Raise your hand if you grew up on Hamburger Helper. 🖐 Yeah, me too. :) This Beef Taco Pasta is like a homemade version of your favorite childhood dinner in a box with a southwest spin. It has ground beef, a cheesy tomato sauce, green chiles, pasta, a healthy dose of taco seasoning, and tons of delicious comfort all in one bowl. I only use half a pound of ground beef, which keeps it budget-friendly while still giving you plenty of meaty taco flavor. Plus, it all cooks in one pot, which makes dinner time so fast and easy. #WIN
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“Tastes great and is very doable on a weeknight. Doubles easily and freezes well. I added black beans for some fiber. It would be a great vegetarian option if you replace the meat with black or pinto beans. Honestly you could do a lot to customize this with whatever you have on hand. This will become a regular in my rotation!”
Kate
Taco Night Comfort in a Pasta Bowl
When my brain is fried, and I can’t think of a dinner plan, one-pot meals like this taco pasta ALWAYS save the day. I stir the dry pasta shells right into the skillet with the browned beef, diced tomatoes, green chiles, and beef broth, pop a lid on, and let it simmer. As it cooks, the pasta soaks up the taco-seasoned broth and turns everything into a thick, saucy base (no draining, no separate pot, no fuss). Then I finish it off by stirring in cheddar right at the end so it melts down into the sauce and coats every bite. Dinner = handled. 🤤
Recipe Success Tips
- Keep the pot covered. The steam is what helps the pasta cook evenly, so I try not to lift the lid too often. Just give it a quick stir every few minutes to keep anything from sticking, then put the lid back on so it can keep doing its thing.
- Use any small or short pasta. I used small pasta shells this time around because that’s what I had on hand, but I originally made this recipe with egg noodles. You can use other short pasta shapes as well, keeping in mind that you may need to simmer slightly longer or for less time depending on the type of pasta used. Rotini and penne are also good options.
- Use a different meat. This recipe is super flexible, so if you want to use a different type of ground meat, like ground turkey or ground chicken, that would work just as well.
- Make it vegetarian or vegan. Likewise, you could use a vegetarian ground beef alternative, or just skip the ground beef altogether and replace it with a can of black beans. Also, use vegetable broth and your favorite vegan cheese alternative, if needed.
- Adjust the spice level to your taste. The heat in this dish mostly comes from the taco seasoning you choose. Use a mild blend for just a little kick, or go for a hot seasoning (or add a pinch of cayenne) if you want more heat. For extra spice, I’d sauté a diced jalapeño with the onions.
- Add salt as needed. I didn’t need to add any salt as my broth and taco seasoning already contained plenty. Taste your taco pasta after adding the cheese and adjust the seasoning as needed.
One Pot Beef Taco Pasta
Cost $8.64 recipe / $1.44 serving
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.22)
- 1 yellow onion (diced, $0.58)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced, $0.16)
- ½ lb. ground beef ($3.61)
- 1 packet taco seasoning (about 1 oz., $0.47*)
- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (with juices, $0.96)
- 4 oz. can diced green chiles (with juices, $0.88)
- ½ lb. small pasta shells (uncooked, $0.37)
- 2 cups beef broth ($0.26**)
- 1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded, $0.93)
- 2 green onions (sliced, $0.20)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and olive oil to a deep skillet or wide-bottomed pot. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft.
- Add the ground beef and taco seasoning and continue to cook and stir until the ground beef is cooked through.
- Add the diced tomatoes (with juices) and diced green chiles (with juices) to the beef and stir to combine.
- Finally, add the pasta and beef broth and stir to combine once again. It's okay if the pasta is not fully submerged under the broth.
- Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to medium-high. Allow the broth to come up to a full boil. Once boiling, give the pasta a stir, place the lid back on top, and turn the heat down to medium-low.
- Let the pasta continue to simmer, stirring every few minutes and always replacing the lid, for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender. There should be some thick saucy liquid left in the pot once the pasta is cooked.
- Add the shredded cheddar cheese and stir until it has melted into the sauce. Top with sliced green onions and serve!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Beef Taco Pasta Step-by-Step Photos
Sauté the onion and garlic: Dice one yellow onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Add them to a deep skillet or wide-bottomed pot with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft.
Brown the beef: Next, add ½ lb. ground beef and one packet of taco seasoning (or homemade taco seasoning). Continue to cook over medium until the ground beef is cooked through.
Add the canned ingredients: Add one 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (with juices) and one 4 oz. can diced green chiles (with juices).
Pour in pasta and broth: Add ½ lb. pasta shells (uncooked) and 2 cups beef broth. Stir everything to combine. It’s okay if the pasta is not fully submerged in the broth.
Cook: Place a lid on the skillet or pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the broth to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a full boil, give the pasta a stir (put the lid back in place), turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the pasta continue to simmer, stirring once every few minutes and always replacing the lid, for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
Once the pasta is tender there should still be some thick saucy liquid left in the skillet.
Make it cheesy: Add 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese to the pasta and stir until it has melted into the thick tomato sauce.
Serve: Top the cheesy taco pasta with sliced green onions and serve!
Variations to Try!
This is my favorite part of any recipe. I love rummaging through my fridge or pantry looking for leftovers that can be added to whatever I’m cooking to make sure nothing I buy goes to waste. And for this one, anything you’d normally pile onto tacos will totally work here. It is taco pasta, after all!
Here are some other ingredients you can add that would also taste great with this flavor profile:
- Jalapeños (fresh or pickled) – great as a topping, or sauté them with the onions for extra heat
- Sour cream
- Avocado
- Black olives
- Black beans or pinto beans – I’d use a whole 15 oz. can (drained and rinsed) and stir them in with the pasta
- Pickled red onions
- Fresh or frozen corn
- Diced bell peppers or poblano peppers
- Any melty cheese, like Monterrey jack, Colby, or a Mexican blend
Serving Suggestions
This beef taco pasta is a one-pot meal all on its own, so I usually just top each bowl with sliced green onions (and maybe a little extra cheese) and call it dinner. If you want to add something fresh on the side, a sweet corn salsa or my cowboy caviar would be perfect. And if you’re in the mood for serious comfort, a side of warm garlic bread is never a bad idea.
Storage & Reheating
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Just note the pasta will keep soaking up the sauce as it sits, so it’ll be thicker the next day, and the pasta will be softer. When you reheat, add a splash of broth or water to loosen it back up, then warm it in the microwave in short bursts (stirring in between) or on the stovetop over medium-low until hot.
If you want to freeze it, let it cool completely first, portion individual servings into freezer-safe containers, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. Freezing and thawing can also make the pasta much softer.
More One-Pot Pasta Recipes
Our Beef Taco Pasta recipe was originally published 8/25/13. We have updated it to be the best it can be and republished 2/2/26.
Made this for dinner! Delicious!
I sent an inquiry about this recipe using the website. No one has responded to the email. Is there a way to get a copy of the old version of this recipe? Please see email or let me know how I can email to get a copy. Thank you.
So sorry about that! We’re having some technical issues with that contact form, but I just emailed you the original recipe!
Hi Budget Bytes Team,
Just a suggestion for the website.
Its seems that often times, you will archive a particular recipe and take it offline.
You end up having to spend a lot of time emailing out copies of the original/old recipes.
Why not just make the archived recipes available on the website in unsearchable links.
Lets take the Beef Taco Pasta for example.
When people see or search for “Beef Taco Pasta” on the website, it takes them to the new updated recipe.
However, within the page for the new recipe, you can enter a line along the lines of:
For the original recipe, please click this link:
The only way to get to the old recipe is by clicking on that specific link.
This way, people can get the original recipe if they like and it would save you time from having to send out copies.
Win/Win for both sides.
Just a thought.
Thank you for your time.
Wow, we followed this recipe but changed broth to Spicy Beef Broth from Swanson. So good, the kids hate one pot meals ate it up. I also used goodles noodles for extra protein @18 g additional a serving. Adding in the rotation for sure.
I make this almost every week
So good! I loved this comfort food.
Not bad. Thank you!
Just made this tonight and I also used your taco seasoning recipe. It was very good. Definitely a keeper. Probably might add black beans next time.
I’ve made this several times now using either Impossible or Beyond ground beef, and it’s perfect with those substitutes. My family enjoys and even gets excited about me making this. Thanks so much for this recipe that’s joined my go-to list!
Tastes great and is very doable on a weeknight. Doubles easily and freezes well. I added black beans for some fiber. It would be a great vegetarian option if you replace the meat with black or pinto beans. Honestly you could do a lot to customize this with whatever you have on hand. This will become a regular in my rotation!
Very tasty! I made this as written except no green onions. The cayenne pepper was just right for me! I’ll make this again and again. Thank you!
I know that every budgetbytes recipe is really good, but this one really blew me away. It’s SO good and so easy. I added a can of black beans in addition to the meat, as well as some frozen corn and a poblano pepper. This one’s definitely going into the rotation!
Made this vegetarian with a can of pinto beans, instead of hamburger, and it was so delicious!!
Everyone in my house said it was delicious. All I had for taco seasoning was mild so I amped it up with chili powder and cumin. Also put in a (very) few pickled jalapeno peppers. For cheese did half cheddar and half monterrey jack.
For anyone that has made this, is a half pound of meat and a half pound of shells really enough to feed six people? Would love to try this, but I don’t want to short-change my teenagers; nor do I want a metric ton left over!
The full recipe makes around 8 cups of finished pasta. (1.3 cups per serving.) Only you know if that’s enough to feed your family, but I’d suggest, since you typically buy ground beef and pasta in 1 lb. quantities, it would be very easy to double the ingredients. You could also freeze any leftovers! — Marion:)
You’ll definitely want to at least double the recipe.
Kids request it weekly…love it !!