This easy Taco Pasta is the perfect 30-minute weeknight dinner! It combines the bold flavors of tacos with hearty pasta for a quick, comforting, family-friendly meal. If you love easy dinner recipes, taco night, and cheesy pasta dishes, this simple Taco Pasta recipe needs to be on your menu.
Looking for more 30 minute dinners the whole family will love? Try these Bacon Cheeseburger Quesadillas or these Mongolian Ground Beef Noodles.
When you can’t decide between tacos and pasta, make this Taco Pasta!
This easy weeknight dinner combines all of those delicious taco flavors with hearty pasta for a meal the whole family will love. It’s comforting, flavorful, and best of all, dinner is on the table in just 30 minutes.
This is the kind of recipe I love having in my back pocket for busy nights. It uses simple ingredients, comes together quickly, and gives you all the flavors of taco night in an easy pasta dinner. Add your favorite taco toppings and you’ve got a dinner that’s sure to become a family favorite.
Ingredients
- Pasta: I used elbow macaroni, but you could really sub in any short pasta. Mini shells are super popular, or even penne or rotini will work.
- Oil: This is just for sautéing the onion and bell pepper. I typically use olive oil here, but a neutral cooking oil will work well, too.
- Onion and Bell Pepper: These both just add lots of flavor. You can sub in another color of bell pepper for the green bell pepper, if desired.
- Ground Beef: For this recipe, I try to choose a leaner ground beef, just because I don’t like having to deal with draining fat. If you do use a fattier ground beef, you’ll want to make sure you drain the fat off after cooking it up.
- Taco Seasoning: I use my homemade taco seasoning. If you are using a packet, they typically contain about 3 tablespoons, so that’s how much you would need.
- Tomato Paste: This just deepens the flavors. You can leave this out if you don’t have it, but I highly recommend using it.
- Flour: The flour is needed to thicken up the sauce a bit.
- Beef Broth: You can use either beef broth or bone broth. Bone broth will add in some extra protein, and extra flavor.
- Diced Tomatoes: You want the diced tomatoes with green chiles. The name brand that I see most often is Rotel, but I have also been able to find store brands.
- Cheese: I add in some shredded cheddar cheese to bring it all together.
How to Make Taco Pasta
STEP 1: Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add your pasta and cook until al dente. Heat the oil, then add in the onion and pepper. Cook these until they are tender, then add the ground beef. Cook the ground beef, breaking it up as it cooks. Once cooked through, sprinkle on the taco seasoning.
STEP 2: Add the tomato paste to the center of the skillet. Let it warm up a bit before stirring it into the beef mixture. Then add the flour and stir, followed by the broth and the tomatoes. Let this cook for a few minutes to thicken up.
STEP 3: Once thickened slightly, add the cheese. Stir this together until melted.
STEP 4: Add in the cooked, drained pasta. Stir this all together, then serve it up with your favorite toppings!
Tips and Tricks
Top it with your favorite taco toppings, such as shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, green onions, salsa, or jalapeños.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat until warmed through. Add a splash of water or broth if the pasta has thickened.
I don’t find this spicy on its own, but it will probably depend on your taco seasoning. If you want to keep it extra mild for kids or for anyone that is sensitive, just make sure you are using a mild taco seasoning.
Serve this up with my Mexican Bean Salad or chips and salsa!
More Taco Inspired Recipes
Taco Burgers
Taco Pizza
Taco Stuffed Potatoes
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Taco Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz elbow macaroni
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
- Desired toppings
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt generously then add the pasta. Cook until al dente, then drain and reserve.8 oz elbow macaroni
- While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Once hot, add the onion and pepper and cook until softened.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 cup diced onion, 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
- Add the ground beef and continue to cook, breaking it up as it cooks, until browned and cooked through.1 pound ground beef
- Stir in the taco seasoning, and once mixed, push to the sides of the skillet. Add the tomato paste and let it cook for a minute, until warmed through, then stir into the ground beef.3 tablespoons taco seasoning, 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- Sprinkle the flour over the beef. Cook for a minute or two, then mix in the broth and the diced tomatoes. Continue to cook for a few minutes, until it starts to thicken up, then stir in the cheese.1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 2 cups beef broth, 1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles, 2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
- Cook until melted, then stir in the cooked pasta. Stir until everything is well combined.
- Serve topped with your favorite taco toppings.Desired toppings
Becki says
I love recipes that are kind of a mix-up of flavors like this. Tacos in pasta form sounds delicious to me and I also like adding some of the mixins on top like the lettuce and tomato to give it some fresh flavors – yum!!
Becky says
Yummo. Made this last night for supper, with a couple tweaks.
Sophie says
Very cool idea! 🙂
I am always, and I mean always, running out of ideas about what to do with ground meat. I'm saving this recipe.
teresa says
oh this is a fun idea, i have a rr book that really needs to get used. the pasta looks great!
Chef Aimee says
This sounds good – I would make it with turkey! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
A Feast for the Eyes says
Rachael Ray gets a bad rap, and she doesn't completely deserve it. I have several of her recipes posted, that are on my regular rotation. I just don't like her talk show at all, because she's over-the-top for me. BUT, she does teach people that you don't need processed food, or packaged mixes to whip up something fast. I'd love to play along, and thanks for doing this. How recent does a RR recipe have to be on our blogs?
Oh, I almost forgot. I think this is a clever way to get tacos with pasta. I'd definitely want to make this one.
Barbara says
That sounds like fun…and although I am not a Rachael Ray fan, I look forward to reading about everyone else's recipes!
The taco/pasta toss looks wonderful! And the pasta looks like whole wheat too. Which I much prefer for its nuttiness!
grace says
sometimes rachael's recipes excite me, and this is one of those times. what a great dish–kudos to both of ya! 🙂
Julie says
We love tacos, and this looks like a great way to change things up a bit. Yum!
Madeline says
Love your idea! Every meal is a Rachael Ray meal in my house…. No one believes me, but I swear it is true.
Thanks for starting such a fun feature.
Kim says
Taco Pasta Toss sounds delicious to me!
Great idea to have a Rachel Ray Day. I'm looking forward to checking out all the yummy recipes:D
Joanne says
I love to use Rach's recipes as jumping off points for my own dinners. They are always so quick and easy!
Anything taco-based sounds good to me! Mexican food is a personal favorite and this looks quite delicious.