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I used small pasta shells this time around because that’s what I had on hand, but I originally made this recipe with egg noodles.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!
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Notes
Nutrition
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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 a double batch last night for 6 adults and 5 kids. this was a huge hit and super easy to throw together.
only changes i made was to add a can of rinsed black beans and one of corn.
I made this about 2 months ago and immediately froze out portions for a nice quick meal after a busy day.
I unfroze my first one tonight and I literally licked the bowl clean it was so delicious. I added a big dollop of refried beans beforehand since I had some extra when I was making freezer burritos at the same time (which are also freaking fabulous)!!
Mmmmmmm, mmmmmmm, mmmmmm! Eating this as I type… so good! You *never* disappoint, Beth – hands down, my favorite food blogger. Thank you!
This was delicious, made it tonight. My house smells soooooo good!
Tnxxx bet i really love ur recipe
Thanks! Everybody loved it!
Loved this recipe! I should have followed your advice on holding off on the the cayenne. My kids thought it was a little spicy. Oops! Also I used ground turkey and chicken better than bouillon because that is what I had on hand. Yum! I will be making this again
I made this mid week and loved it.. I used lentils instead of beef.. I love how those little things smell as they are cooking.. I love all your recipes Beth… :)
This is one of my favorite BB recipes I’ve made. I souped it up with some fresh cilantro, a few bites of avocado, and sour cream (all things I had on hand that needed to be eaten up). Yum! Thinking about subbing black beans for the ground beef next time I make it.
I used Lentils this time and it was great.. I am sure Black Beans would also be yummy… :)
So I am experiencing with this recipe because I dont eat beef so I used tofu instead and I used veg broth and I used gluten free pasta instead of the egg yolk noodles so we will see what happens! It smells amazing!
Successful! My whole family, including kids ate it and liked it. Thank you.
My dog loves my cooking. My kids not so much. So imagine their surprise when I served them something they rated as a 4 out of 5. Personally I would have given this a 6 out of 5 it was that good. Threw in a can of black beans and a can of corn. I will definitely be making more of your recipes.
OMG I made this the other night but I totally made it vegetarian but subbing 2 cans of black beans for the beef and veggie broth for the beef broth….SO FREAKING GOOD :D
It cooked up in 10 mins because I wasn’t waiting to cook the beef and the beans helped make it creamy before I even added the cheese. <3 your recipes!
Thank you Rebecca B for how to make this dish vegetarian! I saw this recipe and instantly wanted to make a vegetarian version. Dinner was excellent tonight!
I love that bowl with the little handles. Where did you get it?
They are from World Market – They have the most fun and interesting selection of dishes!
Made this tonight and it was awesome!! Thanks for the great recipe.