Taco Pasta is a delicious, cheesy, and filling dish spiced with Mexican flavors. A quick weeknight meal you’ll make again and again.
This taco macaroni has become a new weeknight favorite. It’s simple, comforting, and full of familiar taco flavors without the fuss. This recipe is flexible — make it with your preferred pasta shape, swap ground beef for turkey to reduce fat, or add other taco toppings to customize.
Taco Pasta
Weeknight dinners can feel like a chore after a long day, so I focus on quick, satisfying recipes. Taco Pasta fits the bill: brown the meat, cook the pasta, mix everything together, and dinner is ready. The taco seasoning and diced tomatoes with chiles bring a bright, slightly spicy flavor that keeps this dish interesting for the whole family.
This dish is very adaptable. Use medium shells, macaroni elbows, or your favorite pasta shape. Add black beans or corn for extra texture and nutrition, and finish with sour cream, chopped green onions, or sliced olives if you like.
If you enjoy easy pasta-and-ground-beef dinners, try other simple favorites like homemade Hamburger Helper, One Pot American Goulash, or One Pot Pepperoni Pizza Pasta for variety and convenience.
Liked this easy dinner recipe? Try these pasta and ground beef dinner ideas next!
- Homemade Hamburger Helper Beef Noodle — make this classic from scratch with a few simple ingredients for better flavor than the boxed version.
- One Pot American Goulash — filling, budget-friendly, and cooked all in one pot for easy cleanup.
- One Pot Pepperoni Pizza Pasta — a fun mash-up of pizza and pasta that you can customize with your favorite toppings.
Taco Pasta Ingredients
- Ground beef
- Taco seasoning – Use a packet or make your own homemade taco seasoning.
- Canned Rotel diced tomatoes and chiles – adds zest and heat; substitute plain diced tomatoes if you prefer milder flavor.
- Pasta – medium shells work well, but any short pasta will do.
- Cheese – Colby Jack is a good choice; sharp cheddar or Velveeta also work for extra creaminess.
You can also add black beans or corn for more substance, and top servings with sour cream, chopped green onions, or olives.
How to make Mexican Pasta
This Taco Pasta is an incredibly easy weeknight dinner. Follow these steps:
- Prepare pasta according to the package directions; drain and set aside.
- Brown the ground beef in a large pan, breaking it up while it cooks. Drain excess grease.
- Add the taco seasoning and water to the browned beef, stir, and cook over medium until the mixture thickens slightly (about 5 minutes).
- Stir in the Rotel diced tomatoes and chiles.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan and mix well with the beef and tomatoes.
- Stir in half of the shredded cheese until melted and combined. Reserve the remaining cheese to sprinkle on top if desired.
- Heat everything until warmed through, remove from heat, top with reserved cheese, cover briefly to melt, then serve hot.
Start by cooking the beef just as you would for tacos. Drain most of the grease before adding seasoning and a small amount of water. While the beef simmers, cook the pasta and set it aside. Once the beef is seasoned and the liquid has reduced slightly, add the tomatoes, then the pasta, and finish with cheese.
When the cheese is added, stir until it melts into the pasta for a creamy, cohesive dish. If you reserved cheese, place it on top, cover briefly to melt, and then serve.
Serve while warm and add extra cheese or your favorite toppings at the table. Enjoy!
Taco Pasta
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Ingredients
- 1 lb Medium shells, cooked and drained
- 1 lb Ground beef
- 20 oz Rotel diced tomatoes and chiles
- 3 cup Shredded Colby Jack cheese
- 1 packet Taco seasoning
- 2/3 cup Water
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- In a large pan break up and cook beef until no pink remains. Drain excess grease.
- Add taco seasoning and water. Mix and cook over medium about 5 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and chiles and stir to combine.
- Add cooked pasta and mix well.
- Add half of the cheese and stir to combine. Heat over medium until heated through.
- Remove from heat and add remaining cheese to the top to melt before serving.
Nutrition
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