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.
Servings 8 servings
Calories
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.