Just 5 ingredients, this cheesy taco pasta is a quick and easy dinner casserole recipe, perfect for busy weeknights. Made with salsa, ground beef, cheese, and taco seasoning! Bake or make on the stove top.
2lbsground meatbeef, chicken and/or turkey *See post for other ideas
16ozpasta shells
15.5ozsalsa
½cupshredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
2(1oz) packetstaco seasoning(¼ cup if using bulk taco seasoning)
1 ½cupswater or milk
Optional: Add ½ cup cream cheese, sour cream, or half and half for creamier sauce
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400˚F.
Cook pasta. Prepare pasta according to package, drain and set aside.
Cook meat. Heat a large dutch oven or oven-safe skillet to high and add meat. Stir and cook until browned. When done, drain off excess grease.
Combine pasta and meat. Add cooked pasta to the meat. If you don't have a dutch oven or cast iron skillet, you can move everything to a casserole dish.
Add seasoning and salsa. Sprinkle taco seasoning over the meat then pour water over top. Add salsa then stir to combine.
Add cheese. Top your taco bake with shredded cheese.
Bake. Add casserole to the preheated oven and bake for 18-22 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.
Add optional toppings. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Top with any taco-style toppings you'd like. See above post for ideas!
Video
Notes
For creamier sauce, try substituting the water with milk. You can also stir in sour cream.For more sauce, you can use less pasta. Or add another jar of salsa.To make this using just one pot, use a dutch