Easy Taco Pasta (Ready in 20 minutes)

Easy Taco Pasta – taco meat and pasta tossed in a quick homemade creamy sauce – SO good! Ready in under 30 minutes!! Kids (and adults) gobble this up!! Ground beef, taco seasoning, onion, garlic, salsa, pasta, sour cream, and cream cheese. Seriously DELISH! Serve with a salad and bread for a meal the whole family will enjoy!

bowl of taco pasta

Remember this recipe.

Pin this recipe to your favorite board now to remember it later!

Pin This Recipe

20-Minute Taco Pasta Dinner

I love Mexican/Tex-Mex food. We don’t go out to eat it much anymore, so I am always on the hunt for a good recipe to try at home. I found this recipe in an old cookbook and immediately added it to our menu. I love quick and easy weeknight meals and this recipe fits both of those criteria. We absolutely loved this pasta dish. I had to make myself not go back for seconds  It was that good. It tasted like a taco, believe it or not! Shocking, I know, since the dish is called Taco Pasta.

bowl of taco pasta

How to Make Easy Taco Pasta

As I said this pasta is super duper easy to make. Start with boiling some pasta. While the pasta is cooking, brown some ground beef. Add onion, garlic, salsa, and taco seasoning. Let the mixture cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream, and some reserved pasta water. Cook until the cheese has melted. Top the pasta with some shredded cheese and serve.

bowl of taco pasta

What to Serve with Mexican Pasta

This pasta has quickly become a favorite at our house. It is super easy to make and tastes fantastic! You don’t need a lot of side dishes with this pasta. We usually just make a salad and some bread. Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this yummy pasta:

Mexican Chopped Salad

Mexican Chopped Salad –  the perfect side to all of your favorite Mexican recipes! Lettuce, corn, black beans, tomatoes, avocados,…

Easy Parmesan Bread Twists

Easy Parmesan Bread Twists – made with refrigerated pizza dough! Tastes just like Domino’s Parmesan Bread Twists! YUM! Only 5…

Green Jacket Salad

Green Jacket Salad – original recipe from the Green Jacket restaurant in Augusta. SO simple and it tastes great! Lettuce,…

bowl of taco pasta

Easy Taco Pasta

Yield: 4 people
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Easy Taco Pasta – taco meat and pasta tossed in a quick homemade creamy sauce – SO good! Ready in under 30 minutes!! Kids (and adults) gobble this up!! Ground beef, taco seasoning, onion, garlic, salsa, pasta, sour cream, and cream cheese. Seriously DELISH! Serve with a salad and bread for a meal the whole family will enjoy! #pasta #beef #taco #salsa #quick #easy

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  • Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Set aside.
  • Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the ground meat over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain fat. Add onion flakes and garlic, cook about 30 seconds.
  • Mix in the salsa and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream, and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with shredded cheese and more sour cream and salsa if desired.

Notes:

  • Can substitute ground turkey for ground beef.
  • Feel free to add some corn or black beans to the pasta.
  • Here is our recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning made with chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-taco-seasoning/
4 jars of salsa on the countertop
  • Our favorite store-bought salsas are Mateo’s, Kylito’s, Pace Picante Sauce, and Pace Restaurant Style Salsa.
  • Here is our recipe for Homemade Salsa: https://www.plainchicken.com/superior-grill-salsa/
  • Can use any shape of pasta you have on hand. Small shells, elbow macaroni, mini penne pasta, or egg noodles work great.
  •  

Steph

Remember this recipe.

Pin this recipe to your favorite board now to remember it later!

Pin This Recipe
bowl of taco pasta
bowl of taco pasta

Categories:

Tags:

You Might Also Like

See All Pasta

Meatball Rigatoni

Meatball Rigatoni Alfredo – AMAZING! So simple to make and tastes great. Can make ahead and freeze for later. Meatballs,…

Chicken Pesto Pasta

Chicken Pesto Pasta Recipe – Tender chicken bites and al dente pasta smothered in a creamy basil pesto sauce—this dish is…

Buffalo Chicken Alfredo Pasta

Buffalo Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake – penne pasta, alfredo sauce, sour cream, ricotta, ranch seasoning, chicken, buffalo sauce, eggs, cheddar…

Comments

  1. I made this tonight it was supper easy and supper yummy! I have a large family so easy and fast is a big plus! So thank you thank you for sharing this! The only extra I did was add some black olives, My husband loves them it made it even more delicious! I also sided it with refried beans and tostado shells. This is a new family favorite.

  2. Made this tonight with ground turkey, home made taco seasoning, fat free cream cheese and plain yogurt instead of sour cream. Also whole wheat rotini pasta. Quick and delicious.

  3. Made this tonight! So easy to make and so yummy. Definitely reminiscent of eating actual tacos, but the pasta is a nice twist. Thanks! 🙂

  4. Found this recipe on Pinterest and made it for dinner today. Was really good. Would definitely make again. Thanks!

  5. I made this last week and it was fantastic! So happy with the way it turned out. Thanks for posting so many great recipes – I have many that are on the list of things to make in the near future!

  6. Just made this for lunch for my husband and I – in between studying. I am a super busy dental student always looking for quick and tasty foods! This hit the spot and would be great for single household and a large family!

  7. I made this last night and it was ABSOLUTELY delish! I used ground turkey, light sour cream & neufatel cheese, to cut down on calories, and it was PERFECT! Everyone MUST try it! 🙂

  8. This recipe is GREAT!!! I substituted Protein Crumbles for the meat (fake taco meat..LOL) It was a great vegetarian comfort food. Thanks for sharing this!!!

  9. Saw this on pintrest and made it tonight. Sooo good. Very difficult not to have seconds, although it's fairly filling.

  10. i make something seriously similar to this, but i use ground turkey and velveeta mac and cheese! cook the mac in 2.5 cups of water, add in cooked ground turkey and cheese sauce packet and taco seasoning. it's freaking AMAZING. 🙂

  11. I made this tonight for dinner but double the pasta & sauce ingredients, except for the taco season, onion & garlic. It was a huge hit! Love your blog–thanks!
    Brenda

  12. This looks yummy – I LOVE mexican and my family is always leary of my combos – I think they would eat this one up!

  13. I actually have my own version of taco pasta. It is good stuff and fast! I thought of it after making your pizza pasta, which btw, needs to be made again & soon!
    ~ingrid

  14. Crap crap crappity crap!!! I mean crud.

    I was looking for a recipe to make tonight and ended up making tacos instead. This would have been PERFECT for what I had on hand. Seriously.

    Saving it for the next time.

    PS: I bet $20 this is the first comment you ever had that started with "Crap crap crappity crap" but I could be wrong:)

  15. mmm, i really wanted Taco Bell tonight, but I think i'm going to make this instead. i just need ground beef!

  16. Southern Living has a very similar recipe (but with black beans and corn) that I've had bookmarked to make…but I guess I've been a little wary of the Mexican-pasta combination. Now I'm definitely trying it!

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating