This Cheesy Taco Pasta is a cozy one-pot meal filled with taco seasoned ground beef and noodles in a cheesy tomato sauce. Top with your favorite taco toppings for a quick and easy weeknight meal.
Love pasta bake recipes as much as we do? You can also try our Slow Cooker Tortellini Pasta Bake, Sausage and Pepper Pasta, or this classic Ground Beef Pasta Bake.
Cheesy Taco Pasta
For those nights when you just can’t decide between tacos and pasta, this one-pot taco pasta is the perfect solution. Think Hamburger Helper meets cheesy ground beef taco. The sauce is flavored with sauteed onions and peppers as well as a hefty dose of taco seasoning.
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In order to get that nice golden brown cheese on top, this recipe skips a longer bake and heads right to the broiler for just a few minutes. Top with taco toppings like sour cream, diced avocado, salsa, sliced green onions, and fresh cilantro.
Key Ingredients
- Pasta – for a pasta bake like this, I like to use pasta that will hold onto little pockets of the sauce. Medium shells, penne, cavatappi, or similar pastas will all work great.
- Veggies – in order to add even more flavor to the jarred salsa, I like to first saute diced onions and red bell peppers. You could substitute a different type of pepper or another veggie like mushrooms, diced tomatoes, or even spinach.
- Ground Beef – use a lean ground beef, such as 85/15, so that the pasta isn’t greasy.
- Salsa – because we are adding taco toppings to the pasta, salsa is a great choice for making a tomato-based sauce. You can substitute marinara sauce if you prefer.
- Taco Seasoning – in order to get the strongest taco flavor, add taco seasoning to the ground beef mixture. If you don’t have any on hand, it’s super simple to make your own homemade taco seasoning.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese – you will need some shredded cheddar to mix into the ground beef mixture and some to sprinkle over the top before broiling. It gets nice and golden brown on top.
- Toppings – you can top with all sorts of your favorite taco toppings, such as diced avocado, salsa, sour cream, sliced green onions, and fresh cilantro.
How to Make This Cheesy Taco Pasta
- Cook the pasta. Once the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain and set aside.
- Cook the ground beef and salsa mixture. While the pasta is cooking, heat a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the diced onion and diced red pepper and cook until the onions are soft and slightly golden. Add the water, ground beef, minced garlic, and taco seasoning. Cook while stirring until the ground beef is no longer pink.
- Assemble. Remove from the heat and add the cooked pasta, salsa, and about 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Mix to combine. Top with the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese.
- Bake. Bake uncovered in the broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese on top is lightly golden.
- Add your toppings. Remove from the oven and add your favorite taco toppings such as salsa, sour cream, and sliced avocados. Serve warm. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Add more of your favorite taco flavors to the ground beef mixture, such as black beans, corn, and finely minced jalapenos.
- Switch up the protein and try using shredded chicken (or this copycat Chipotle chicken), Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas, or Carne Asada.
- Prep this ahead of time by cooking the ground beef mixture and the pasta, then storing them separately in the fridge overnight. The next day, reheat the ground beef sauce, add the pasta, assemble, and bake.
- Be sure that you do not overcook the pasta! It still has to go into the oven for a few minutes once it’s cooked, so this helps avoid a mushy mess.
Frequently Asked Questions
I don’t recommend freezing this pasta bake. Once it thaws and is then reheated, the pasta will most likely become quite mushy.
In the fridge, any leftover taco pasta will be good for up to 3 days after you first made it. To reheat, you can microwave a small portion or warm in a 350 degree oven. You may want to add a little extra salsa or marinara because the pasta absorbs a lot of it while it sits.
Yes! My favorite way to make this ahead of time is to make the beef sauce and the pasta, then cool them down and store them separately in the fridge overnight. The next day, just reheat the beef mixture, mix in the pasta, assemble, and bake as directed.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerator: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: warm a small portion in the microwave, or reheat either on the stovetop or in the oven with a little extra sauce.
Taco Pasta Bake Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pasta, penne, cavatappi, or your favorite
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 pound ground beef, 85/15
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 cup salsa, or marinara sauce
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, reserve 1 cup for sprinkling over the top
Toppings
- 1/2 Large avocado
- 1/4 cup salsa
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to a low broil.
- Cook pasta to al dente, according to package instructions, then drain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the diced onion and diced red pepper and cook until the onions are soft and slightly golden. Add the water, ground beef, minced garlic, and taco seasoning. Cook while stirring until the ground beef is no longer pink.
- Remove from the heat and add the cooked pasta, salsa, and about 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Mix to combine. Top with the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese.
- Bake uncovered in the broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese on top is lightly golden.
- Remove from the oven and add your favorite taco toppings such as salsa, sour cream, and sliced avocados. Serve warm. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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This one-pot taco pasta is like cheesy Hamburger Helper with taco flavors like taco seasoning, salsa, and taco toppings. It’s the perfect meal for a busy weeknight and everyone always looks forward to it.
