• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Contact

Deliciously Seasoned

July 11, 2021

Taco Pasta

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Taco pasta is a quick and easy, delicious pasta recipe with a Mexican twist. Loaded with deliciously seasoned ground beef, pasta shells, cheese and more, this hearty taco pasta recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner recipe that can be on the table in no time.

Taco Pasta in three bowls, topped with sour cream, cilantro, and green onions, with jalapeno and parsley in the background with the title in the top center.

Living in Texas, Mexican food is a huge part of my family’s life. Texas is all about its tex mex food, especially tacos, street tacos, brisket tacos, and fajitas. The thing is… even if you really love something, it can start to get old after a while. How many different ways can you make tacos? Or anything, for that matter. 

This taco pasta has all the flavor of tacos (minus the lettuce and tomatoes), and adds a delicious twist by replacing the tortilla shells with pasta. Loaded with all the great flavors we love on our taco nights but made into a hearty, cheesy, simple pasta dinner recipe.

My family loves it so much, in fact, that I’ve now moved on to bringing the dish to summer parties and potlucks. Everyone is always more than happy to sit down with a great big scoop of this delicious dish and devour it. They always ask for seconds, and lately, I’ve actually started bringing more than one pan just to be sure everyone gets as much of it as they want.

Two white bowls and a grey bowl filled with taco pasta with a small blue bowl of sour cream in the background, along with jalapenos, cilantro and green onions.

Taco Pasta Recipe

This taco pasta is filled to capacity with delicious taco goodness. Ground beef, onions, jalapenos, salsa, corn, green chilies, and cheese all come together to create the ultimate tex-mex delight any time you’re craving tacos. The best thing is that it’s so simple and fast to make, and using the pasta makes an interesting change from taco shells. It’s definitely easier to eat! 

This easy recipe is one of those dishes that makes you wonder how you ever lived without it once you’ve given it a try. It’s super easy to make and a simple dinner recipe everyone will enjoy.

A white bowl and a grey bowl filled with taco pasta topped with a dollop of sour cream, sliced green onions and cilantro.

Tips

This is a straightforward recipe that comes together easily. It’s mostly a matter of cooking the beef, onions and jalapenos, and then mixing everything in. In fact, it’s so simple, there’s almost no way that you could go wrong. That being said, I have some tips for this recipe to ensure that you get the best possible taco pasta possible – and one tip to save you some major discomfort!

Small Dices Work Best

Dicing the onion and jalapeno into smaller pieces works best for this recipe. Because it uses pasta, everything about this recipe is bite sized. Dicing your onions and jalapenos into smaller pieces ensures that you get a little bit in every single bite. 

Protect Your Skin and Eyes

I recommend wearing gloves when working with jalapenos. The juice can be irritating to the skin, and if you forget and rub your eyes, you’re going to be in a world of hurt. Wear gloves as you seed and dice or slice your jalapenos, carefully discard them when done, and then thoroughly wash your hands. Be sure NOT to touch your eyes. 

A spoonful of taco pasta being held above a white bowl filled with a serving of taco pasta.

Variations

One of the great things about this taco pasta is how easy it is to switch things up. You can add all kinds of delicious southwestern ingredients to this dish, picking and choosing what you do and don’t want to put in it to truly make it your own. It’s such a versatile dish that you can keep things fresh and interesting no matter how many times you’ve made it. 

Change the Meat

I love to use lean ground beef to keep that great flavor and reduce the fat, but if you want to go even leaner, you can use ground chicken or turkey for a lighter version. 

Adjust the Heat

If you don’t like a lot of heat, feel free to reduce or eliminate the amount of Slap Ya Mama seasoning and jalapenos you use in this recipe. Conversely, if you’re a big fan of heat, crank it up with even more diced jalapenos. 

Try Different Noodles

I love to use shells when I make this taco pasta. I just like the way they tend to cradle the ingredients. You can use whatever kind of short pasta you like, though. Macaroni would work well, as would penne or other short noodles. You decide what you love the most!

Add Other Tex-Mex Ingredients

Feel free to add other delicious taco and tex-mex ingredients to this recipe, as well. Black beans would be delicious in this recipe. Topping it with some avocado would also be tasty.

An overhead photo of 3 bowls of taco pasta with sour cream and shredded cheese in smaller bowls, and green onions, cilantro and jalapenos place on the off white wooded board.

Serving Taco Pasta

This delicious taco pasta is a complete meal in and of itself. To serve, simply spoon it out into a bowl, top with sour cream, and you’re good to go. For a little extra kick, you can top it with sliced jalapenos, as well. For a cooler topping, try some avocado slices. 

Storing Taco Pasta

This taco pasta will keep well in the refrigerator for up to four days in an air-tight container. For longer storage, you can freeze this dish for up to a month in an air-tight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bags. To defrost, simply place the container in the refrigerator and allow it to defrost overnight, then heat it up in the stove or microwave. A little liquid might need to be added when reheating.

Give This Taco Pasta a Try

If you love pasta recipes, you’re going to love this taco pasta. It’s a great twist on an old favorite that’s overflowing with all the delicious flavors we love in our traditional tacos. Play around with the recipe, adding what you want and taking out what you don’t. Almost anything goes with this recipe. Give it a try, and I know you and your family will love it.

A double collage photo of taco pasta in a white bowl, the title in between the two photos and the bottom photo is a fork full of the taco pasta.

Taco Pasta Ingredients

  • Lean ground beef
  • Onion
  • Jalapeños
  • Garlic salt
  • Slap Ya Mama® seasoning
  • Black pepper
  • Taco seasoning
  • Beef broth
  • Milk
  • Salsa
  • Corn
  • Rotel
  • Diced green chilies
  • Sharp cheddar cheese
  • Medium pasta shells

How to Make Taco Pasta

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 – Prep

In a large frying pan or skillet, add ground beef, onions, and jalapenos and cook over medium heat. Add in garlic salt, Slap Ya Mama®, and pepper. Stir and cook until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are translucent. Drain grease and return to pan. Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse and set aside.

Step 2 – Mixing it All Together

Sprinkle taco seasoning over meat, stir and pour beef broth into pan. Cook until liquid is almost absorbed. Add corn, Rotel®, diced chilies, milk, and salsa to meat mixture and stir. Cook for 15 minutes or until mixture is hot and bubbly. Place pasta back in pot, pour meat mixture and shredded cheese into pot. Stir to combine and serve once cheese has melted.

Try This Delicious Taco Pasta Today

A 3 photo collage of taco pasta in a white bowl with a grey bowl in the background and a fork full of pasta in one of the photos.

Here are a few more delicious pasta recipes that you might enjoy:

  • Italian Sausage Pasta
  • Lasagna Soup
  • Macaroni and Cheese
  • BLT Avocado Pasta Salad

And here are two delicious recipes, Homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni and Bow Tie Pasta Lasagna from Great Grub, Delicious Treats that you might love as well.

Taco Pasta

Print Pin
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Taco Pasta
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Author: Deliciously Seasoned

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 jalapeños, stem and seeds removed.
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama® seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • ⅓ cup taco seasoning
  • ¾ cup beef broth
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 15 ounce corn, drained
  • 10 ounce Rotel® drained
  • 4 ounce diced green chilies
  • 8 ounce sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 16 ounce pasta shells, medium

Instructions

  • In a large frying pan or skillet, add ground beef, onions and jalapeños.
  • Cook over medium heat, add garlic salt, Slap Ya Mama® and pepper. Stir and cook until meat is no longer pink and onions and jalapeños are tender. Drain and return to pan.
  • While meat is cooking, cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse and set aside.
  • Sprinkle taco seasoning over meat, stir and pour beef broth into pan. Cook until liquid is almost absorbed.
  • Add corn, Rotel®, diced chilies, milk and salsa to meat mixture. Stir.
  • Continue cooking for 15 minutes or until meat mixture is hot and bubbly.
  • Return pasta back to pot, pour meat mixture and cheese over pasta. Stir to combine and then serve once cheese has melted.
Two bowls filled with taco pasta placed on a off white wooden board with green onions and cilantro placed around the white bowl.
A white bowl and a grey bowl filled with taco pasta, both bowls sitting on an off white wood board.

Share
Pin
Tweet
Email
Print
« Frozen Blueberry Dessert
Crock Pot Queso with Italian Sausage »

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Beef Pasta Recipe with A Rich Spicy Cream Sauce - Deliciously Seasoned says:
    July 18, 2021 at 9:47 am

    […] Taco Pasta […]

Primary Sidebar

Hi and welcome to Deliciously Seasoned! We are Halie and Nikki, the faces behind Deliciously Seasoned, along with our mom, Terri, owner of Great Grub, Delicious Treats. We have been working full time with our mom and wanted to start another food blog. We are so happy you have stopped by and hope you enjoy all of our recipes.

More about us →

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Join Deliciously Seasoned and get great recipes in your inbox!

Latest

  • Thin Sliced Chicken Breast {Easy Oven Recipe}
  • Cheesy Onion Rings
  • Air Fryer Cajun Shrimp
  • Crescent Roll Breakfast with Bacon, Egg and Cheese

Popular

  • Cheesy Onion Rings
  • Air Fryer Cajun Shrimp
  • Crescent Roll Breakfast with Bacon, Egg and Cheese
  • Instant Pot Sausage and Peppers with Pasta

Hi and welcome to Deliciously Seasoned! We are Halie and Nikki, the faces behind Deliciously Seasoned, along with our mom, Terri, owner of Great Grub, Delicious Treats. We have been working full time with our mom and wanted to start another food blog. We are so happy you have stopped by and hope you enjoy all of our recipes.

More about us →

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Join Deliciously Seasoned and get great recipes in your inbox!

Latest

  • Thin Sliced Chicken Breast {Easy Oven Recipe}
  • Cheesy Onion Rings
  • Air Fryer Cajun Shrimp
  • Crescent Roll Breakfast with Bacon, Egg and Cheese

Popular

  • Coconut Fried Shrimp
  • Beef Stroganoff
  • St Patrick’s Day Sugar Cookies
  • White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cranberries and Pecans

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Copyright

All content and images are copyright protected. Do not use any images without prior permission.

If you want to republish this recipe, make sure to re-write the recipe in your own words and only list ingredients making sure to link back to this post for the original recipe and directions.  

Copyright © 2020 Deliciously Seasoned All Rights Reserved