Red Enchilada sauce for this recipe. Both are equally tasty!
- Leftover enchilada pasta keep well for a few days covered in the fridge. I love making a double batch of this and sticking leftovers in tupperware containers for easy reheating throughout the week.
Nutrition
Easy Dinners
With ingredients you probably already have on hand in your fridge, this enchilada pasta recipe is a delicious answer to the question, “What’s for dinner?”
Heavy cream isn’t something i keep on hand. (its so expensive) could regular milk be used instead?
Yes, it just won’t be as thick. Still delicious though (you can add extra cheese to thicken 🙂
I didn’t have heavy cream on hand, so I substituted a can of evaporated milk (4% milkfat, so the “whole” version), plus a 1/4 cup-ish of half&half, and 2 tbsp of butter. It was SCRUMPTIOUS!
Oh my! This beef enchilada mac and cheese was delicious – and so easy to make! Will have to try this for my family. Thanks so much, Aimee!
Made it for a potluck dinner at church last night and didn’t return with leftovers. It was delicious.
I love this recipe! I actually have made it a few times over the last of couple years but have totally neglected to leave a comment. So finally I’m leaving one because making this is a must! It’s so easy to make and is super delicious 🙂
Beef Enchilada Mac and Cheese looks really yummy. Definitely i’ll try it! I found your post from Pinterest ! Thanks for sharing, Aimee!
Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy!
My family gobbled this up and requested it to be made more!
yay!!! Glad it was a hit!
This recipe is delicious, my husband and boys love it. Very creamy and lots of flavor. Thanks for sharing!!!
I’m so glad your boys liked it Lauren 🙂
I made this last night for my family and they LOVED it!!! I will definitely be making this again. Super easy and super delicious!!! Thanks 🙂
So glad it was a hit Lynn!! I too love how easy it is to make!
Made it! It was delicious! Even my picky eater ate it!
We stayed in the same hotel in February of this year, absolutely georgeous. I too ate my weight in food that weekend but it was from some of the wonderful restaurants in the area. I’m trying this recipe tonight I think.
I don’t have cumin, is this a must? Or is there a different spice I can use? It looks delicious, think my picky 5 year old and husband would love it!! 🙂 Thanks!
It definitely enhances the enchilada flavor. You can skip it, or add in some taco seasoning.
I made the beef enchilada mac and cheese tonight and it was delicious and hit with the whole family. Thank You!
Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!