Raise your hand if you grew up on Hamburger Helper. 🖐 Yeah, me too. :) This Beef Taco Pasta is like a homemade version of your favorite childhood dinner in a box with a southwest spin. It has ground beef, a cheesy tomato sauce, green chiles, pasta, a healthy dose of taco seasoning, and tons of delicious comfort all in one bowl. Plus, it all cooks in one pot, which makes dinner time so fast and easy. #WIN
What Kind of Pasta to Use
I used small pasta shells this time around because that’s what I had on hand, but I originally made this recipe with egg noodles. You can use other short pasta shapes as well, keeping in mind that you may need to simmer slightly longer or for less time depending on the type of pasta used. Rotini and penne are also good options.
What Else Can I Add to Taco Pasta?
This is my favorite part of any recipe. I love rummaging through my fridge or pantry looking for leftovers that can be added to whatever I’m cooking to make sure nothing I buy goes to waste. Here are some other ingredients that you can add to your Beef Taco Pasta that would also taste great with this flavor profile:
- Jalapeños (fresh or pickled)
- Sour cream
- Avocado
- Black olives
- Black beans
- Pickled red onions
Swap Out the Meat
This recipe is super flexible, so if you want to use a different type of ground meat, like ground turkey or ground chicken, that would work just as well. Likewise, you could use a vegetarian ground beef alternative, or just skip the ground beef altogether and replace it with a can of black beans. So many options!
One Pot Beef Taco Pasta
Servings 6 1.3 cups eachIngredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1/2 lb. ground beef ($3.00)
- 1 packet taco seasoning* ($0.67)
- 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes ($0.79)
- 1 4oz. can diced green chiles ($0.67)
- 1/2 lb. small pasta shells ($0.50)
- 2 cups beef broth ($0.26)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ($1.15)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.20)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and olive oil to a deep skillet or wide-bottomed pot. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft.
- Add the ground beef and taco seasoning and continue to cook and stir until the ground beef is cooked through.
- Add the diced tomatoes (with juices) and diced green chiles (with juices) to the beef and stir to combine.
- Finally, add the pasta and beef broth and stir to combine once again. It's okay if the pasta is not fully submerged under the broth.
- Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to medium-high. Allow the broth to come up to a full boil. Once boiling, give the pasta a stir, place the lid back on top, and turn the heat down to medium-low.
- Let the pasta continue to simmer, stirring every few minutes and always replacing the lid, for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender. There should be some thick saucy liquid left in the pot once the pasta is cooked.
- Add the shredded cheddar cheese and stir until it has melted into the sauce. Top with sliced green onions and serve!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Beef Taco Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Dice one yellow onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Add them to a deep skillet or wide-bottomed pot with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft.
Next, add ½ lb. ground beef and one packet of taco seasoning (or homemade taco seasoning). Continue to cook over medium until the ground beef is cooked through.
Add one 15oz. can diced tomatoes (with juices) and one 4oz. can diced green chiles (with juices).
Add ½ lb. pasta shells (uncooked) and 2 cups of beef broth. Stir everything to combine. It’s okay if the pasta is not fully submerged in the broth.
Place a lid on the skillet or pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the broth to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a full boil, give the pasta a stir (put the lid back in place), turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the pasta continue to simmer, stirring once every few minutes and always replacing the lid, for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
Once the pasta is tender there should still be some thick saucy liquid left in the skillet.
Add 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese to the pasta and stir until it has melted into the thick tomato sauce.
Top the cheesy taco pasta with sliced green onions and serve!
Made it last night and was AWESOME! So good I ate it for breakfast too and shared the recipe with some friends. Will be making this again and again
Made it. LOVED it!
Had to sub a few things: didn’t have the full amount of chili powder so used what I had and added some ancho chile pepper powder. Used the Rotel tomatoes with chiles. Chicken broth ( I made 9 quarts over the weekend ). Didn’t have egg noodles or elbows so I used medium shells.
It was YUMMY! Best of all…I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow ( and only one pot to wash tonight! ).
Thank you for another winner.
So how spicy is this, with a can of green chiles? I’m super sensitive to spicy stuff, but that also means I’ve lost all ability to estimate on behalf of others eating my food.
So….chiles. Essential? Optional?
Well, it just depends on the chiles. I’ve had some that are spicy and some that are 100% mild. The brand I bought this day had NO heat whatsoever. Sometimes it will say on the label whether they’re mild or hot. If you buy a can of Rotel tomatoes (diced tomatoes with chiles), those are usually quite spicy. I do think their flavor added a lot to the dish, though.
Have I told you how awesome your site it? My college senior is learning to cook by “reading the pictures”! Thanks!
Making this for dinner tonight….I’ve been craving Tacos and the mans been wanting Pasta!
Thank you for solving my “What to make for dinner tonight” dilemma! This is right up my oldest daughters alley. She will love it.
I too have frozen beef in my freezer but I never quite know how to proceed with recipes when I start with frozen meat. What is your preferred method for defrosting the beef before adding it to the pot? Or do you add it to the pot frozen and let the stove do the work?
Thanks!
This is what I do: I place the beef (still in its package) in a bowl, then put it beneath the faucet and let a small stream of cold water flow over it, filling the bowl. I know, it’s not the most environmentally friendly (sorry), but it doesn’t take long, and it’s a safe way to defrost it effectively
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If you think about it ahead of time, you can just pop it in the fridge the night before to thaw (that’s what I did). I have in the past put frozen ground beef right into the skillet… it takes much longer to brown, obviously, and you kind of have to sit there and scrape off layers as it thaws and browns :P But it works in a pinch.
No egg noodles right now. I’ll try it with elbows.
Oops. No elbows either! I’m going to break up lasagne noodles!
This looks pretty good- I have most of the ingredients already! i’d have to cut out the cheese though- my bf hates cheese (so sad, I know) but i’m sure it would still be delish!
OMG, this looks heavenly!!! Going to make it soon. Pasta anything is awesome, especially with all those great flavors~! Thanks for sharing. Hope you are feeling better!! Sue
$10+ for a homemade “hamburger helper”? lol. I think this might be the most expensive recipe I’ve come across on your site.
But it’s real food – not fake colors, chemicals, and sweeteners pretending to be food.
I almost put a comment at the end about how it makes a larger volume than hamburger helper, just because of that! ;)
I’m moving very soon and have all of these ingredients except the meat and beef broth.
The beef is easy to obtain but the beef broth not so much where I live. I already have chicken broth. Would that change the flavor too much? If I use chicken broth, should I substitute the beef for chicken?
Any insight would be appreciated!
Love your site. Keep up the good work!
I think chicken broth will still work well.
Thanks. I went ahead and made it before your comment and my head told me chicken broth, so use chicken. So that’s what I did. I also only had penne, substituted olives for black beans and corn and forgot to add the cheese.
I was able to add some sour cream which is definitely recommended.
All in all, it came out tasty and very simple to make, especially the one pot. I will definitely try again with beef and beef broth when I relocate and get settled.
Thanks as always. Keep up the great work!
Looks delish and I’ve pinned it to try later. I did want to mention a small typo tho (I only mention it because it’s in the recipe-clip section)…. the first note mentions making brother and I figure you probably meant making broth.
Hahah, thanks ;)
Notes
*I use Better Than Bouillon soup base to make my brother rather than using canned or boxed broths. It is much less expensive.
The brother typo made me laugh…and consequently my roommate is now side-eyeing me for laughing out of nowhere at my laptop and all it was showing was a bowl of food. ;)
Hahaha, well if I’m going to make a typo, I’m glad it was such a funny one! :D
>>>>>I use Better Than Bouillon soup base to make my brother rather than using canned or boxed broths. It is much less expensive.
Are you sure that’s what you want to say? Hahahahaha.
Hahhahaha, I wish that it made a good brother! One that would do my laundry and clean my bathroom…