Taco Pasta Casserole Bake is an easy cheesy taco pasta that will remind you of a burrito supreme from Taco Bell in pasta form, but so much better! This easy taco pasta bake will be the hit at the dinner table and is the perfect comfort food meal all year long! Taco pasta casserole is like Macaroni and Cheese but turned up a notch. This creamy taco pasta bake will send a smile to everyone's face!
Taco Pasta Recipe can be made all year long! If you're looking for more Mexican-inspired recipes why not try my Dorito Casserole With Ground Beef or my Beef Burrito Bowls or how about my Carne Asada Burritos need some food prep ideas? Make my Zucchini Boats With Ground Turkey or my Easiest Crispiest Fried Chicken Need more pasta recipes in your life? Try my Basil Lemon Pesto that is the best pasta sauce ever! All of these are easy and fantastic dinner ideas that can all be made in under thirty minutes!
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🥘🌮 Ingredients For Cheesy Taco Pasta Bake
Ingredients For Taco Pasta Bake With Sour Cream
- Elbow Macaroni or Macaroni Shells
- Ground Beef
- Yellow Onion
- Sour Cream
- Salsa (I like to use Pace Salsa)
- Tomato or diced tomatoes
- Bell Pepper (Red bell pepper, green bell pepper, or orange bell pepper)
- Fresh Cilantro
- Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend and Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Beef Stock or Chicken Stock
- Taco Seasoning (You can also make Homemade Taco Seasoning )
- Tortilla Chips for topping
- Dutch Oven
- Baking Dish or Casserole Dish
Taco noodle casserole is so easy to make and only uses one pot! We are huge fans of one-pot meals in our house.
🥘🌮 How To Make Easy Taco Pasta Casserole
Instructions For Cheesy Taco Pasta
Step 1: Saute the ground beef and chopped yellow onion in the Dutch Oven on the stovetop over medium heat. Halfway through cooking, add the taco seasoning and some water and saute for 10-minutes until ground beef is cooked through. While the gound beef is cooking, cook pasta.
Step 2: Add the Pace salsa to the ground beef and stir.
Step 3: Add the sour cream to the salsa and ground beef mixture and mix the taco pasta casserole well until combined.
Step 4: Add the diced tomatoes to the sour cream, salsa, beef mixture and combine.
Step 5: Add the dry macaroni pasta to the ground beef mixture and then add the beef stock and cover the Dutch oven and simmer over medium heat. Stir the pasta frequently to keep the macaroni from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Step 6: Add the Mexican shredded cheese and cup shredded cheddar to the taco casserole with noodles mixture and mix well until combined. The macaroni should be nice and cheesy.
Step 7: The taco pasta bake recipe will be nice and cheesy, next transfer the taco casserole into a casserole dish (or if you cooked the baked taco pasta in a Dutch oven you will leave it in the Dutch oven ) and cook for 10-15 minutes in the oven at 350-degrees. You could also add Doritos or Tortilla chips as a topping for taco pasta casserole with doritos.
This Mexican pasta bake taco beef casserole is so good, it will be on repeat at your dinner table! Taco bake with noodles taco noodle bake will impress all of your guests and take little time.
🥘🌮 Tips and Tricks For Taco Pasta
- Using a Dutch oven and making this a one pot pasta recipe makes this recipe easier.
- Use Beef Stock instead of water for the pasta casseroles
- Cook everything in one pot and then bake it in the oven, no mess, no fuss!
- Add tortilla chips for a delicious crunchy topping, similar to a taco supreme from Taco Bell!
- You can make this 5 ingredient taco pasta by leaving out any ingredients that you don't want. Or leave out the salsa to make this taco pasta bake no salsa
- pasta casserole recipes are a cinch to bake and make wonderful leftovers and freezer well!
- You can turn this into taco spaghetti casserole with rotel by using spaghetti and rotel instead of macaroni, but I find macaroni pasta works best.
- You can also use cream cheese for an even creamier pasta sauce!
- You can also use Jack cheese
🥘🌮 Pro Tip
Taco noodle casserole freezes well! Simply put leftovers into glass, airtight container and reheat in the oven at 350-degrees in a greased casserole dish.
More Delicious Dinner Recipe Ideas
📖 Recipe
Taco Pasta Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz box Macaroni noodles or Mac Shells
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 diced yellow onion
- 1 packet Taco Seasoning
- 1 diced tomato
- 1 chopped red or green bell pepper
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 bag Mexican Shredded Cheese
- 1 18 oz bag Sharp Cheddar Shredded Cheese
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- 1 box Beef Stock
- Tortilla Chips for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees
- In a Dutch oven on the stovetop, saute the ground beef and chopped yellow onion and taco seasoning. Add ¼-cup of water and simmer the beef on medium heat until browned.
- Add the diced tomato and chopped bell pepper to the ground beef mixture and combine. Keep the ground beef mixture on low heat.
- Next, add the sour cream, and salsa and mix until well combined.
- Add the dry macaroni pasta to the ground beef mixture and then add the beef stock and cover the Dutch oven and simmer over medium heat. Stir the pasta frequently to keep the macaroni from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- You can also cook the pasta separately and then once it's cooked, add it to the beef mixture.
- Once the pasta is cooked through, add the Mexican shredded cheese and the Sharp Cheddar shredded cheese and mix the pasta and beef mixture until well combined.
- Top the prepared taco pasta casserole with tortilla chips and cover the Dutch Oven, and bake it in the oven at 350-degrees for 10-minutes.
- Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes, then add to pasta bowls and top with the fresh cilantro and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Vivian McMillan
What size box and bags?
Genevieve
Hi Vivian! 16oz box of macaroni shells and a 8oz bag of shredded cheese, but to be honest we like a lot of cheese in our house so we usually go for the 16 oz bag. I hope that helps! 🙂
Ashley
Very confusing. One set of instructions completely skips over the beef stock, while the other set of instructions adds it.
Genevieve
Hi Ashley, you use beef stock for the base. I hope this helps!
Amy Liu Dong
Wow! This Taco Pasta Casserole looks absolutely delicious and very enticing! A treat that is perfect for any given occasion. Loved this already!
Genevieve
It's so easy to make isn't it? I hope you guys enjoy it Amy!
Juyali
This was such an easy and delicious weeknight meal. Only 25 minutes! The whole family loved it. It's a great way to use up pantry staples. Delish. thanks!
Genevieve
That's so great to hear Juyali! I'm so glad you guys enjoyed it!
Jacqueline
This is a super one pot family meal. Really quick and easy to make and so very tasty!
Genevieve
We love how easy it is too! Thanks, Jacqueline!
Swathi
Taco pasta casserole is delicious great meal idea. I tried it my family enjoyed it.
Genevieve
I'm so glad your family enjoyed it, Swathi!