One Pot Beef Taco Pasta designed for fast weeknight cooking with simple prep and bold flavor.
Skillet Taco Pasta for Crazy Weeknights
A one-pan dinner that turns pantry staples into a saucy, comforting skillet meal in about 30 minutes—no fuss, big flavor.
This is the kind of recipe The Snap Skillet does best: quick, bold, and contained in a single heavy-bottomed pan. Ground beef gets a fast sear so the browned bits build real savory depth; then sweet onion, bell pepper, and garlic soften and lift the whole pot with bright aroma. Toasting the taco seasoning and tomato paste for a minute wakes up the spices and gives the sauce a roasted, concentrated note you can taste in every bite.
When diced tomatoes, beef broth and dry pasta join the party, the noodles cook right in the pan and drink up that seasoned tomato-beef broth, producing a silky, clingy sauce that coats each strand. Black beans and corn are stirred in near the end for contrasts of creamy and pop—bits of sweetness and tender chew that keep the texture interesting and make the dish feel hearty without extra work.
This is a great make-ahead meal: it holds up well refrigerated and warms easily on the stove or in the microwave, making it ideal for packed lunches or reheated weeknight dinners. Switch ground beef for turkey or plant-based crumbles if you like, and scale up for a crowd without adding steps.
Finish simply — shredded cheese, a handful of chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of lime brighten everything — and you’re left with a fast, satisfying skillet dinner that tastes like you spent longer on it than you did. Leo Grant’s no-fuss taco pasta is the kind of pan dinner that earns a permanent spot in your weeknight rotation.
Ingredients
How to Make One Pot Beef Taco Pasta
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add olive oil.
- Add ground beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until mostly browned (4–6 minutes). Drain off and discard about 1 tablespoon of excess fat if there's a lot, leaving the browned bits.
- Push the beef to one side, add the chopped onion and diced bell pepper to the pan, and sauté 3–4 minutes until softened; add the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Stir in the taco seasoning and tomato paste; cook 1 minute to toast the spices and coat the vegetables and beef.
- Pour in the diced tomatoes (with juices) and beef broth, then add the dry pasta, black beans, and corn. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring every 3–4 minutes to prevent sticking, until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 10–12 minutes (timing depends on pasta shape).
- Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheddar until melted and evenly distributed. Add lime juice, chopped cilantro, and taste; adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Serve hot, garnish with extra cilantro or a squeeze of lime if desired.
Recipe Card
One Pot Beef Taco Pasta
One Pot Beef Taco Pasta designed for fast weeknight cooking with simple prep and bold flavor.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add olive oil.
- Add ground beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until mostly browned (4–6 minutes). Drain off and discard about 1 tablespoon of excess fat if there's a lot, leaving the browned bits.
- Push the beef to one side, add the chopped onion and diced bell pepper to the pan, and sauté 3–4 minutes until softened; add the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Stir in the taco seasoning and tomato paste; cook 1 minute to toast the spices and coat the vegetables and beef.
- Pour in the diced tomatoes (with juices) and beef broth, then add the dry pasta, black beans, and corn. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring every 3–4 minutes to prevent sticking, until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 10–12 minutes (timing depends on pasta shape).
- Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheddar until melted and evenly distributed. Add lime juice, chopped cilantro, and taste; adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Serve hot, garnish with extra cilantro or a squeeze of lime if desired.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 69
- Saturated Fat
- 15
- Sodium
- 1060
- Fiber
- 6.5
- Unsaturated Fat
- 20
- Protein
- 42
- Fat
- 35
- Cholesterol
- 105
- Trans Fat
- 0.5
- Calories
- 760
- Sugar
- 8