One Pot Beef Taco Pasta

Up close overhead photo of a beef taco pasta dish

5 from 3 votes

This One Pot Beef Taco Pasta dinner is BEYOND easy and a dish the entire family is guaranteed to enjoy! It's a soul-satisfying, taco-flavored one pot meal that's zesty and budget-friendly too!

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Keyword: Comfort Food, Ground beef, One Pot, Pasta, taco seasoning

Servings: servings

Calories: 411kcal

Author: MaryAnn Dwyer

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. taco seasoning, I use Outside Table
2 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup milk
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
2 cups mini farfalle pasta, or any small pasta shape (elbows, mini penne)
1/2 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled
crushed tortilla chips and chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish, if desired

Instructions

Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and brown, breaking it up with a spoon, along with the onion until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are translucent. Drain most of the liquid. Stir in the garlic and taco seasoning and cook for an additional one minute.
Stir in the broth, milk, tomato sauce and pasta. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce temperature to a simmer. Cook for 12-14 minutes or until the pasta is nice and tender and the liquid has mostly evaporated, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in Cotija cheese until melted or you can serve it with the Cotija and let people sprinkle their helping with it themselves. Garnish with/or serve with crushed tortilla chips and chopped cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.

Notes

I used mini farfalle pasta for this recipe, but you could also use elbows or mini penne.

My favorite taco seasoning is by Outside Table. It has such incredible flavor and just the perfect spicy kick. You can also use your favorite taco seasoning. I thought two tablespoons of the Outside Table spice was perfect.

I like to mix the Cotija cheese into the pasta, but you could also just serve it as a topping.

The added crushed tortilla chips are optional, but they give the dish un unexpected tasty crunch.

The sprinkle of chopped cilantro leaves is totally optional. I know some people have an aversion to cilantro. (me being one of those people)

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