Mexican Taco Pasta

5 from 2 votes

Mexican Taco Pasta

Taco pasta shells with ground beef and shredded cheeses is a tasty and hearty dish that combines the flavors of Mexican cuisine with the comfort of pasta.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Lunch/Dinner

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Keyword: taco pasta

Servings:

Author: Katerina Petrovska

Equipment

Ingredients

2 teaspoons salt to salt the pasta water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic minced
1 pound ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
16 ounces mild salsa
4 ounces diced green chiles
1 pound medium pasta shells
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Fill a large pot with water, add the salt, and bring it to a boil. Add the pasta shells to the boiling pasta water and cook per the instructions on the package.
Saute the aromatics. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, season with the sea salt, and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 20 seconds.
Make the meat sauce. Add the ground beef and the taco seasoning to the aromatics and cook the ground beef for 6 to 8 minutes or until browned and cooked through, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. Stir in the salsa and the diced green chilis and cook for 3 minutes. Remove the meat sauce from the heat and set aside.
Combine the cooked pasta and the beef. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water and then drain the pasta. Return the pasta shells to the pot it was cooked in, place the pot on the stove over medium heat, add in the meat sauce, and stir it well.
Add the cheese. Add the shredded cheddar cheese, shredded pepper jack cheese, and 1 cup of reserved pasta water; stir until the cheese has melted. If the sauce is still too thick, add more pasta water and stir to combine. Repeat until the desired consistency is reached.
Finish and serve. Taste the taco pasta for salt and pepper and adjust if needed. Serve warm.

Notes

Pasta: For this recipe, you will need to use medium-sized pasta shells.
Ground Beef: I used 80% lean ground beef, but you can use whatever you prefer. You can also swap the beef for ground chicken, turkey, or pork.
Taco Seasoning: I use my homemade taco seasoning, but you can use your favorite store-bought taco seasoning. You will need about 2 tablespoons of it or a 1-ounce packet.
Add salt to the pasta water: The salt added to the pasta water adds flavor to the pasta itself.
Reserve 2 cups of pasta water. The starchy pasta water, when mixed with the sauce, will help it bind to the pasta more easily.
Let the beef come to room temperature before cooking it. Adding cold meat straight into a hot pan will cause it to release its juices, and the result will be dry and tough meat.
Use a large skillet because the beef will not brown correctly if you try to fit it in a small pan.
Don’t burn the pasta. When adding the sauce to the pasta, you need enough heat to melt the cheese, but not too much because it may burn the pasta. Keep the heat at medium and continually stir the pasta mixture so that none scorches on the bottom of the pan.

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