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This Taco Pasta is a cheesy, saucy one-pot dinner that tastes like taco night and pasta night had a delicious baby. I threw it together on a hectic Tuesday when Maddie and Lizzie were starving and I had 20 minutes, and it instantly went into our weeknight rotation. If you love quick beefy dinners, our one-pot cheeseburger pasta is another lifesaver.
Made with seasoned ground beef, a rich tomato sauce, and a swirl of sour cream, this Mexican pasta comes together in just 20 minutes with mostly pantry staples.
Taco Pasta Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 15 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 20 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 4 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 557kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Cheesy, savory, and packed with bold taco flavor
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a true one-pot meal like our cheeseburger pasta
Quick Answer
To make taco pasta, brown a pound of ground beef in a large skillet and drain the grease. Stir in taco seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin, cook until fragrant, then add tomato sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. While the sauce simmers, cook and drain your pasta. Stir sour cream into the sauce, add the pasta, and toss to coat. Top with cheese, tomatoes, olives, and cilantro and serve. The whole thing is ready in about 20 minutes.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- It is a true one-skillet meal. The seasoned beef and sauce cook in a single pan, so you only have the pasta pot to wash. Fast, easy, and weeknight friendly.
- Taco seasoning does the heavy lifting. A packet plus a little extra onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin layers in bold taco flavor without a long ingredient list.
- Sour cream makes the sauce creamy. Stirring it in at the end turns the tomato sauce silky and rich, mellowing the spice and coating every noodle.
- It is endlessly customizable. Pile on whatever taco toppings you love, from cheese and jalapenos to olives and fresh cilantro, so everyone builds their perfect bowl.
- Kids and adults both love it. It hits that familiar taco-meets-pasta sweet spot that picky eaters and grown-ups can agree on.
- Ready in 20 minutes. Start to finish it is faster than delivery, using ingredients you probably already have on hand.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is a cheesy, saucy one-pot dinner that is ready in just 20 minutes.
- It uses mostly pantry staples plus a pound of ground beef, so it is budget-friendly.
- It is endlessly customizable with taco toppings, just like building your own loaded BBQ beef nachos.
Key Ingredients
Here is what goes into this easy taco pasta. Most of it lives in your pantry already, with ground beef as the hearty base.
- Ground Beef: The hearty base of the dish. Brown it well and drain the grease so the sauce stays rich, not greasy.
- Taco Seasoning: A packet plus extra onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin builds that signature bold taco flavor.
- Tomato Sauce: Simmers with the beef to create a saucy, taco-style base that clings to the noodles.
- Sour Cream: Stirred in at the end for a creamy, tangy finish that balances the spice.
- Pasta and Toppings: Spaghetti or any pasta you love, plus taco toppings like cheese, tomatoes, olives, jalapenos, and cilantro.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This taco pasta is a flexible base. Here are some easy ways to make it your own.
- Switch the protein: Use ground turkey, ground chicken, or plant-based crumbles in place of the beef.
- Add veggies: Stir in canned corn, black beans, diced bell pepper, or green chiles for more color and texture.
- Make it spicy: Add diced jalapenos, a pinch of cayenne, or a few dashes of hot sauce to the sauce.
- Make it cheesy: Stir shredded cheese right into the sauce for a creamier, queso-style version, like our Mexican rice casserole.
- Change the pasta: Penne, rotini, shells, or elbow macaroni all work great and hold the sauce well.
- Bake it: Transfer to a dish, top with cheese, and bake until bubbly for a casserole spin like our baked ziti.
How to Make Taco Pasta
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown and crumble the ground beef until just cooked through. Drain any excess grease from the pan.
- Add the taco seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin. Stir to coat the meat and cook about 1 minute until fragrant. Pour in the tomato sauce, bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
- While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente, then drain.
- Stir the sour cream into the sauce until creamy, then add the drained pasta and toss to coat. Serve with your favorite taco toppings like extra sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, and sliced olives.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Drain the beef well after browning so your sauce stays rich and clings to the pasta instead of turning greasy.
- Reserve a little pasta water; a splash loosens the sauce nicely if it thickens up too much.
- Toss the pasta in while it is hot so it soaks up the saucy taco flavor as it cools slightly.
- Take it off the heat before adding sour cream so it stays smooth and creamy and does not break.
- Use any pasta shape you have on hand; short shapes like penne or rotini grab the sauce especially well.
- Set up a toppings bar so everyone can customize their own bowl, which makes it fun for the kids.
- Double the batch for easy leftovers, since it reheats beautifully for lunch the next day.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Taco pasta is a hearty meal all on its own, but a few simple sides round it out perfectly. Serve big bowls topped with shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream, diced tomatoes, sliced olives, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.
Lean into taco night and set it out with our loaded BBQ beef nachos or a side of Mexican rice casserole for a fun, build-your-own fiesta spread.
If you are feeding a crowd, pair it with a crisp green salad and warm tortillas, or add our smothered beef burritos for a heartier Tex-Mex dinner.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat gently in the microwave or on the stove with a splash of water or broth to loosen the sauce back up, since the pasta soaks it in as it sits.
Taco Pasta FAQs
Yes. You can make the seasoned beef sauce a day ahead and store it in the fridge, then cook fresh pasta and combine when ready to serve. You can also fully assemble it ahead, but the pasta will soak up sauce as it sits, so add a splash of water or broth when reheating to loosen it back up.
This recipe uses spaghetti, but almost any pasta works beautifully. Short shapes like penne, rotini, shells, and elbow macaroni grab the saucy taco beef especially well and are easy to scoop up with all the toppings. Use whatever you have in the pantry.
Store taco pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. The noodles absorb the sauce as they sit, so reheat gently in the microwave or on the stovetop with a splash of water or broth stirred in to bring the creamy, saucy texture back.
Absolutely. The sour cream adds a creamy, tangy finish, but you can leave it out for a more classic tomato-based taco pasta. For a similar creaminess, you can swap in cream cheese, plain Greek yogurt, or a handful of shredded cheese stirred into the warm sauce instead.
Yes, though the texture is best fresh. Freeze the cooled taco pasta in an airtight container for up to two months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat gently with a splash of liquid. For the best results, freeze just the seasoned beef sauce and cook fresh pasta when you are ready to serve.
As written, this taco pasta is mild and family-friendly, with flavor coming mostly from the taco seasoning and cumin. The sour cream mellows it even more. If you like heat, add diced jalapenos, a pinch of cayenne, or a few dashes of hot sauce to kick it up to your liking.
Need another fast weeknight win? Try our one-pot cheeseburger pasta next.
Taco Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 15 ounce canned tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1/2 pound spaghetti noodles or pasta noodles of your choice
- taco toppings!
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef to the pan, brown, and crumble the meat until just cooked through. Drain any excess grease from the meat.
- Add the taco seasoning packet, onion powder, garlic powder, and the ground cumin. Stir to coat the meat. Cook until the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Add in the tomato sauce to the taco meat and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered.
- Cook and drain pasta.
- Stir in the sour cream to the sauce, add the pasta, and stir to coat. Serve with your favorite taco toppings like more sour cream, cheese, chopped tomatoes, chopped cilantro, sliced olives, etc.
Video
Notes
- You can use any type of pasta you like, we like spaghetti.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above.
- You can doctor this up any way you like with any toppings that you like!
- You can easily double this recipe to serve more people.
Nutrition
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