One Pot Black Bean Fajita Pasta (2024)

By: Denise Bustard72 Comments
Posted: 2/20/20Updated: 12/8/20

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One pot black bean fajita pasta is creamy and delicious vegetarian pasta recipe. With bell peppers, onions, black beans and fajita seasonings, it's perfect for weeknight dinners or for meal prep.

One pot pasta is an absolute hero at our house. We love this Sun Dried Tomato White Bean Pasta and this , but when we are craving something non-traditional, we go for this fajita pasta!

If you've never had it before, one pot pasta is going to knock your socks off. As the pasta simmers in the sauce, it absorbs SO much more flavor than if you cooked the sauce + pasta separately.

And this fajita pasta takes the 'easy' factor up a notch because you don't need to sautee anything...simply dump the ingredients into the pot and let it work its magic.

This also means you can assemble ahead as a freezer stovetop meal!

Reasons you’ll ♡ this one pot black bean fajita pasta

it's vegetarian
you can assemble ahead and freeze or freeze leftovers
it cooks up in one pot for easy prep and less dishes

Recipe video

Want to see just how cheesy this fajita pasta is? Watch the 1-minute video below! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

Don't forget to pin this post to save it for later!

Let's talk ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this one pot pasta:

Pasta- this recipe has been tested with several different shapes and works well with a variety of small shapes like rotini or fusili. Take the cook time as a guideline and adjust as needed when subbing different pasta shapes.
Black beans- use canned or make your own with this Perfect Black Beans recipe
Diced tomatoes- you can up the spice factor by using Rotel if you'd like
Corn- fresh, frozen or canned will all work fine
Veggies- sliced bell peppers and red onion
Spices- chili powder, cumin, paprika and salt
Lime- which sounds weird but brings balance to the flavors
Cheese- I used Mozzarella but I bet Monterey Jack would be amazing in this recipe
Stock- vegetable, chicken, bone broth, or even just water will work

Does gluten-free pasta work in this recipe?

Unfortunately I have not tested. If you give it a try, would you let us know in the comments below how it went for you?

Can I cook this in the Instant Pot?

I bet you could, but you might need to play with the water ratios. A good general rule is to *just* cover the pasta with water and use half the cook time that the box calls for. I hope to have some Instant Pot pasta recipes on the blog in the future!

Can I swap the pasta for rice?

Check out my Instant Pot Black Bean Fiesta Rice Bowls. You can cook this on the stove top with double the water (20 minutes simmer + 10 minute rest)

Meal prep tips

This one pot pasta can work wonderfully as part of your meal prep routine. Here are some tips for perfect pasta:

Meal Prep- This recipe can be assembled ahead and stored in the fridge or freezer OR it can be cooked ahead and portioned out for leftovers.
Pasta- if you assemble ahead, do not add the pasta until just before you cook. You can use a variety of small pasta shapes in this recipe.
Storage- you can assemble ahead and store in the fridge for up to 4 days or freezer for up to 3 months. You can keep cooked leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Stirring- make sure that you stir the pasta frequently as it cooks to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan. Keep it covered between stirs.

More pasta recipes!

One Pot Healthy Cajun Chicken Orzo
One Pot White Bean Pasta with Leeks and Asparagus
19 Healthy One Pot Pasta Recipes
Kale Chicken Pasta Salad
One Pan Tuscan Chicken Pasta Bake

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

One Pot Black Bean Fajita Pasta

4.96 from 48 votes

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Print Rate

One pot black bean fajita pasta is creamy and delicious vegetarian pasta recipe. With bell peppers, onions, black beans and fajita seasonings, it's perfect for weeknight dinners or for meal prep.

6 servings

Ingredients

To assemble ahead

▢ 2 bell peppers (sliced)
▢ ¼ cup red onion (sliced)
▢ 15 oz can of diced tomatoes (or 19 oz; both work well)
▢ 15 oz can of black beans (drained and rinsed; or 19 oz)
▢ 7 oz can corn kernels (1 cup)
▢ 2 teaspoons chili powder
▢ 1 teaspoon cumin
▢ 1 teaspoon paprika
▢ 1 teaspoon salt

Add fresh when cooking

▢ 1 cup stock
▢ 2 cups small pasta shapes (6.5 oz; see note *)

Just before serving

▢ ½ lime (juiced; 1 tablespoon)
▢ 1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)

Instructions

In a medium pot, combine all ingredients including pasta and stock. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.
Stir in the lime juice and mozzarella cheese, until evenly distributed and melted.
(Optional) Serve with lime wedges and cilantro.

To assemble ahead:

Combined all 'assemble ahead' ingredients in a large meal prep container or in a heavy duty freezer bag.
Store in the fridge for up to 4 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.
If frozen, thaw completely before cooking as directed above. You may need to remove the pot lid during the last 5 minutes of cook time to allow the liquids to reduce.

Tips:

Black beans can be replaced by two large chicken breasts cut into bite-sized cubes.

*this recipe was tested with rotini and fusili. Any small pasta shape should work, but adjust the cook time as needed if you do try a different one

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/6 of batch, Calories: 305kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 10mg, Sodium: 1043mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 6g

Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.

Reader Interactions

Denise says
Posted on 5/24/22 at Posted on 5/24/22
Honestly, I had my doubts about the amount of liquid not being enough to cook the pasta. Boy was I wrong! This tastes amazing and I can’t wait to make it again.
Reply
- Ben | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
  Posted on 5/27/22 at Posted on 5/27/22
  Hi Denise,
  It is so good to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review!
  Reply
Amanda says
Posted on 5/24/22 at Posted on 5/24/22

Loved this! Highly recommend
Reply
- Ben | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
  Posted on 6/9/22 at Posted on 6/9/22
  Great news, Amanda! Thanks for sharing.
  Reply
Kelly Helfrich says
Posted on 5/16/22 at Posted on 5/16/22

Love this dish!! I used my airfryer for the peppers and onion then added them in, as well as a generous 16oz. of fresh tomatoes, rather than diced. Homemade seasoned pinto beans rather than black beans because we prefer them, and macaroni noodles because that's what I had. So delicious! This will definitely be on our meal rotation. Thank you for the great recipe!
Reply
- Ben | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
  Posted on 6/9/22 at Posted on 6/9/22
  Nice subs, Kelly
  I am happy to hear you made it work and enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing
  Reply
Laura says
Posted on 2/6/22 at Posted on 2/6/22

So delicious, quick, and easy! This is on my weekly menu now.
Reply
- Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
  Posted on 2/8/22 at Posted on 2/8/22
  Hi Laura, we are so glad to hear that you have found a new fave! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back to leave a rating and review, we so appreciate it!
  Reply
  See Also
  Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
Cashia says
Posted on 1/23/22 at Posted on 1/23/22
I added more liquid because 1 cup liquid doesn’t cover 2 cups of pasta/veggies. Was I supposed to do that or would the pasta
have cooked without being submerged in liquid?? Smells good as it’s cooking though.
Reply
- Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
  Posted on 1/29/22 at Posted on 1/29/22
  Hi Cashia, the liquid might not cover completely but as liquid cooks out from veggies and pasta softens, it will. Adding an extra cup might result in a more liquidy/soupy meal - but other readers have reported that they added an extra 1 cup of liquid or stock with success. We'd love to hear how it turned out for you - please report back 🙂
  Reply
Ali says
Posted on 1/11/22 at Posted on 1/11/22

Amazing recipe! So simple and very flavorful!!!! I will definitely make this again!
Reply
- Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
  Posted on 1/11/22 at Posted on 1/11/22
  Hi Ali, We're so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to come back to leave a rating and review.
  Reply
Stephanie says
Posted on 10/5/21 at Posted on 10/5/21

6 thumbs up(2 each from 3 of us)...this was so good!!! I used small shell pasta and it worked perfectly!
Reply
- Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
  Posted on 10/6/21 at Posted on 10/6/21
  Hi Stephanie, haha wow thank you for the thumbs up and 5-star review! We're so glad to hear that this turned out perfectly (and everyone enjoyed it)! Thanks for coming back to leave a rating and review.
  Reply
Rita Sokolowski says
Posted on 9/4/21 at Posted on 9/4/21
You don't give a serving size. An important part of a recipe. Since only 2 cups of pasta, and the small pot, I'm guessing serves four.
Reply
- Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
  Posted on 9/7/21 at Posted on 9/7/21
  Hi Rita, this recipe serves 6. You can find info about how many it serves in the recipe card, on the top right side beside the ingredients list. You can also adjust servings here, by using the + and - buttons. I hope that helps!
  Reply
Debbie says
Posted on 8/3/21 at Posted on 8/3/21

Just had this for dinner and it was great! So easy to make after a long day at work and very flavourful. I halved the recipe to make 2 portions and it was quite accurate for my own portion size (though a bit on the smaller side).
Reply
- Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
  Posted on 8/4/21 at Posted on 8/4/21
  Hi Debbie, thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review - we're so happy to hear you enjoyed! This is definitely a nice easy meal that comes together quickly on a week night 🙂
  Reply
Aimee B. says
Posted on 7/14/21 at Posted on 7/14/21
This looks amazing! I have a question before I give it a go. It says it serves 6, but there's only 6.5 oz. of pasta. Is that correct? How large are the portion sizes? My box of spirals is 12 oz. and says it serves 6, so I just want to be sure because I have a family of 4 who loves to eat, lol! I want to know if I should maybe double it. Thanks! 🙂
Reply
- Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
  Posted on 7/15/21 at Posted on 7/15/21
  Hi Aimee, great question! This recipe makes 4 fairly reasonably sized portions. You might 1.5 x it (you can adjust serving amounts using the slider in the recipe card). There's a lot of other ingredients in the recipe that bulks it up a lot such as the beans and corn. I hope you enjoy!
  Reply
Kathy says
Posted on 5/31/21 at Posted on 5/31/21
I love this recipe. Made it a few times. I was wondering if you can add leftover pulled pork to this. Any thoughts. Thank you.
Reply
- Denise Bustard says
  Posted on 5/31/21 at Posted on 5/31/21
  Hi Kathy! Yes, that should work just fine. I hope you enjoy!
  Reply
Christina says
Posted on 2/4/21 at Posted on 2/4/21
If I wanted to make this in the crockpot would I put the noodles in right away or wait? How long would I cook everything for?
Reply
- Denise Bustard says
  Posted on 2/9/21 at Posted on 2/9/21
  Hi Christina! Unfortunately I really can't say, I've never cooked pasta in the slow cooker as I have heard it gets really mushy.
  Reply
Staci says
Posted on 1/11/21 at Posted on 1/11/21

Thanks for another great recipe! I prepped this in advance as you directed above so all I had to do was dump my bag of ingredients, add pasta & broth and cook. So easy on a work night! I will say that I may have had my temperature too high but I ended up having to add extra broth to prevent sticking. I used whole wheat penne pasta and the 15 minute simmer time worked perfect. Husband loved it. Will be prepping this again soon for a quick and tasty meal.
Reply
- Denise Bustard says
  Posted on 1/12/21 at Posted on 1/12/21
  Hi Staci! You are very welcome, I'm so happy you enjoyed and that it made your dinner a little easier. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to come back and leave a review, I really appreciate it!
  Reply
K says
Posted on 10/20/20 at Posted on 10/20/20
Loved the recipe. Quick and very tasty. Just substituted the canned tomatoes with 2 cups fresh cherry tomatoes and it was perfect.
Reply
- Denise Bustard says
  Posted on 11/18/20 at Posted on 11/18/20
  Hi K! Apologies for my late reply. I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed the recipe, and appreciate you taking the time to come back and leave a review with your modifications- that’s so helpful to me and other readers!
  Reply
Jules says
Posted on 10/5/20 at Posted on 10/5/20
Hello!
This looks amazinggg ! I was wondering if you cook it with raw pasta ? And the pasta just cooks together with everything?
Thank you!
Reply
- Denise Bustard says
  Posted on 10/19/20 at Posted on 10/19/20
  Hi Jules! Yep, that's how it works! I hope you give it a try 🙂
  Reply
Laura says
Posted on 4/25/20 at Posted on 4/25/20

I came across your website about a week ago and this is the first recipe I've used. It was AMAZING! This is the first time I've ever done one pot pasta but this concept (and this recipe in particular) will be a new staple. Absolutely fantastic - thank you for the work you put into your website to share your recipes.
Reply
- Denise says
  Posted on 5/27/20 at Posted on 5/27/20
  Hi Laura! This makes my heart happy! One pot pasta is just the best, isn't it? Thank you for coming back and leaving a review 🙂
  Reply
Denise says
Posted on 3/23/20 at Posted on 3/23/20
Hi Tessa! So happy to hear that you enjoyed it! I'm wondering if you used pure powdered chili powder and not a chili powder blend? That's the only thing I can think of that would make it spicy, as with a chili powder blend it really should not be spicy at all. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review <3
Reply
Cheryl says
Posted on 2/23/20 at Posted on 2/23/20
Thank you for the recipe! Made it tonight and it was delicious!!
Reply

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