One pot taco pasta is a healthy and easy dinner recipe! Made with pasta, ground beef, tomatoes, black beans and brown rice pasta, this dinner is a simple and healthy meal for the family. It just so happens to be gluten free and dairy free too!
This post is sponsored by the Ohio Beef Council. All thoughts and opinions are my own!
Happy Taco Tuesday! If you’re a regular around here, you know I’m OBSESSED with tacos. I mean, if you just read my Instagram bio you know that.
To me, tacos are not reserved for Tuesdays, but for every day of the week. If it were up to me I could eat them every day. And in fact, I have eaten them every day for a week before. They just don’t get old!
Not only do I love tacos, but I love all taco flavored meals. Especially ones like this one pot taco pasta that just so happens to be naturally gluten free and dairy free as well.
How is this one pot taco pasta healthy, dairy free and gluten free?
This one pot taco pasta is dairy free and gluten free because I used brown rice pasta instead of wheat pasta and I opted out of added any cheese to the recipe because it’s rich and creamy on its own (especially if you add avocado!)
However, if you aren’t avoiding either of those things then go ahead and use your fave pasta and added a little Mexican cheese on top. It’s delicious both ways!
Adding lean beef to your diet and your heart will thank you! Research shows that enjoying lean beef as part of a heart-healthy diet can lower cholesterol and reduce heart disease risk. Not to mention, a 3-oz serving of beef provides 25 grams of protein (!!) and 10 essential nutrients. So basically, we're making taco tuesday nutritious and delicious.
Are you new to making one pot meals? When I first started making one pot meals I had no idea how you could make the ground beef, pasta and the sauce all in one pot together. These easy steps show you just how to do it!
3 easy steps for one pot taco pasta:
- Start by browning the beef. This is the base of your recipe and will give you all the protein you need in this meal. I like to buy my beef local if I can. I love to use this beef directory to go straight from the source to get our beef. Ohio beef farmers have a passion for the land, the livestock and farming as a family. Watch this short video to learn how the Clarks and the Hollowells, beef farmers from Covington, Ohio, work hard every day feed our families now, and future generations.
- Remove the beef and make the pasta noodles in the sauce. This is great because you don’t have to drain the noodles! Which mean the noodles absorb all the delicious flavors from the sauce.
- Mix it all together with your add-ins and toppings before serving.
You can customize all your add-ins and topping if you want, but I’ve included my favorites and recommendations for a delicious and healthy taco pasta.
Toppings for taco pasta:
- Tomato
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Lime juice
- Salsa
If you are dairy free (or trying to avoid it!) you won’t miss it in this recipe at all. This one pot taco pasta is rich and hearty and HEALTHY. This recipe also makes a huge batch so you’ll have enough for the family (or crowd) and will likely have some leftover too.
How to Freeze Leftover One Pot Taco Pasta:
Once cooled, place individual pieces in an air tight container for up to 3 months. To reheat, preheat oven to 375 and bake the frozen pasta for one hour. You could even make a double batch of this to prep for the month!
If you make this recipe and love it don't forget to following along on Instagram and tag me with @what_mollymade or #WhatMollyMade!
More taco recipes:
One Pot Taco Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Rotini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1-1 ounce package taco seasoning
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup mild salsa
- 1 cup black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup canned corn
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes diced
- 1 avocado
- ⅓ cup cilantro
- lime juice
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or dutch oven with olive oil over medium-high heat. Once it's hot, add the onion, garlic and beef to brown it, breaking up the meet for about 3 minutes until completely browned and no pink remains.
- Add the packet of taco seasoning and ½ cup water and stir well. Add the rest of the water and mild salsa. Bring to a boil then add the rotini, stir and cover. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring halfway.
- Once the pasta is cooked to al dente, Add the black beans, corn, cherry tomatoes and avocado. Squeeze lime juice on top and top with cilantro if desired.
Ashley Wack says
This recipe is a go to favorite! I have made it for guests and they love it as well. I love to squeeze lime on top and garnish with avocado and cilantro.
Molly Thompson says
We do the same toppings! Avocado, lime and cilantro make everything better.
Ashley Wack says
Forgot to add my star rating... 10/5 stars if I could. 🙂
Molly Thompson says
LOL yes!
Nicole Ross says
So quick and easy! Even my picky kids loved it!
Molly Thompson says
Best compliment! Kid approved is always the best!
Becca Rose says
Yikes! About started a fire in our house! The recipe never says to reduce the heat from high. I assumed we wanted the liquid boiling to cook the pasta. This turned out to be a dangerous recipe for us. And we can’t even salvage it. Also, the description says to remove the beef while the actual recipe does not. Little attention to detail like this could have turned out very very badly.
Molly Thompson says
Hey Becca! Thank you so much for the feedback. I updated the recipe to state you need to bring it to a simmer. Sorry that wasn't clear!