Chicken Enchilada Pasta

So prettttty much I'm obsessed with Pinterest.  So addicting. If you follow me, then you probably have seen my gazillion boards with food.  Cause like if I wanna make a pie, then all I have to do is go to my pie board and choose one! Haha oh wow I sound like a total geek right now.  This pasta was pinned a long time ago but I decided to just now give it a try. Um, it is dang good! I recommend making it! Although I did tweak some changes- mostly that I increased the red pepper from one to two. This was because a) I feel like there was not nearly enough red pepper for the whole recipe, and 2) I'm trying to eat less meat in my life (hopefully will be a blog post one of these days) and one good rule of thumb for this is to cut the meat portion of recipes in half and to double the veggies. Now I didn't do exactly that, but you get the idea. Enjoy!


Chicken Enchilada Pasta
adapted from Pearls, Handcuffs and Happy Hour
serves ~4-6

2 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced
2 red peppers, diced
1 {4 oz.} can diced green chiles
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
2 {10 oz.} cans green chili enchilada sauce
2/3 cups red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cheese {I used colby & monterrey jack}
1 cup sour cream
2/3 box of penne pasta
Optional toppings: avocado, green onions, black olives, tomatoes, sour cream

Cook chicken, drain, and shred.  Meanwhile boil pasta according to package and chop the veggies. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet and cook onions for about 3-5 minutes.  Add garlic & red pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add cooked chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, & enchilada sauces.  Let sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes.

Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and heated through.  Now toss in the sour cream, but whatever you do, DO NOT bring to a boil!  Cook on low heat or the sour cream will curdle.  Gross.  Stir until sour cream is well mixed and heated through.

Drain pasta & return to pot. Pour sauce over pasta and mix well.  Serve and garnish with avocado, tomato, green onion, and a dollop of sour cream.