Taco Pasta (One Pan)

At a glance

What stands out: This 30 minute one pot taco pasta with ground turkey and black beans is creamy, satisfying, and the pasta cooks in the same pan as everything else. This is a hearty recipe that will be a hit with your family, and you can easily change anything that your family may not be a fan of.

How long it takes: 30 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large pan or Dutch oven
Servings: 6

Straightforward One Pot Pasta Recipe

One pan to wash! You’ll find several one pot pasta recipes (more than 20!) on our site. We love these recipes because only one pan is used which means clean-up is always straightforward. We thought it was time to combine two of our favorites: tacos and pasta. Who doesn’t like tacos and who doesn’t like pasta? It’s a win-win situation, right? And you can make this dynamic duo in one pan, and one pan only.

The pasta cooks evenly right in the sauce. The magic of this recipe is that the pasta cooks right in the pan with everything else. No need to boil water in a huge pot, no need to dirty a colander, no need for any of that nonsense. It’s ridiculously straightforward.

Like Hamburger Helper, only better. This recipe is based roughly on our from-scratch lighter Hamburger Helper recipe but with a southwestern spin. Our husband absolutely loves it. He’s also a fan of creamy beef and shells, another one pot pasta.

Maya Said:

“This was so great! It was straightforward to mix and rich, our husband and we loved it! Definitely making this again!”

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Taco Pasta Variations

This recipe is flexible. Change it up to make taco pasta just the way you and your family like it. Here are a few suggestions:

• Use a different protein. Try ground beef, pork sausage, or spicy chorizo instead.
• Try different beans. Pinto beans, red beans, or kidney beans are good choices.
• Add green power. Stir in baby spinach leaves, cook until wilted.
• Make it spicy. Sprinkle in a pinch or two of cayenne powder or red pepper flakes. Substitute Cajun seasoning for the taco seasoning.
• Choose your favorite pasta. Perhaps you’re not a fan of whole wheat pasta. This recipe works great with regular pasta, too. Macaroni is reliable. Make sure to peek at the box to check cooking time so you don’t overcook your noodles.
• Make it extra cheesy. Add another handful of shredded cheese. Another trick to make creamy pasta is to melt two ounces (or more!) of full-fat cream cheese into the pasta mixture after the pasta has cooked.

Suggested Toppings

That brings us to toppings which are our favorite part of almost any recipe. Top this one pot taco pasta just like you would a normal taco. Here are our suggestions:

• Cilantro
• Avocado or guacamole
• Green onions or chopped white onions
• Sliced jalapeño peppers
• Sour cream
• Shredded lettuce
• Extra cheese (cheddar, queso fresco, cotija)
• Chopped tomatoes
• Pickled red onions

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate/Freeze: Leftover pasta should be covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator. It will keep for three to four days. It can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for two to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Reheat: Warm individual portions in the microwave in one minute increments until heated. Larger amounts can be heated in a skillet.

Leftover Love

Make a casserole. Put taco pasta in a greased pan, top with more cheese or crushed tortilla chips, and bake at 350 °F until lightly browned and heated. If you like the idea of a casserole, try our walking taco casserole. It’s made in one pan, too!

Free Meal Plans

Interested in weekly meal plans that include this recipe? Take a look at our Meal Plan #5 and Meal Plan #67. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week!

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One Pot Pasta Recipes

• Yield: 6
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 20 minutes
• Total: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground turkey (see note)
• ½ cup chopped onion ( 1 small onion)
• 1 bell pepper, chopped (any color)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon chili powder (see note)
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup whole or 2% milk (see note)
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained (such as Rotel)
• 3 cups uncooked whole wheat rotini (or another short pasta)
• 1 can (15.25 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained (low-sodium preferred)
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Optional garnishes:

• diced avocado, lettuce, tomato, green onion, cilantro, jalapeño peppers, or sour cream

Method

1. In large sauté pan or skillet with a cover (a large saucepan or Dutch oven will also work), heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey, onion, and peppers and cook until turkey is browned and cooked through and onions are translucent, breaking up turkey as it cooks.
2. Add tomato paste, flour, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper. Keep stirring until tomato paste coats all the meat, about 1 minute. Make sure to keep stirring so the tomato paste does not burn.
3. Add water, milk, and tomatoes. Stir well and bring to nearly a boil.
4. Add pasta, stir, reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes (use pasta directions as a guide) or until al dente, stirring occasionally to make sure pasta gets cooked evenly.
5. Reduce heat to low; stir in black beans and cheddar cheese, stirring until cheese is melted.
6. Serve immediately topped with any taco garnishes you love.

Notes

Meat alternatives: If you prefer, use ground beef, chicken, sausage, or chorizo instead of ground turkey.

Milk: we recommend using whole or 2% milk because milk with lower fat percentage tends to curdle at a higher heat, which is necessary to cook the pasta. If you don’t have it, omit the milk and use 3 cups (total) water.

Make it extra cheesy. Add another handful of shredded cheese, or stir two ounces (or more!) of full-fat cream cheese into the pasta mixture after the pasta has cooked. It melts better if the cream cheese is at room temperature. Add it by spoonfuls, rather than one big chunk.

Seasoning shortcut: If you have taco seasoning in your pantry, substitute it for the seasonings listed in the recipe: chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper. We suggest using 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning, based on taste. Try our from-scratch taco seasoning.

Reduced sodium: Choose no-salt-added tomatoes, tomato paste, and black beans. They have far less sodium than regular canned products and you won’t notice a difference in taste.