Cheesy Taco Pasta (Printable)

Creamy Tex-Mex pasta with seasoned beef, melted cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses.

# Ingredient list:

→ Meat & Protein

01 - 1 lb ground beef
02 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
03 - 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

→ Pasta

04 - 8 oz short pasta (penne, shells, or rotini)

→ Vegetables

05 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1 cup canned corn, drained
08 - 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
09 - 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with juices

→ Liquids

10 - 2 cups low-sodium chicken or beef broth

→ Seasonings

11 - 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
12 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
13 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Optional Toppings

14 - Chopped fresh cilantro
15 - Sliced green onions
16 - Sour cream

# Cooking steps:

01 - Preheat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it apart with a spoon, about 5 minutes. Drain excess fat if necessary.
02 - Add chopped onion to the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until softened. Stir in minced garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
03 - Sprinkle taco seasoning, salt, and black pepper over the beef mixture. Stir thoroughly to combine all ingredients evenly.
04 - Add drained corn, black beans, diced tomatoes with juices, pasta, and broth. Stir well to integrate all components.
05 - Bring mixture to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until pasta is tender and most liquid is absorbed.
06 - Remove from heat. Sprinkle shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses evenly over the pasta. Cover and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes until cheese is melted.
07 - Gently stir the melted cheese into the pasta. Serve hot, garnished with fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, and a dollop of sour cream if desired.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • It's a genuine one-pot wonder—no draining pasta separately, no complicated layering, just one skillet doing all the heavy lifting.
  • The cheese melts directly into the sauce, creating this creamy, clingy coating that makes every bite taste indulgent without the fuss.
  • It comes together in under 40 minutes, which means you can go from hungry to fed while actually enjoying the cooking part.
  • Picky eaters somehow accept it more readily because the flavors are familiar but wrapped in something a little fancy-feeling.
02 -
  • Don't drain that tomato liquid—it becomes your sauce, so those juices are essential to keeping the pasta creamy rather than dry.
  • The pasta continues to absorb liquid even after you take it off the heat, so if it seems a touch soupy when you finish cooking, that's actually perfect and means it won't dry out as it sits.
  • Resist the urge to stir constantly while it simmers; just a gentle stir every few minutes prevents sticking without breaking up the pasta unnecessarily.
03 -
  • Brown the beef properly with some patience—those caramelized bits are where the real flavor lives, so don't rush this step even though the recipe says 5 minutes.
  • Save a splash of the cooking liquid before serving because you can always add it back to reheat, but you can't remove liquid once it's absorbed.
  • Taste it after the pasta is tender but before serving; the seasoning level changes as liquid reduces, so you might want a pinch more salt or a crack of black pepper.
Return