Cheesy taco pasta is the ultimate weeknight comfort food. It’s hearty, cheesy, and ready in just 30 minutes.
This easy taco pasta casserole combines tender pasta, seasoned taco meat, black beans, corn, and plenty of melty cheese for a family-friendly dinner that’s perfect for busy nights.
It’s also the best way to use up leftover taco meat from Taco Tuesday, turning it into a one-pot pasta bake that everyone will love..
I don’t know how many times I’ve made this taco casserole. If you’re like me and completely obsessed with tacos, you might have leftover taco meat in the fridge already.
When I’m doing my weekly meal prep, a batch of taco meat is almost always included. I brown up lean beef with onions and taco seasoning. I keep some in the fridge for the week, but I also freeze a portion for next week.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Family friendly
- Ready in 20 minutes.
- Great for meal prep and leftovers.
Ingredients For Taco Pasta Casserole
You probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry or freezer right now.
Pasta
- Dried pasta. A 1-pound box. You can use rigatoni as I did. But any pasta will work in this recipe. This easy pasta dish can be made with elbow macaroni, lasagna noodles, pasta shells, or spaghetti. You can go wild here.
- Alternatively, gluten-free pasta, cooked rice, or spaghetti squash can be used in place of the pasta in this recipe.
Taco Meat (Use leftover taco meat if you have it)
- Beef or chicken. 1 lb of lean ground beef or diced chicken. You can also use ground turkey to make taco meat.
- White onion. ½ medium onion, finely diced.
- Taco seasoning mix. 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning. I make my homemade taco seasoning blend.
Mix-Ins
- Rotel tomatoes. 1 – 10 ounce can.
- Red enchilada sauce. 1 – 19 ounce can.
- Black beans. 1 – 15 ounces can, drained.
- Corn kernels. 2 cobs of fresh corn or 1 cup frozen
Cheese & Toppings
- Cheese: 16 ounces of shredded Colby Jack cheese, cheddar cheese, or a Mexican cheese blend.
- Green onions. ½ bunch green onions chopped thin
- Sour cream.
- Guacamole
- Pico de Gallo – Fresh salsa is great with this recipe.
Kitchen Equipment You’ll Need
- 9 x 13 pan. Or something of equivalent capacity to bake the pasta casserole.
- Large bowl. Mix the ingredients in a large bowl before transferring them to the casserole dish to bake.
- Baking sheet. I put the 9 x 13 pan on the baking sheet to catch any melted cheese or bubbling sauce.
How To Make Taco Pasta Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Boil the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the directions. I usually use a small number to make sure it’s very al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to a large bowl.
- Brown the taco meat in a large skillet with the onion and the taco seasoning blend. (Use leftover taco meat if you have it)
- Rotel tomatoes. Add ⅓ of the Rotel tomatoes to the bottom of the 9×13 pan. Reserve the remainder to add to the pasta.
- Mix the ingredients. Get the large bowl. Add the cooked pasta, browned taco meat, beans, corn, the enchilada sauce, the remainder of the Rotel tomatoes, and half of the cheese. Toss to combine.
- Assemble. Add the pasta mixture to the 9×13 pan. Top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake. Bake until the cheese is melted. Roughly 15 to 20 minutes.
- Serve. Top with sliced green onions and freshly minced cilantro. Serve with your favorite toppings.
Tips For Making Taco Pasta Casserole
Yes! Assemble the casserole up to the baking step, cover tightly with foil, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, add 5–10 extra minutes to the cooking time.
Absolutely. Bake it first, let it cool, then freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven at 350°F until warmed through.
Short pasta shapes like rigatoni, penne, or rotini hold the sauce and cheese really well. You can also use macaroni or shells.
Yes! Any ground meat works — just season it with taco seasoning. Ground turkey or chicken makes it a little lighter but still flavorful.
No, you can swap enchilada sauce for salsa or tomato sauce if that’s what you have on hand. The flavor will be slightly different but still delicious.
Cook the pasta until just al dente (slightly firm), since it will continue cooking in the oven as it bakes with the sauce.
Fresh toppings like sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, jalapeños, or crushed tortilla chips add great flavor and texture.
Recipe Variations
- Different meats: Any meat can be used for this recipe. Just season it with a bit of taco seasoning and give it a quick sauté.
- Make Taco Soup: To make taco soup, leave out the cheese and add in 4 to 6 cups of chicken broth. You can top the soup with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese.
- Gluten Free: Use gluten-free pasta in this recipe. You can also make this recipe with spaghetti squash.
What To Serve with Taco Pasta
A big leafy green salad is always a great side to serve with a casserole. Try my champagne vinaigrette dressing.
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Having a few go-to spices on hand allows you to add a lot of flavor to whatever you are cooking, really easily.
This taco seasoning is great on chicken, beef, or peppers and onions, especially when making veggie tacos. I also use it in my tortilla soup recipe and my 5 Alarm Fire House Chili.
MORE EASY DINNER RECIPES
Sometimes, you’re not in the mood to cook dinner, but don’t you dare pick up that phone and order in. I have so many 30-minute meals.
Sheet pan dinners, such as Steak Fajitas or Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry, are ideal when you don’t want to do a lot of dishes. Everything bakes together on one sheet pan.
I’m practically famous for my fried rice recipes, such as Spam Fried Rice, Spicy Dirty Rice and Beans, and my Easy Take-Out Style Chinese Fried Rice. Any of these is great if you have some leftover rice.
Did you love this recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and a comment below ⬇️
I love hearing from you in the comments; & your feedback helps other readers and helps me continue offering recipes at no cost. Drop a comment 👇
Cheesy Taco Pasta Casserole
Prevent your screen from going dark
Cheesy taco pasta is the ultimate comfort food! This easy 30-minute recipe combines pasta, seasoned taco meat, beans, and melty cheese for a family-friendly dinner. Perfect way to use leftover taco meat from Taco Tuesday.
-
Preheat the oven to 400℉.
-
Boil the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the directions. I usually use the small number to make sure it’s very al dente. Drain the pasta and add to a large bowl.
1 box pasta
-
Brown the taco meat. Brown the meat with the onion and the taco seasoning. You can use leftover chicken or beef in this recipe if you have it.
1 lb ground beef, ½ medium onion, 1 tbsp taco seasoning
-
Get the large bowl. Add the cooked pasta, browned taco meat, beans, corn, and half of the cheese.
1 box pasta, 1 lb ground beef, 15 oz black beans, 1 cup corn kernels, 16 oz cheese
-
Rotel tomatoes. Add 1/3 of the Rotel tomatoes to the bottom of the 9×13 pan. Add the remainder to the pasta.
10 oz rotel tomatoes
-
Enchilada sauce. Add the enchilada sauce to the pasta. Toss to combine.
19 oz red enchilada sauce
-
Assemble. Add the pasta mixture to the 9×13 pan. Top with the remaining cheese.
-
Bake. Bake until the cheese is melted. Roughly 15 to 20 minutes.
-
Serve. Top with sliced green onions and fresh minced cilantro. Serve with your favorite toppings.
1 bunch fresh cilantro, ½ bunch green onions, 1-2 avocados, sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo
This recipe is super fast and easy if you have pre-cooked your meat. I like to have browned ground beef and onions in the fridge ahead of time so that I can make things like this when I am short of time.
For the corn: Alternatively use 1 cup of frozen corn or 1 can of corn, drained.
For the taco meat: Alternatively, you can use diced or shredded chicken with taco seasoning.
Gluten-Free? Just use gluten-free pasta.
Sign In to add your own private notes
Calories: 562kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 30gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 800mgFiber: 7gSugar: 7gCalcium: 350mgIron: 3mg
