This Taco Pasta recipe combines two of my favorite comfort foods—tacos and pasta—into one deliciously comforting dish.
It’s truly the best of both worlds: shell pasta swirled with seasoned ground beef, shredded cheese, and all the Tex-Mex flavors I crave.
The best part? I can make it my own! I love adding a handful of crispy lettuce, a dollop of sour cream, or a few jalapeños to spice things up.
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Plus, it’s a one-pot wonder, which means fewer dishes for me and more time to kick back and enjoy.
And let’s be real—the only thing better than an easy weeknight meal is one that leaves me with leftovers, so I don’t have to cook the next day!
So grab your skillet and get ready to dig into something that’s cheesy, a little spicy, and a whole lot of delicious!
Ingredient Notes
- Lean Ground Beef: Beef is the star protein that brings a meaty flavor and satisfying texture to every bite. Look for at least a 93/7 ratio of lean to fat. I've tried other ratios, but the 93/7 ratio works best. You can also sub ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Medium Pasta Shells: You can get creative with the type of pasta you use. However, I like medium-sized shells best. Their pockets are perfect for capturing all the cheese and zesty flavors.
- Taco Seasoning Mix: Pick up a packet of taco seasoning or make your own homemade taco seasoning. Either way, its blend of spices will infuse the pasta with an authentic Mexican flair.
- Veggies: Use the ultimate trio: onions, garlic, and red bell pepper. They add color, flavor, and crunch. Plus, they make the dish smell amazing.
- Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies: Use fire-roasted diced tomatoes with a kick of green chilies for a lively burst of flavor. My favorite brand to use in this dish is Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies because it has the ideal blend of tang and heat.
- Salsa: What kind of Mexican meal doesn’t include salsa?! Again, use your favorite brand or make one of these 25 homemade salsa recipes.
- Low-Sodium Beef Broth: This savory liquid will cook the pasta and infuse it with even more flavor. I like to use low-sodium broth because the taco seasoning mix already has a good deal of salt, and it prevents the dish from becoming overly salty.
- Heavy Cream: Believe it or not, this secret ingredient brings everything together. It’ll transform the cheesy sauce into something lusciously creamy and comforting. You can also add 4 ounces of cream cheese at the end to make it even cheesier!
- Cheeses: I use a blend of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack. They melt perfectly for a gooey, cheesy finish. Cheddar cheese is also a great option.
- Salt & Pepper: The essential seasoning duo.
- Optional Toppings: You can go as wild as you like with your favorite taco toppings. I recommend chopped cilantro, black beans, jalapenos, sour cream, chopped onion, and diced avocado, but you can use whatever you want.
How to Make Taco Pasta
Let me show you how to whip up this Taco Pasta goodness. I promise the steps for making cheesy taco pasta aren’t nearly as long as the ingredient list!
1. Brown the beef. Brown the beef over medium-high heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Break it into smaller chunks, and drain any excess fat.
2. Cook the veggies. Add the diced onion and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Then, add taco seasoning and garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Add the liquids. Pour in the diced tomatoes with chilies, salsa, beef broth, and heavy cream. Stir the mixture well and bring it to a boil.
4. Cook the pasta. Add the uncooked pasta shells and stir to submerge them in the liquid. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Then, cover and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the cheese. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the shredded cheeses until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve. Serve the pasta hot, garnished with any desired toppings. Enjoy!
Tips for the Best Taco Pasta
Over the years, I’ve made this cheesy taco pasta recipe a lot, and I’ve picked up some game-changing tricks along the way.
Here are some of the most important things I've learned:
- Ditch the fat. The easiest way to do this is by purchasing lean (or extra lean) ground beef. I also drain excess grease and fat after cooking it. I've tried it with higher fat content, and it makes the dish too greasy. Plus, less grease means the pasta sauce sticks better to the meat.
- Don’t drain! For this recipe, I dump the entire can of tomatoes with chilies into the pot. The extra liquid will help cook the pasta.
- Put in some elbow grease. Be sure to stir often while the shell pasta is cooking. Doing so will prevent it from sticking and ensure even cooking.
- Switch up the cheeses. If sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack aren’t your thing, that’s okay! Use whatever shredded cheeses you like best. I sometimes substitute pepper jack for a bit of extra heat.
- Pick your perfect protein. This easy recipe tastes just as heavenly with ground turkey or chicken. You can even leave out the taco meat entirely and substitute black beans for a vegetarian option.
- Play with the pasta. I don’t mean this literally, of course. But feel free to experiment with different types of pasta to see which ones you like best.
How to Store
Depending on the size of your family, you may end up with leftovers. I know I always have leftovers, and that makes me very happy!
After all, this hearty, stick-to-your-ribs dish is incredibly filling and goes a long way. Here's how I store my leftovers:
To Store: Place the cooled cheesy taco pasta in an air tight container and refrigerate it for 3 to 5 days.
To Freeze: Transfer the cooled pasta to freezer-safe bags or airtight containers. Freeze it for up to 3 months.
To Reheat: Let the cooked pasta thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating it. Then, reheat individual servings in the microwave until heated through.
Reheat the entire pot of leftovers on the stove over medium heat. You may need to add a splash of chicken broth or water to loosen them up.
More Tex-Mex Dinners You'll Love
Fajita Pasta
Mexican Rice Casserole
Chicken Fajitas
Rotel Pasta
Taco Pasta
4
servings5
minutes25
minutes702
kcalTransform Taco Tuesday with this incredible taco pasta! Packed with ground beef, salsa, veggies, shells, and cheese, everyone will devour it!
Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef (93% lean or higher)
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 cup salsa
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces medium pasta shells
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
salt and pepper to taste
optional toppings: chopped cilantro, sliced jalapeños, sour cream, diced avocado
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Drain excess fat if needed.
- Add the diced onion and bell pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the taco seasoning and garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
- Pour in the diced tomatoes with green chilies, salsa, beef broth, and heavy cream. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Add the uncooked pasta shells and stir to submerge in the liquid. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 12-15 minutes, until pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve hot, garnished with desired toppings like chopped cilantro, sliced jalapeños, a dollop of sour cream, or diced avocado. Enjoy!
Notes
- Try different proteins. Ground beef is classic, but ground turkey, chicken, or even black beans for a vegetarian twist all work well.
- You can also melt some extra cheese on top for a casserole-style finish.
- Top with fresh cilantro, diced tomatoes, avocado, or a squeeze of lime for a bright finish.
Nutrition
- Total number of serves: 4
- Calories: 702kcal
- Fat: 31g
- Saturated Fat: 17g
- Cholesterol: 144mg
- Sodium: 1607mg
- Potassium: 1095mg
- Carbohydrates: 60g
- Fiber: 6g
- Sugar: 10g
- Protein: 45g
- Vitamin A: 2976IU
- Vitamin C: 51mg
- Calcium: 395mg
- Iron: 5mg
- Vitamin B12: 3mg
- Phosphorus: 590mg
- Zinc: 8mg
- Selenium: 67mg
19 Comments
Made this first time. Was a big hit with Family. Will be making it again. Thanks For Sharing
Made this for Mom and myself tonight and we both really enjoyed it. The dish would definitely be a win for kids, so I plan to make it for my grandkids soon. Easy and quick to make too!
First time making will try again
Easy and soooooo good, Evergreen Colorado.
I didn’t have taco seasoning or Rotel, so I substituted chili seasoning and fire roasted diced tomatoes. It made the best creamy chili mac. Yum!
There is NO reheating this! Everyone loved it. Delicious 😋
This dish was AMAZING!!! It was everything I wanted flavor-wise and more. I was so impressed, however, wishing it did make more for leftovers! Do you have an idea on scaling for maybe two more servings?
Hi, Maggie. For 2 more servings, you’d likely want to use 1.5x the ingredients.
Here would be my SUGGESTIONS (just suggestions, feel free to tweak)
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 packs taco seasoning (or 2 whole packets if you don’t mind a lot of seasoning)
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 red bell peppers
1 1/2 (10-ounce) cans ROTEL (as far as I know, ROTEL only comes in 10-ounce and 28-ounce cans — 28 would be too much)
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 1/2 cup low sodium broth
1 cup heavy cream
12 ounces pasta
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese
salt & pepper, to taste
optional toppings
Again, these are all just suggestions. I think they’d work pretty well, though.
I made this tonight was absolutely delicious. What could be the best of both worlds. Tacos and pasta. Will put this in our recipe rotation.
So glad you enjoyed it!!! Believe it or not, it’s actually one of my 80-year-old gramma’s favorites!
Can this be made with half and half rather than heavy cream?
Yes, Tracy, you can make this with half and half instead of heavy cream. However, you’ll want to mix the half and half with a bit of melted butter first to make it thicker and richer.
Use about 3.5 ounces of half and half and 1/2 ounce melted butter. (Just shy of half a cup of half and half and about 1/16 cup of melted butter). Mix them together, then add them where the recipe calls for heavy cream.
Can this be served as a cold pasta dish?
Hi, Mary!
I’ve never tried this recipe cold (other than sometimes grabbing a bite of leftovers straight from the fridge). However, I’m just not sure it would work as a cold pasta salad. The entire cooking process is centered around a hot dish. (i.e., adding the cheeses in at the end to melt them, cooking the pasta in the sauce to flavor it, etc.)
Additionally, the heavy cream in the recipe won’t work as well in a cold dish as an oil or mayo base would.
Finally, when I do pop a bite or two from the fridge, it tastes fine. However, the texture is … sort of congealed is the best way to explain, I suppose. It’s not creamy and gooey like it is when it’s hot. For those reasons, I think I’d avoid trying it as a cold dish.
If you want a similar taco salad that you can serve cold, try this one: Taco Pasta Salad
does this make good leftovers to reheat in the microwave?
Hi Tina!
This is best served cold, and since the dressing contains sour cream, it’s not ideal for heating.
Instead, I’d recommend this taco pasta recipe 🙂
Good morning. We loved this recipe and would love to make it in a crock pot for 12 people. Any suggestions on how to do this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Good morning, Patricia! I’ve never made this recipe in a Crockpot or for so many people, so this is definitely a GUESSTIMATE on how to do that. Feel free to tweak the ingredients or steps however you see fit.
Ingredients
3 pounds lean ground beef
3 packets taco seasoning
1 large onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 red bell peppers, chopped
2 (10-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
2 cups salsa
1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
3/4 cup heavy cream
24 ounces medium pasta shells
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional toppings
Then, simply brown and drain the beef and transfer it to a 6-quart Crockpot. Put the onions, peppers, and garlic on top, then sprinkle on the taco seasoning. Pour in the tomatoes, salsa, and beef broth. Stir gently to combine.
Then, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Stir in the uncooked pasta shells and heavy cream, making sure pasta is submerged in liquid, and cook for another 30-60 minutes.
Finally, stir in the cheeses until melted and season with salt and pepper.
If you do make it, be sure to come back and let me know how it turned out and any changes you made.
I would cook meat , onions, and peppers, put into crockpot, add taco seasoning, garlic,Rotel ,salsa, beef broth and cream. Setting on warm. Maybe 4 hours. Cook your pasta el dente on side, add. Add cheeses.