Make dinner easy tonight with this One Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta! It comes together in a single pot (even the pasta cooks right in the sauce) for super speedy cleanup.
3cupschicken brothor more, depending on your pasta (some kinds need more liquid, but only add more as it cooks and is too dry)
1cupsalsa
1(12-oz) boxsmall pasta shapesregular, high fiber or whole wheat all work - though higher fiber pastas may need more liquid than regular
1red pepperchopped
½cupsweetcorn
salt & pepperto taste
½cupshredded Mexican blend cheeseor more to taste
Instructions
Sauté vegetables: Heat oil in a large, deep skillet or large pot over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook until softened but not browned, about 3-4 minutes.
Brown beef: Increase heat to medium-high and add the ground beef. Cook until browned, breaking up meat to crumble as it cooks. Stir in taco seasoning, then pour in chciken broth, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet.
Add remaining ingredients: Add salsa, pasta, red pepper, corn, salt and pepper to skillet and stir well. Bring to a boil.
Simmer: Reduce heat to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook until sauce has thickened and pasta is done (about 10-15 minutes, depending on your pasta). Uncover and stir every 2-3 minutes to keep pasta from sticking to bottom. Depending on thickness of your pasta, you may need to add up to ½ extra cup of broth during cooking if it's looking dry. Cook uncovered for final 2-3 minutes.
Finish: Once pasta is done, take skillet off the heat. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if needed. Stir in cheese and let pasta sit for 1-2 minutes or until cheese has melted. Serve immediately.
Notes
Ingredient notes
Beef: I use extra-lean ground beef, because I don’t like this pasta when it is overly greasy and with extra-lean I don’t need to drain it (which is great on a busy night!). Feel free to use a higher fat ground beef, but I highly recommend draining off the extra fat after browning it. You can also use ground turkey in place of the ground beef, if you prefer.
Pasta: I make this with spirals because they’re easy for the kids to eat and go well with the other ingredients in this recipe. Elbow macaroni or shells are other shapes that work really well. If you use any other kind of pasta, keep in mind that they can have different cooking types and some types need more broth to cook than others.
Chicken broth: This is my favorite cooking liquid for maximum flavor. You can also use beef broth, which will make the sauce a little darker. If you don’t have any broth on hand, the recipe also works with water. You may need to add a little extra taco seasoning and salt.
Salsa: I used a plain, mild, chunky salsa from Old El Paso (not sponsored, but I always get asked which specific salsa I use in recipes that need salsa). Feel free to use a hot salsa if you prefer more spiciness. I do not recommend using a salsa with fruit added for this recipe.
Corn: Both frozen or canned corn work. No need to defrost frozen corn, please drain canned corn well.
Bell pepper/celery/onion: Feel free to leave either of these out if you don’t have them/don’t like them. They all add flavor and bulk up the dish with vegetables, so be mindful of that if you make any alterations.
Cheese: I used shredded cheddar, but a Mexican cheese blend also works very well.
Recipe tips
Please do not cook the pasta before adding it in this recipe. I always get complaints on one pot pasta recipes about the sauce being watery, and usually it turns out the pasta was pre-cooked. But no! The pasta can go in dry, uncooked, straight from the box!
Try to dice the vegetables evenly for best results – I dice them all about the size of the corn or just slightly larger, this yields the best texture for the pasta dish. Check my guide on how to cut a bell pepper if you’re not sure how to finely dice a pepper.
Make sure to regularly stir the pasta to keep it from scorching on the bottom.
If the pasta seems too dry during cooking, pour in a little more broth. But be careful, if you add too much, you will end up with taco soup.
Storage tips
FridgeSimply place the leftovers in a casserole dish, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.Evenly sprinkle with cheese and bake until piping hot and bubbly in a 375°F oven; about 20-25 minutes.FreezerI recommend only just cooking it until the pasta is al-dente, then allow to cool to room temperature.Freeze in a casserole dish, wrapped first in plastic wrap and then in foil for up to 3 months (label with name/date before freezing).Thaw in the fridge overnight, fully uncover, then sprinkle with cheese and reheat in the oven at 375°F for about 20-30 minutes, until bubbly and fully heated.