Name: One Pot Taco Beef Pasta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1.5 teaspoon of cumin; 1.5 teaspoon of paprika; 1.5 teaspoons Mexican Chili (Chilli) powder; 1/2 teaspoon of oregano; 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (can add more or less depending on your preferred spice level); 455g (1lb) of extra lean ground beef (mince); cooking oil spray (I used avocado); 1 onion, finely diced; 2 cloves of garlic, minced; 1 red pepper, diced; 1 green pepper, diced; 3/4 cup (180ml) of passata; 3/4 cup (130g) of sweetcorn; 200g (7oz) of uncooked pasta (I used fusilli); 2.25 cups (500ml) of beef stock; 3 tbs of light cream cheese; 60g (2oz) of cheddar, grated; 2 spring onions, sliced; a handful of coriander, chopped (optional)

Jump to Recipe

One Pot Taco Beef Pasta - an easy yummy recipe that is cooked all in one pan. Cheesy spicy taco flavoured deliciousness!!

One Pot Taco Beef Pasta in skillet with wooden spoon

Taco Pasta

So what do you do when you fancy tacos but don't have taco's and want a simple quick meal that the whole family can dig in and enjoy? Make these yummy One Pot Taco Beef Pasta of course.

It has all those yummy combinations of a taco - ground beef, peppers, homemade taco seasoning, cheese and best of all Pasta. As let's face it, everyone loves a bowl of pasta - right?

Best Type of Pasta for One Pot Recipes

Want a short answer? Any!!! Yep, that's right any kind of dried pasta will work in this dish. So you really don't need to go and buy anything special.

However my favs for one-pot recipes are definitely - Fusilli (which is what I used here), Macaroni and Penne, they are all just the perfect size and shape to really get coated in all that delicious sauce.

close up of One Pot Taco Beef Pasta in skillet

What kind of meat can I use in Taco Pasta?

This is a one-pot taco beef recipe, so I used extra lean ground beef (beef mince) as it's the kids favourite whenever I make any kind of tacos.

But any ground meat works well - turkey, chicken (I've not tried pork) and if you don't fancy ground meat, feel free to use chicken or beef. Go for cuts that are better for absorbing flavour - i.e. chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. But if you really don't like thigh meat, then go with what you like. Just brown as per the recipe and other instructions.

Best kind of pan for One Pot recipes

A large deep frying pan or skillet is best, you don't want it spilling over the sides.

My favourite choice is cast iron - because the heat really penetrates and cooks fast. A saucepan is not recommended, because it is not quite shallow enough to boil quickly or wide enough to fit all the ingredients.

close up of One Pot Taco Beef Pasta in skillet with wooden spoon

My one-pot pasta is taking too long to cook

Make sure you have the recommend sized pan as mentioned above. If it is taking longer than the specified time, then you have your heat far too low.

The liquid is the correct measurement, so if it is not bubbling away in the pan, it won't reduce anywhere or cook the pasta. It will literally just be ingredients sat in hot water.

Turn up the heat and let it bubble, it really will cook as quickly as the recipe states.

Can I use Quark, instead of cream cheese?

It's a question I get asked a lot in recipes where I use light cream cheese. I personally don't use Quark very often, it has a more sour taste compared to cream cheese, so doesn't yield the same kind of sauce.

But if you really don't want to use the cream cheese, then yes use Quark, just ensure you remove from heat and stir it in at the very end. Remember though, this tastes the best with the cream cheese and it's not many cals when divided up into servings.

close up of taco beef pasta in skillet with wooden spoon

Sides for One Pot Taco Beef Pasta

What kind of sides can I serve with this? My simplest and my favourite choice is just a nice mixed salad. Nice and quick and can be made and put together while the pasta is bubbling away on the stove.

Some of my favorite salad items for this are:

Shredded Crisp Romaine or Iceberg Lettuce
Julienned Carrot
Baby Cucumber Sliced
Diced Red Onion
Halved Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
Diced Cooked Beetroot

More One Pot Recipes

Love One Pot Recipes? Check out some of these:

or head on over to my Full Recipe Index with over 900 delicious Slimming Eats and Weight Watchers friendly recipes all fully searchable by meal type, ingredients, value and smart points etc

teal plate with serving of one pot taco beef pasta

LET’S CONNECT!

Find me ON FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER | and YOUTUBE, come and follow me TO MAKE SURE YOU KEEP UP TO DATE ON ALL NEW RECIPES.

You can also subscribe to Slimming Eats so that you never miss any new updates.

IF YOU TRY THIS RECIPE, LET US KNOW! LEAVE A COMMENT, RATE IT AND TAG US IN YOUR PHOTOS @SLIMMINGEATS ON INSTAGRAM

See the handy Pinterest image below if you wish to pin this for later 🙂

Recipe Card

One Pot Taco Beef Pasta

Yield: SERVES 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

One Pot Taco Beef Pasta - an easy yummy recipe that is cooked all in one pan. Cheesy spicy taco flavoured deliciousness!!

Ingredients

455g (1lb) of extra lean ground beef (mince)
cooking oil spray (I used avocado)
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
¾ cup (180ml) of passata
¾ cup (130g) of sweetcorn
200g (7oz) of uncooked pasta (I used fusilli)
2.25 cups (500ml) of beef stock
3 tbs of light cream cheese
60g (2oz) of cheddar, grated
2 spring onions, sliced
a handful of coriander, chopped (optional)

For the taco seasoning:

1.5 teaspoon of cumin
1.5 teaspoon of paprika
1.5 teaspoons Mexican Chili (Chilli) powder
½ teaspoon of oregano
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper (can add more or less depending on your preferred spice level)

Instructions

Add the ground beef to a deep frying pan over a medium-high heat
Cook until browned, then add in all the ingredients for the taco seasoning and stir to fully coat, remove and set aside.
Spray the frying pan with some cooking oil spray, add the onion, garlic and peppers and fry for a couple of minutes to soften.
Add back in the beef, along with passata and corn and stir to coat.
Add in the uncooked pasta and stock.
Turn up the heat to bring to a boil, then reduce the heat a little (liquid should still be bubbling) until the liquid reduces down and the pasta is cooked (approx 12-13 minutes). If more liquid is needed as pasta is still quite firm, then add in some water.
When the pasta is cooked, stir in the cream cheese and cheddar until all melted and the pasta is creamy and velvety in appearance.
Taste and season as needed with salt and black pepper.
Sprinkle with the chopped Spring Onions and cilantro (if using).
Serve and Enjoy!!

Notes

Please see below for full nutritional info and additional details about recipe:

Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
WW Points and other Slimming or Weight Loss programs - due to plans regularly changing and updating, we recommend calculating with the official tools you get as a member to those plans to ensure accuracy of values.

If you wish to share this recipe, then please do so by using the share buttons provided at top of this post.

DO NOT COPY AND/OR PASTE FULL RECIPES OR SCREENSHOTS OF ANY CONTENT FROM SLIMMING EATS TO ANY SOCIAL MEDIA OR WEBSITE, IT IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

ALL IMAGES AND CONTENT ON SLIMMING EATS ARE COPYRIGHT PROTECTED

Nutritional information etc are an estimate and are to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary in values from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. It is always advised that you calculate values yourself by the ingredients you use and the tools provided to you as a member of the programme you are following.

It is the responsibility of the Reader to assure the products or ingredients they use in any recipes from Slimming Eats are allergen-free (gluten-free, egg-free, soy-free and/or dairy-free, for example). Slimming Eats assumes no liability for inaccuracies or misstatement about products, opinions or comments on this site.

Check Legal section, for Full Disclaimer, Disclosure and Privacy Policy.

Comments

Maria Quigley says

April 21, 2020 at 4:25 pm

Cooked this for the second time today. It’s delicious! Full of flavour and really filling. It’ll be a regular in our house.

Sheryl Lee Henderson says

June 07, 2020 at 4:05 pm

Really lovely family meal - thoroughly enjoyed by grandparents, fussy husband and children! Thank you. I will definitly be making this one again!

Michelle peat says

August 16, 2020 at 1:59 pm

I've made this and I will say it was absolutely gorgeous. Will definitely be making it again very soon

Diane Towlard says

October 27, 2021 at 2:43 am

Can you use ordinary chilli powder for this recipe?
Thank you

- Siobhan (Slimming Eats) says
  
  October 27, 2021 at 6:08 pm
  
  Mexican chili powder is a blend of spices, so is much milder than pure chili powder, you can try with ordinary but I recommend using mild.
  
Elaine says

February 15, 2022 at 5:50 pm

Made this at the weekend put used chicken and bacon instead of the beef mince, and it was delicious! Just had the left overs for tea, even warmed up it was just as nice! Love the recipes!

Taker says

November 25, 2022 at 12:19 pm

If I cook pasta separately (some family members gluten allergy) do I still need stock in the taco mix?

- Siobhan (Slimming Eats) says
  
  December 04, 2022 at 2:21 pm
  
  yes you will need some stock so that it is not too dry, just add a little at a time.