This Taco Pasta is OH MY YUM delicious and destined to become a family favorite!
I am addicted to this Cheesy Taco Pasta Bake! It is loaded with tender beef, beans, pasta, etc. smothered in an incredible creamy enchilada-esque sauce that your whole family will LOVE! It is reminiscent of hamburger helper with its juicy, cheesy beefiness but 1000X better! And its super easy!
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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:
- Brown your beef and onions.
- Dump in your remaining taco-esque ingredients including kidney beans, green chilies, creamed corn, tomatoes, enchilada sauce and homemade taco seasoning and simmer away for 10 minutes…
- Stir in your light cream cheese and your cheeses.
- Stir pasta in the cheesy dynamic sauce until its evenly coated.
- Eat the taco pasta straight from the skillet or pour into a casserole dish and smother with extra cheese. Bake to golden, bubbly cheesy deliciousness.
- EAT!
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
Want to try this taco pasta bake?
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Taco Pasta Bake
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Ingredients
- 12 oz. celllentani pasta (may sub rigatoni penne, etc.)
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 14.75 oz. can sweet creamed corn
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 10 oz. can mild enchilada sauce
- 1 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 15 oz. can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 4 oz. can mild diced green chilies
- 1 tsp EACH chili pwdr, cumin, salt
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 4 oz ⅓ less fat cream cheese, cubed
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 cups Pepper Jack cheese, divided
Garnish
- tortilla strips
- Tomatoes
- Avocados
- sour cream
- cilantro
- extra cheese
- hot sauce
Instructions
- Cook pasta al dente in generously salted water (don't overcook). Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium high heat until no longer pink. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds. Drain off any excess grease.
- Turn heat down to medium and stir in creamed corn, tomato sauce, enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, green chilies, and all seasonings/spices. Turn heat to low, and simmer gently uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Stir in cream cheese until melted, then stir in ¾ cup cheddar cheese and ½ cup pepper jack cheese until melted. Add pasta and stir until evenly coated. You can serve as is or proceed to bake:
- Lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and add pasta. Sprinkle evenly with remaining cheeses and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes then broil until cheese is golden.
- Garnish with tortilla strips and other desired toppings.
Notes
Tips and Tricks for Taco Pasta
- Drain excess fat. After you brown the ground beef and onions you will wan to drain excess fat so your pasta doesn't taste greasy.
- Ground turkey. I love substituting lean ground turkey for lean ground beef. If you choose to do this, I suggesting adding 2 teaspoons beef bouillon and OMITTING the salt.
- 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.
- 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 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!
- 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.
- Customize heat. Take care to use mild enchilada sauce and mild green chiles or your pasta will be quite spicy. Individuals can customize their own servings with hot sauce to taste.
- 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!
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Looking for more Mexican Recipes?
Smothered Baked Chicken Burritos with Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce
Southwest Pepper Jack Salad with Creamy Avocado Salsa Dressing
One Pot Pepper Jack Chicken Fajita Rice Soup
Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
Emily S says
I made this for my husband and I… SO delish!! We couldn’t stop complementing the dish throughout the dinner. Such a wonderful blend of flavors that all paired great together. I have made so many recipes off of your site and have never been disappointed with any of them. I am always recommending your site to anyone who is needing recipe inspo ❤️ Thanks for sharing your creativity! Would you ever be able to share air fryer recipes?
Jen says
Thank you Emily, I’m so pleased this Cheesy Taco Pasta was such a hit! Thank you especially for your kind words regarding my site and for sharing it with others! We recently purchase an air fryer so I will work on that!