I made some yummy enchilada bowls a while back that were pretty easy and everybody liked them, including me. But the only problem was that I felt the texture, while fine, wasn’t quite what I wanted. The rice turned out just a little on the soft side and when I was thinking of making them again I wanted something with a little more bite. Then digging through my pantry I ended up finding some leftover orzo pasta (which is also delicious in this soup by the way) and a little lightbulb when off. Well, maybe it was more like smoke coming out 🙂 Either way I must call this a new and improved version!
I’ve been making a lot of meat lately, and especially a lot of chicken, so I decided to leave it out in favor of black beans to keep this vegetarian. You could add some chicken or ground beef if you prefer. If you go with beef just cook it first and then add it or you could cut up a chicken breast and put it in and let it cook with the meal.
If you go meatless then really the only thing you are doing is getting everything heated up, letting the beans get tender, and melting the cream cheese. So if you needed to make this quick you could set it on high and it could be ready to add the pasta after a couple of hours. Or if you need to set it and let it go all day just put it on low and it will be totally fine since it has so much liquid.
A versatile meal that kept simple with just black beans, corn and tomatoes. Jazz it up any way you like! Make it spicy, make it mild. Add lots of veggies or none. Totally up to you! Add the orzo pasta at the end and it will only take about 15 minutes.
Just top it off with a little cheese, some cilantro, or some sour cream! Easy. Yummy. Another favorite easy weeknight meal we will see again at our house soon!
- 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 12 oz bottle enchilada sauce
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 2 cup dried orzo pasta
- Place all ingredients except for orzo pasta in slow cooker
- Cook on high for up to 4 hours or low for up to 8 until all ingredients are warmed through and cheese is melted
- Add in orzo pasta and stir to combine everything evenly
- Let cook for 15 - 30 minutes on high until pasta is cooked and tender
- Add additional broth or water 1/4 cup at a time if needed to ensure pasta is tender without drying out
I made this in my 3.5 quart slow cooker. The pasta took 15 minutes and I added an additional 1/4 cup water.
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I admit I was pretty excited for this recipe! Followed it to the letter but it turned out incredibly starchy (hard to describe… it turned out really thick, gummy, and had a starchy after taste / texture?)… Wondering if cooking the orzo separately and mixing it in would solve this? Perhaps my crockpot has something against me, but with so many recipes to try on this website, I do not feel discouraged! >:) I’m sure others will have better luck! Beautiful photos though! <3
P.S. I loved adding a splash of lime juice at the end and topping it with fresh cherry tomatoes for a bit of freshness
I’m so sad it didn’t turn out!! How long did you leave the pasta in before serving? Yes you could always decrease the liquid in your crock and cook the pasta and add it. But I hate for you to need to add that extra step! Does your crockpot run hot? It sounds like it either cooked to quickly or possibly too long.
Hi, my boyfriend and I made the crockpot enchilada a couple of nights ago, we both thought it was a really good flavorful meal. we were a little worried that the orzo was not going to cook in the time given but were both pleasantly surprised that after 20 mins it was ccok. The only thing we did a little differently was add chicken and we also added a splash more of the enchilada sauce and a little more broth. Over all, we really enjoyed the dish and will be making this it again.
The chicken sounds yummy! Glad you liked it 🙂
I just discovered your blog through the Healthy Recipes 24/7 Facebook page and I can tell that I am going to be using my crock pot A LOT in the coming weeks. 🙂 Everything looks totally delicious!
Yay! Glad you found me! Please let me know which recipes you try out! 🙂
This looks awesome! I will be making this as a prep-ahead meal for next week, so I look forward to trying it out!
Thanks! Let me know how it goes!
Thanks for sharing. The store didnt have Orzo so I ended up using elbow noodles, they cooked in less then 10 min. Modifications: Added chopped red onion & 3/4 can condensed milk. When I added in the noodles I added the broth like you said but I also added more enchilada sauce & spices as well as the elbow noodles really sucked up the moisture & I didnt want it to be bland only adding the broth in. I also topped it with crunched tortilla chips, sour cream & fresh onion…everyone liked it so thanks again for a new recipe to add to our roster.
That sounds wonderful! So glad you liked it and thanks so much for letting me know 🙂
This looks delicious and I cannot wait to try it! How many does the recipe above serve? I’m looking to make enough for 8 people.
As long as you are not having a bunch of teenaged boys from the football team 😉 I think this would work to serve 8 as long as you serve a nice side. Maybe a tossed salad and some chips and salsa. We had a lot of leftovers after my family of four ate this for dinner.
Hi! I want to use brown rice instead of orzo. How long should I cook it in the crockpot at the end? I also want to add chicken breast. How many hours should I cook everything on low for? Thank you!
I’m not sure since I have not tested out the brown rice in this recipe. But I have a similar recipe that might work for you that uses brown rice… take a look and see if these enchilada bowls might work for you!
If i add the chicken, should I also add more enchilada sauce or broth to compensate? Excited to try this!
Are you going to add cooked chicken? If so it shouldn’t need much adjustment!
Made this tonight. It was delicious. I made it with quinoa, used 1 cup and added it at the end for 15 minutes. Worked great. Thanks!
Glad you loved it! Thanks for letting me know about the quinoa, that’s such a great and healthy sub and I’m so glad it worked out well!
Made it tonight and loved. Added a can of Rotel tomatoes, added a lot of spice!
Awesome! Glad you loved it and the Rotel sound great!
Fyi – Pinterest won’t let me pin this. 🙁 Says the link leads to spam.
Thanks Devorah! I think it’s fixed now but let me know if you find any more issues!! It was NOT really spam we just got caught up in some security filters.
Hi! I just wanted to let you know that it looks like your recipe may have been stolen almost to the T (http://damndelicious.net/2014/12/01/slow-cooker-enchilada-orzo/) Just wanted to bring it to your attention because I really support intellectual property and creativity!
Thanks for the heads up, Amelia!!