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Cheesy Taco Pasta

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5 from 7 votes

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This Cheesy Taco Pasta is a delicious step up from boxed dinners, using 7 basic ingredients try this easy dinner out tonight!

Let’s talk about this Cheesy Taco Pasta!

Need a quick 15-minute dinner that everyone will love? Well, I’ve got your back. This recipe was inspired by those boxes of Hamburger Helper I saw at the store the other day. I see why they appeal to so many families. It’s fast, easy and you don’t really have to think too much about it. Well, I took the ease of that meal, took out all the preservatives {and msg….eww} and made it healthier! To be honest, just using unprocessed, fresh ingredients makes it ten times better for your health. Plus, whenever I taste those kinds of foods, my taste buds are hypersensitive to the chemicals or something because they taste awful to me! Is that just me, or do you guys taste that too?

Anyways, this recipe is 7 basic ingredients and will make you never want to buy boxed dinners again! Easy, fast and delicious with a capital D! Cheesy southwest goodness on your fork. Yes, please.

You all are going to love this one! Happy Wednesday! 🙂

Cheesy Taco Pasta
5 from 7 votes
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Cheesy Taco Pasta

This Cheesy Taco Pasta is a delicious step up from boxed dinners, using 7 basic ingredients try this easy dinner out tonight!

Course Dinner
Servings 4 servings
Calories 822 kcal
Author Lauren

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. ground beef I used 80/20
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 1 1/2 cups southwest salsa
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 lb. pasta I used rotini
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese grated
  • 1/4 cup cream
  • salt & pepper to taste
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  1. Bring water to boil to cook the pasta. Salt it and cook pasta until al dente.
  2. While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, cook ground beef, breaking apart as you go. Once thoroughly cooked, drain meat and run under hot water to remove any fat. Wipe out pan with paper towel and place back on heat. Pour cooked beef into hot pan with taco seasoning, salsa and water. Simmer until pasta is finished cooking.
  3. Once pasta is cooked, drain well and pour into skillet. Top with cheese, cream, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese melts and noodles are coated in sauce. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
Cheesy Taco Pasta
Amount Per Serving
Calories 822 Calories from Fat 423
% Daily Value*
Fat 47g72%
Saturated Fat 24g150%
Cholesterol 160mg53%
Sodium 1830mg80%
Potassium 777mg22%
Carbohydrates 54g18%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 42g84%
Vitamin A 2075IU42%
Vitamin C 5.8mg7%
Calcium 479mg48%
Iron 4.3mg24%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Nickie says

    I think I’ll make this for dinner tonight. Just a quick question. When you say cream do you mean whipping cream? I’m still learing in the kitchen.

    Reply

  6. emily says

    ummm… YUM! thinking about doing this tonight! but my husband was born with an aversion to red meat so i am thinking shredded chicken and sour cream maybe???

    to do easy easy shredded chicken i throw it in the crock pot with a little stock, seasoning (will use taco today) onion, garlic etc… let it cook all day until it falls apart! perfect for tacos, burritos, casseroles 🙂 i’ve also done this with italian dressing in place of the taco seasoning AWESOME…

    Reply

  9. Michelle says

    Thanks so much…my family has been taco’d out so I decided to try this last night and it was fantastic! Using what I had on hand I used Sour Cream instead of cream and Smoked Cheddar instead of regular and it will now be a standby recipe. So easy too, thanks again!

    Reply

  10. Katie says

    5 stars
    I made this Tuesday night for dinner – it was so quick and easy. This will definitely be saved in my normal dinner rotation!

    Reply

  13. Christine says

    I love homemade versions of meals like this. Ever since I switched to hardly any processed foods like Hamburger Helper, I can TOTALLY taste the chemically stuff if by chance I do have to eat it. Even eating at restaurants is becoming hard because it’s just too salty or just plain icky. My only thing with this recipe is I would use homemade taco seasoning, as the packets you buy typically also have MSG in them, amongst other things.

    Reply

  15. Kate says

    5 stars
    Like woah…this was great, sooo easy and a cinch to put together with pantry ingredients. I eyeballed 4 tbsps of Penzey’s taco seasoning, it is sold in bulk, not packets. Good job!

    Reply

  19. Family Fun Mom says

    5 stars
    I made this tonight for my family and I have to tell you, IT WAS GREAT! My eight year old even asked for seconds, which she Never does. I will be making this again for sure, (and sharing on my blog! Linking back to you of course!). Thanks so much!!!

    Reply

  21. Jordan says

    5 stars
    I made this last night and it was a huge hit! I made it with homemade tostadas. For the pasts I used Mexican velveeta and sour cream and it was just a bit too spicy but this is definitely one I’ll be making again!
    Thanks for sharing. 🙂

    Reply

  22. Heather says

    Oh my heck you have saved me! My husband is obsessed with hamburger helper and I hate it so I never let him buy it- he will LOVE this! This is going on our menu for this week! Can’t wait to try it!

    Reply

  24. Winnie says

    This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it. I tried Hamburger Helper once after 25 years of not having it and it was like eating a box of salt. I had to toss it. I felt bad wasting the meat. I will give this a shot! Thank you…

    Reply

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