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Cheesy Taco Pasta Recipe
I love tacos — from my Cilantro Lime Shrimp Tacos to Korean Tacos to Tacos Al Pastor to my Cilantro Lime Chicken Taco Salad — but when you take all that taco goodness and turn into a cheesy taco pasta bake, you get something otherworldly delicious. This Taco Pasta should come with a warning: CAUTION: If you eat one bite you will not be able to control your desires to eat more and more and more and so you will eat more and more and more and ooh and aah at its creamy, cheesy, TexMex glory every bite of the way until the whole pan of pasta disappears and you have no idea how it happened. But you want it to happen again. Or something like that. But in all seriousness, this Taco Pasta is seriously addicting. It is Patrick’s and my ultimate go-to comfort food, even before my One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese and Taco Spaghetti – comfort food without butter or cream I might add – just ooey, gooey melty cheese – mmmm! It also gets an extra creamy kick from my secret ingredient, Creamed Corn, which I like to use to thicken pastas (like my Ligher Buffalo Macaroni and Cheese – drool…), its magic. And so is this pasta! You will be giddy when you see how easy it is…
Taco Pasta Recipe ingredients
The ingredients list for this taco pasta casserole looks lengthy, but that’s because I threw so many spices into it!
Pasta: you can use any short, sturdy pasta you’d like. Ground beef: use lean ground beef and be sure to drain off any excess fat. Onion: you can substitute the onion with 1 teaspoon onion powder. Garlic: you can substitute the garlic with 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Creamed corn: sounds odd, but it adds so much flavor and balances out the smoky-spicy heat of the spices, chiles, and enchilada sauce. Tomato sauce: use plain tomato sauce, not the kind with added herbs. Enchilada sauce: I used mild enchilada sauce, but use hot if desired. Diced tomatoes: canned petite diced tomatoes round out the base of this pasta bake. Kidney beans: you can substitute with pinto beans, black beans, cannellini bean or your favorite beans. Diced green chiles: make sure you purchase mild green chiles – I have accidentally used the hot chilies before and they are HOT! Mild green chiles, however are more tangy than hot so you don’t have to worry about them making your soup spicy. Herbs and spices: this taco noodle casserole is packed with flavor from the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Cheese: I used a blend of cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and Pepper Jack cheese.
How to make Taco Pasta
To make this EASY Taco Pasta:
What Can I Prep Ahead of Time?
You can make the taco pasta recipe 100% ahead of time and gently warm (see instructions) or prepare elements in advance so it can come together super quickly at dinner time. That being said, it already is a super quick meal!
Pasta: cook the pasta al dente, drain with cool water and toss with a drizzle of oil to prevent it from sticking together. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Ground beef: Brown the ground beef, then drain off any excess fat. Store in an airtight container. Vegetables: chop and store the onions and garlic together. Spices: Measure out the spices and store in a small container. Cheese: grate the cheddar and Pepper Jack.
Tips and Tricks for Taco Pasta
Drain excess fat. No greasy Taco Pasta here! After you brown the ground beef and onions you will wan to drain excess fat so your pasta doesn’t taste greasy. Don’t overcook pasta! Cook your pasta just a minute short of al dente so it doesn’t get mushy when baked in the oven. Cream cheese. You are welcome to use ⅓ less fat cream cheese just take not it will not melt quite as well. Freshly grated cheese. Only use freshly grated cheese in your because packaged cheeses contain chemicals which keep them from easily melting. How cheesy? Feel free to use more or less cheese – it is entirely up to you how cheesy you make your Taco Pasta! Customize heat. Take care to use mild enchilada sauce and mild green chiles or your taco pasta will be quite spicy. Individuals can customize their own servings with hot sauce to taste.
Taco Pasta Bake variations
Pepper Jack. You can also substitute the pepper Jack with cheddar or Monterrey if that’s all you have on hand. Skillet Taco Pasta. You can eat your pasta straight out of the skillet. Top with cheese and cover for 1-2 minutes so the cheese melts. Toppings bar! Half the fun of this taco pasta casserole is the toppings! You can create a taco pasta bar so everyone can customize their own taco pasta. Some of my favorites include sour cream, avocados, pico de gallo, and of course crushed tortilla chips or strips! Pasta substitute. My favorite pasta for this cheesy taco casserole is celllentani pasta. You can use a different pasta but I suggest something with ridges like rigatoni. Ground turkey. I love substituting lean ground turkey for lean ground beef. This works great in this cheesy taco pasta bake because it is smothered in sauce. If you choose to use ground turkey, I suggesting adding 2 teaspoons beef bouillon and OMITTING the salt.
How to Store Taco Pasta Casserole
Transfer leftover taco pasta bake to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to five days.
How to reheat Cheesy Beef Taco Pasta
Microwave: Microwave for one minute, stir, then continue to heat at 30-second intervals until warmed through. Oven: Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F until warm, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Can I freeze Taco Pasta Casserole?
This taco pasta casserole is likely fine to freeze, either in individual servings or the entire pan. Let the casserole cool completely before freezing. If you eat one bite of this taco pasta bake, you will not be able to control your desires to eat more and more and more… And love every second.
Looking for more cheesy pasta recipes?
Million Dollar Macaroni and Cheese Million Dollar Baked Penne Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken Lemon Garlic Shrimp Fettuccine Sun-Dried Tomato Fettuccine
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