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cheesy taco pasta in a white bowl
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Cheesy Taco Pasta

This Cheesy Taco Pasta is a one-pot meal and similar to the beef Hamburger Helper from our past. This is a quick, 30-minute meal perfect for weeknight dinners.
Course dinner, lunch
Cuisine American
Keyword cheesy taco pasta, homemade hamburger helper, recipes with taco meat, taco hamburger helper, taco pasta
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 5 servings
Calories 614kcal
Author Brandi Crawford

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 10 oz rotini pasta
  • 1/2 cup chopped onions
  • 3 garlic cloves Minced.
  • 1 pound ground beef or turkey
  • 15.5 oz diced tomatoes and chilies
  • 1 cup beef broth Any broth will work.
  • 1 cup milk or heavy cream Either will work fine. Any milk type you prefer. Heavy cream is thicker.
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour You can also use cornstarch.
  • 1 tablespoon water

Homemade Taco Seasoning (You can use packaged store bought if you wish)

Instructions

  • Cook the pasta in accordance with the instructions on the package.
  • Place a large pot or Dutch oven on medium-high heat and add the ground beef or turkey. Sprinkle the taco seasoning throughout.
  • Break down the ground beef, I use this meat chopper. Add the onions and garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the ground beef is no longer pink. Drain any excess fat from the pot if necessary.
  • Add in the diced tomatoes and chilies, broth, cream or milk, and shredded cheese. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat on the stove to medium.
  • Combine the flour and water in a small bowl. Stir until the mixture thickens. Pour the mixture into the pot. Stir until combined.
  • Allow the sauce to thicken. It may take up to 10 minutes. Stir the pot every couple of minutes while the sauce thickens.
  • Add the cooked pasta to the pot. Reduce the heat on the stove to Low. Place a lid on the pot and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the pasta and sauce is well incorporated.

Video

Notes

  • You can also buy a pre-packaged taco seasoning pack if you don’t want to make your own. Use your judgment for how much to use.
  • Feel free to use whatever pasta you like! Thin pasta like linguine or spaghetti is better if you want to keep the sauce on your plate, and swirl the sauce and pasta together. If you use rotini, the sauce will adhere to the pasta.
     
  • If you want a super cheesy dish (similar to my Mac and Cheese recipes), you will need a lot more cheese. I typically use 4-6 cups of cheese in those recipes.
  • If you are into spicy, try substituting Monterey jack for pepper jack cheese. It’s the same type of cheese, but with added peppers.
  • You can use any type of broth you wish.
  • You can substitute any vegetables you wish.
  • For me, this recipe works better with a flour thickener than cornstarch. If your sauce isn't thick enough you can add an additional tablespoon of flour and water.
  • If your sauce is too thick, you can thin it out with additional broth.
  • You can substitute pasta for zucchini noodles or any low carb pasta you prefer. You can thicken the pasta sauce using 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum. Combine a tablespoon of the cooked sauce with the xanthan gum and add it back to the pot.
  • Macros assume ground beef and 2% milk used in the recipe. Feel free to use the macro calculator of your choice when making the recipe with the ingredients you use.
  • One of our readers has made this recipe using an Instant Pot. She provided her instructions in the very first comment on this recipe below in the Comment Section.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 614kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 30g