20 Minutes cooking and you’ve got dinner on the table with this super tasty Cheesy Taco Ground Beef Pasta! It’s soon to be a family favorite any night of the week with simple ingredients like ground beef, sharp cheddar cheese, salsa and taco seasoning. Serious comfort food at it’s easiest! That melty cheese on top is the best!
Modify this dish it to your liking.
- If you want to go healthier with the ground beef substitution, use ground turkey or ground chicken. We use a lot of ground turkey around our household for sure. Or leave it out all together!
- Any pasta will do. We used rotini so all the salsa and taco sauce and cheeses could get into the all those curly crevices, but shells, elbow macaroni or spaghetti can also be used.
- Add some chopped Jalapeños, black olives, southwestern corn, black beans, chili beans, chopped tomatoes, guacamole slices, red pepper flakes, sour cream, hot sauce…I mean the sky’s the limit what you can do!
- We used shredded sharp cheddar, but there’s quite a variety out there in the world like mild cheddar, Mexican, Monterey Jack or any type of Queso.
- So many salsas out there as well, some with cilantro, lime, roasted chili and then you’ve got all your mild, medium and hot salsas and sauces to really pep it up, if that’s your thing!
Have you ever had Hamburger Helper Taco Pasta?
This is a copy-cat version I guess you could say, but it’s a lot better because it’s got the gooey cheesy factor. Plus it’s home-made except for the taco seasoning. A package of Taco Seasoning is equivalent to 1 ounce/2 Tablespoons.
To make your own home-made taco seasoning, just toss together 1/4 cup chili powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 2 tablespoons onion powder, (optional) 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, paprika, 2 tablespoons ground cumin, 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 tablespoonou’re good to go then! Store it in an airtight container until you need it!
Enjoy! For more quick and tantalizing Mexican dishes you’ll love this Easy Turkey Spanish Rice – Vegetarian Version too and this Quick Chili Mac Goulash! Great for tailgating parties and comfort food addictions! YUM!
Cheesy Taco Ground Beef Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups rotini pasta
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup salsa or 1 jar of salsa
- 1 packet 1 oz mild taco seasoning or 2 to 3 tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese add less if desired
Instructions
- Over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef with the onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and salt. Cook and until the beef is cooked and crumbled. Drain.
- While the ground beef is cooking, you can cook the pasta until al dente about 8-10 minutes or so. Drain and set aside.
- Add the water, salsa, and taco seasoning packet to the cooked ground beef mixture and stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low and cover the pot with the lid. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until the water has reduced down. Add the pasta and toss together..
- Add the shredded cheese on top and cover with lid until the cheese is melted.
- Serve with your favorite taco toppings as desired.
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