Taco Pasta
Pasta, beef mince, taco seasoning and tinned tomatoes cooked in one pan, finished with melted cheese.
Don't Make These Mistakes
Use small pasta shapes that cook in the sauce.
Stir only twice while the pasta simmers.
Add more stock if the pasta soaks up all the liquid.
Taste before salting, as taco seasoning is salty.
Making Taco Pasta
Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.
-
Heat the oil in a large deep pan and brown the mince with the onion for 8 minutes, breaking it up.
-
Stir in the taco seasoning for 1 minute.
-
Add the tomatoes, stock and pasta and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes, stirring twice, until the pasta is tender.
-
Stir in the sweetcorn, top with the cheese, cover and leave for 2 minutes to melt.
Something wrong or unclear in this recipe? Report a problem with this recipe.
What's Going On Here
Beef mince, pasta shells, a tin of tomatoes, taco seasoning and cheese: a handful of things, and about 35 minutes. The pasta cooks in the sauce itself, so there is one pan and no draining.
Brown the mince first, pressing it into the pan so it forms a crust before you break it up. The seasoning goes in with the browned meat for a minute, which wakes up the spices. Add the liquid in one go, then leave it alone. Stirring too much breaks the pasta and makes the sauce gluey.
Small shapes such as shells or macaroni work best. They cook in the same time as the sauce thickens.
Cheese goes on top at the end with the lid on for 2 minutes. It melts into the sauce and holds the whole dish together. The dish suits a crowd and costs little. Serve with sour cream, a handful of lettuce and a squeeze of lime.
Storage and Reheating
Keeps in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat with a splash of water.
Good With
- Sour cream
- Green salad
- Tortilla chips
- Sliced avocado
Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Philadelphia Soft Pretzels, Boston Baked Beans, 3 Ingredient Biscuits.
Taco Pasta Nutrition
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
You Might Also Like
More American cooking and dinner ideas from Weekly Delight.
Pasta Primavera
Linguine tossed with spring vegetables in a light Parmesan cream sauce, finished with lemon zest and basil. Fresh…
Taco Casserole
Seasoned beef, black beans and salsa layered with tortilla chips and cheese and baked until the top goes crisp…
Beef and Pasta Skillet
Beef mince, onion, peppers and macaroni simmered in a tomato sauce in one pan, finished with cheddar.
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Blackened Cajun-spiced chicken and peppers in a creamy Parmesan sauce over penne. Forty minutes.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Penne with browned chicken, crisp bacon and a creamy sauce flavoured with homemade ranch seasoning, cheddar and…
Taco Soup
Beef, beans, corn and tomatoes simmered with taco spices and served with cheese, avocado and crushed tortilla chips…