One Pot Taco Pasta

Name: One Pot Taco Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 pound ground beef; 1 onion, diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1 cup canned corn kernels, drained; 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed; 1 can (4.5 ounce) chopped green chiles, drained; 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained; 1 cup mild taco sauce; 1 cup salsa; 2 cups elbow macaroni; 2 cups water; 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided; 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Recipe GLPRdb8e96a76a92e4

Mexican

Main Course

30 min

590 cal

Servings: 6

Stovetop

SNAP eligible

A convenient one-pot Mexican-inspired pasta dish featuring seasoned ground beef, black beans, corn, and green chiles combined with elbow pasta in a zesty taco and salsa sauce, finished with melted cheddar cheese and fresh cilantro.

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup canned corn kernels, drained

1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (4.5 ounce) chopped green chiles, drained

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup mild taco sauce

1 cup salsa

2 cups elbow macaroni

2 cups water

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add the ground beef, diced onion, and minced garlic to the pot. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently and breaking apart the beef with a spoon as it cooks, until the beef is browned and no longer pink. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Drain off any excess fat from the pot. Stir in the drained corn, black beans, and green chiles until well combined.
Add the undrained diced tomatoes, taco sauce, salsa, elbow pasta, and water to the pot. Stir well to combine all ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with a lid. Simmer for 13 to 16 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender and cooked through.
Remove the pot from heat. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese evenly over the top of the pasta mixture. Cover the pot and let it sit for about 2 minutes to allow the cheese to melt completely.
Stir the melted cheese into the pasta to combine evenly. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and serve immediately while hot.

Comments

Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff4

One Pot Taco Pasta hits the household sweet spot for a Charlotte weeknight: every ingredient is standard stock at any of the six major chains, ground beef and canned beans keep the cost to roughly $1.50 per serving, and the 30-minute stated time is honest if you don't count browning the beef separately. The main friction point is that cilantro is a garnish that wilts fast and doesn't reheat well, so this is a same-night dish, and the wet pasta-based sauce means leftovers don't hold texture the next day. Otherwise it's straightforward one-pot cooking with no fussy technique, making it solid for families with kids who tolerate mild heat.