Recipe

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Cheesy, beefy, and delicious, this taco pasta is a family favorite meal you can make for dinner any night of the week!

This taco pasta will become one of those go-to meals you whip up when you want to get everyone fed without complaints -guaranteed.

One Pot Taco Pasta

This one-pot taco pasta has everything my family likes about classic ground meat tacos in every bite. And after two years of eating hand-held tacos to create recipes for my best-selling book, The Taco Tuesday Cookbook, this recipe sure hits the spot.

In fact, it’s become one of those recipes that my teens have learned to make when I stay late at the office, and I’ve texted the family chat, “someone please handle dinner.” Easy, quick, and great for any night of the week!

Ingredients

You can make this recipe with any short pasta you have on hand and ground meat (beef or turkey). The taco flavors come from the taco seasoning, salsa, and shredded cheddar cheese (or any other cheese you like).

How to Make Taco Pasta in a Skillet

Start cooking the pasta in a pot, and then cook the ground meat in a skillet. Once done, add the cooked pasta and the cheese to the skillet. Your meal is ready when the cheese has melted and is fully incorporated into the pasta.

Variations

This taco pasta recipe is super easy to customize with staples you have in your pantry and fridge. Here are some tasty ideas:

Swap the meat
You can make this recipe with beef, turkey, or chicken. Any protein you enjoy with pasta goes well.

Swap the pasta
If you don’t have short pasta on hand, try this delicious taco spaghetti.

Repurpose leftovers
If you have cooked meat leftover from taco night, use it for this pasta dinner. You’ll save some time, and the leftovers won’t go to waste!

Swap the cheese
I use cheddar, but you can use other classic taco cheeses, such as Monterey Jack, Mexican blend, Mozzarella, or a mix.

Add more toppings
Kick up flavor and nutrition by topping your taco pasta with corn, bell pepper strips, black olives, beans, diced onion, chopped spinach, or bacon bits. You can even add some jalapeño slices if you crave a little heat!

More Taco-Inspired Recipes

If you’re taco-obsessed like me, I have some delicious recipes you need to try! For cold days, serve this easy taco soup or this slow-cooker chicken taco soup. Super cozy! More kid-favorites? These taco cupcakes and this loaded taco pizza, of course!

Easy Taco Pasta

Servings: 6

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 25

Cheesy, beefy, and delicious, this taco pasta is a family favorite meal you can make for dinner any night of the week!

5 from 18 votes

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Ingredients

2 cups pasta, your favorite
1 lb ground meat, beef or turkey
3 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

Prep:

Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. When the pasta is ready, reserve ½ cup of pasta water, drain the water out, and set aside.

Cook:

In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium-high heat. When the beef is cooked, drain any excess fat out of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Add the taco seasoning and the salsa, and mix well. Add the pasta to the skillet, add the cheese, and mix to combine.
Slowly add half of the pasta water while mixing it with the cheesy pasta. Continue mixing, and add the remaining water if necessary, until the cheese has melted and is fully incorporated into the pasta.