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    Ingredients » Recipes » Beef

    One Pot Easy Taco Pasta

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more information. Published: Jun 5, 2017 · Modified: Mar 25, 2021 by Dee

    This One Pot Easy Taco Pasta dinner is made in one skillet and is ready in only 30 minutes. It's perfect for busy weeknights, and even picky eaters love it!

    Jump to Recipe -

    one pot easy taco pasta dinner recipe

    I made this one pot taco pasta for dinner last week after we came back from vacation. It's literally something I just threw together, using whatever ingredients I could find. We were only gone for just a couple of days, but I still had mounds of laundry to tackle, and I was also super tired. I'm one of those people who does not sleep well away from home -- sad, huh?!

    So normally, I would be all about ordering out for dinner at this point, but after eating out for a few days, I wanted something homemade. The only problem was that I hadn't gone to the store lately, so I didn't have much to work with.

    If you've ever stood there, staring in your fridge, wondering what to make for dinner, you get it.  I eventually came up with some frozen ground beef, pasta, a jar of salsa and a few other things. And that, my friends, is how this simple one dish dinner wonder was born!

    It's similar to our creamy one pot enchilada pasta and one pot Mexican pasta skillet, only it's a little lighter and even easier to prepare.

    one pot easy taco pasta skillet with tomatoes lettuce and sour cream

    This one pot easy taco pasta takes just 30 minutes to make, and it's made all in one skillet, so clean-up is super easy. And there's nothing better than a one-dish 30 minute meal when you need dinner on the table in a hurry!

    To make this quick and easy dinner, all you really have to do is brown the ground beef, add the seasonings, pasta, cheese and a couple of other things, and you're done. I added my favorite thick and chunky salsa for extra flavor and pepper jack cheese for extra spice. If you want to tone the heat down, you could use cheddar, instead.

    After the taco pasta was done, I threw some extra cheese, lettuce and diced tomatoes on the top -- like a taco! You could also add some tortilla chips if you want.

    one pot easy taco pasta on spoon

    How to Make One Pot Easy Taco Pasta

    one pot easy taco pasta dinner recipe

    One Pot Easy Taco Pasta

    Published by Dee
    A quick and easy one pot dinner made with seasoned ground beef, black beans, pepper jack cheese and penne pasta that takes just 30 minutes to make!
    5 from 2 votes
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    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 35 mins
    Course Main
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 8
    Calories 327 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 pound ground beef (extra lean)
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • 2 cups mini penne pasta
    • 2 cups water
    • 1 cup salsa
    • ¼ cup sour cream
    • 1 cup pepper jack cheese (shredded)
    • 1 15-oz can black beans (drained and rinsed)

    Instructions
     

    • Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat, and season with sea salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder and paprika
    • Add penne pasta, water and salsa, cover and cook until pasta is al dente, (about 10 minutes) stirring occasionally
    • Stir in sour cream and pepper jack cheese, and mix well
    • Stir in black beans, and cook until just heated (about 1 minute)
    • Remove from heat, top with additional, cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and additional sour cream, if desired
    • Serve immediately

    Notes

    If not using extra lean meat, drain fat after meat is cooked
    You may need to add a little more water or salsa before adding sour cream, depending on type of salsa you use

    Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 327kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 17gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 644mgPotassium: 344mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 430IUVitamin C: 0.6mgCalcium: 143mgIron: 1.9mg
    Tried this recipe? Please comment and rate it! Show me your dish on Instagram!Mention @meatloafandmelodrama or tag #meatloafandmelodrama!

    I hope you enjoy this one pot easy taco pasta as much as my family did! Even my pickiest eaters loved it!

    Happy Cooking,

    Shared at Weekend Potluck

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    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Miz Helen says

      June 13, 2017 at 9:55 am

      This is a fabulous salad! Your post is awesome and thanks so much for sharing it with us at Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great day and come back to see us real soon!
      Miz Helen5 stars

      Reply
    2. Krista says

      June 06, 2017 at 12:32 pm

      One pot meals truly are the best! Especially when they should this good!

      Reply
    3. Cathy @ Lemon Tree Dwelling says

      June 06, 2017 at 9:40 am

      I want this for dinner tonight! What a great idea!

      Reply
    4. eat good 4 life says

      June 06, 2017 at 6:40 am

      I love easy dinner meal recipes and this looks very simple and tasty. My family would totally love this for sure!

      Reply
    5. Renee - Kudos Kitchen says

      June 06, 2017 at 6:16 am

      Winner, winner, one pot easy taco pasta for dinner!

      Reply
    6. Des @ Life's Ambrosia says

      June 05, 2017 at 9:49 pm

      I love one pot meals! And this taco pasta would for sure be a hit with the family!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        June 11, 2017 at 1:32 pm

        Thanks! My family sure loves it! 🙂

    7. Erin @ The Speckled Palate says

      June 05, 2017 at 7:30 pm

      So many of my favorite flavors together! My daughter would LOVE this pasta, too!

      Reply
    8. Amanda | The Chunky Chef says

      June 05, 2017 at 6:02 pm

      What a fun pasta idea! Perfect for the whole family 🙂5 stars

      Reply

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    I’m the blogger, chief cook, recipe developer and photographer behind Meatloaf and Melodrama. I absolutely love to create easy, budget-friendly, homemade meals and treats for my family. I also love to think of new ways to repurpose leftovers so that my family will actually eat them!

    More about me →

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