Cheesy Taco Pasta
Mix up Taco Tuesday with this scrumptious Cheesy Taco Pasta meal. Savory taco seasoned ground beef is paired with green chiles, salsa and pasta shells along with cheese to make a fantastic one-pot meal that comes together in under 20 minutes. The perfect budget-friendly and kid-friendly meal for weeknight cooking.
Medium pasta shells are perfect for this as they encapsulate bits of green chile, taco meat and cheese inside each shell. You can use your choice of pasta – we recommend rotini, penne or elbow macaroni for this recipe.
Pick up lean ground beef and pasta on sale now at Safeway to make this easy recipe for dinner this week.
To make this even lighter and healthier, you can substitute lean ground beef and use whole wheat or veggie-based pasta.
Ingredients
- 16 oz pasta (medium shells, elbow or rotini, or penne is the best)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 4 oz can green chiles, diced
- 16 oz chunky salsa
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (see notes for homemade taco seasoning recipe)
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- green onions, for garnish
How to Make Cheesy Taco Pasta
Prepare the pasta according to the package directions, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining.
In a large non-stick skillet or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and diced onion. Cook until the onion is soft and the ground beef is cooked through, stirring frequently and breaking up the ground beef chunks into little pieces.
To the ground beef, add the green chiles, salsa and taco seasoning mix. Stir to combine.
Drain the pasta and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Combine the taco seasoned beef with the pasta and add the shredded cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and the mixture is incorporated. Top with green onions and jalapeno if desired before serving.
Cheesy Taco Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 oz pasta medium shells, elbow or rotini, or penne is the best
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 4 oz can green chiles diced
- 16 oz chunky salsa
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning see notes for homemade taco seasoning recipe
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- green onions sliced for garnish
- jalapeno sliced for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the pasta according to the package directions, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining.
- In a large non-stick skillet or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and diced onion. Cook until the onion is soft and the ground beef is cooked through, stirring frequently and breaking up the ground beef chunks into little pieces.
- To the ground beef, add the green chiles, salsa and taco seasoning mix. Stir to combine.
- Drain the pasta and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Combine the taco seasoned beef with the pasta and add the shredded cheese. Add 1/4 cup of the pasta water and stir until the cheese is melted and the mixture is incorporated. Top with green onions and jalapeno if desired before serving.
Additional Ground Meat Recipes
Greek Turkey Meatballs With Lemon Feta Orzo
One Pot Penne With Ground Beef and Beans
You can get all the ingredients for these recipes at your local Safeway, which also offers curbside pick up and Safeway Home Delivery!
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Delicious flavors! Love that you used salsa rather than plain tomatoes. Added such a great flavor to the shells. Thanks for the recipe idea!
Wonderful! I’m so pleased to hear that you made this and enjoyed it.