Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: This 30 minute one pot taco pasta with ground turkey and black beans is creamy, satisfying, and the pasta cooks in the same pan as everything else. This is a hearty recipe that will be a hit with your family, and you can easily change anything that your family may not be a fan of.
How long it takes: 30 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large pan or Dutch oven
Servings: 6
Easy One Pot Pasta Recipe
One pan to wash! You’ll find several one pot pasta recipes (more than 20!) on my site. I love these recipes because only one pan is used which means clean-up is always easy. I thought it was time to combine two of my favorites: tacos and pasta. Who doesn’t like tacos and who doesn’t like pasta? It’s a win-win situation, right? And you can make this dynamic duo in one pan, and one pan only.
The pasta cooks perfectly right in the sauce. The magic of this recipe is that the pasta cooks right in the pan with everything else. No need to boil water in a huge pot, no need to dirty a colander, no need for any of that nonsense. It’s ridiculously easy.
Like Hamburger Helper, only better. This recipe is based roughly on my homemade healthy Hamburger Helper recipe but with a southwestern spin. My husband absolutely loves it. He’s also a fan of creamy beef and shells, another one pot pasta.
“This was so great! It was easy to make and very delicious, my husband and I loved it! Definitely making this again!”
Taco Pasta Variations
This recipe is super flexible. Change it up to make taco pasta just the way you and your family like it. Here are a few suggestions:
- Use a different protein. Try ground beef, pork sausage, or spicy chorizo instead.
- Try different beans. Pinto beans, red beans, or kidney beans are good choices.
- Add green power. Stir in baby spinach leaves, cook until wilted.
- Make it spicy. Sprinkle in a pinch or two of cayenne powder or red pepper flakes. Substitute Cajun seasoning for the taco seasoning.
- Choose your favorite pasta. Perhaps you’re not a fan of whole wheat pasta. This recipe works great with regular pasta, too. Macaroni is perfect. Make sure to peek at the box to check cooking time so you don’t overcook your noodles.
- Make it extra cheesy. Add another handful of shredded cheese. Another trick to make creamy pasta is to melt two ounces (or more!) of full-fat cream cheese into the pasta mixture after the pasta has cooked.
Suggested Toppings
That brings us to toppings which are my favorite part of almost any recipe. Top this one pot taco pasta just like you would a normal taco. Here are my suggestions:
- Cilantro
- Avocado or guacamole
- Green onions or chopped white onions
- Sliced jalapeño peppers
- Sour cream
- Shredded lettuce
- Extra cheese (cheddar, queso fresco, cotija)
- Chopped tomatoes
- Pickled red onions
Refrigerate/Freeze: Leftover pasta should be covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator. It will keep for three to four days. It can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for two to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat: Warm individual portions in the microwave in one minute increments until heated. Larger amounts can be heated in a skillet.
Make a casserole. Put taco pasta in a greased pan, top with more cheese or crushed tortilla chips, and bake at 350 °F until lightly browned and heated. If you like the idea of a casserole, try my walking taco casserole. It’s made in one pan, too!
Free Meal Plans
Interested in weekly meal plans that include this recipe? Take a look at my Meal Plan #5 and Meal Plan #67. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let me do the planning for you this week!
One Pot Pasta Recipes
Taco Pasta Recipe (One Pot)
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey (see note)
- ½ cup chopped onion (1 small onion)
- 1 bell pepper, chopped (any color)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon chili powder (see note)
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup whole or 2% milk (see note)
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained (such as Rotel)
- 3 cups uncooked whole wheat rotini (or another short pasta)
- 1 can (15.25 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained (low-sodium preferred)
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Optional garnishes:
- diced avocado, lettuce, tomato, green onion, cilantro, jalapeño peppers, or sour cream
Instructions
- In large sauté pan or skillet with a cover (a large saucepan or Dutch oven will also work), heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey, onion, and peppers and cook until turkey is browned and cooked through and onions are translucent, breaking up turkey as it cooks.1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 pound ground turkey, ½ cup chopped onion, 1 bell pepper, chopped
- Add tomato paste, flour, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper. Keep stirring until tomato paste coats all the meat, about 1 minute. Make sure to keep stirring so the tomato paste does not burn.2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- Add water, milk, and tomatoes. Stir well and bring to nearly a boil.2 cups water, 1 cup whole or 2% milk, 1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
- Add pasta, stir, reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes (use pasta directions as a guide) or until al dente, stirring occasionally to make sure pasta gets cooked evenly.3 cups uncooked whole wheat rotini
- Reduce heat to low; stir in black beans and cheddar cheese, stirring until cheese is melted.1 can (15.25 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained, 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Serve immediately topped with any taco garnishes you love.
Notes
- Meat alternatives: If you prefer, use ground beef, chicken, sausage, or chorizo instead of ground turkey.
- Milk: I recommend using whole or 2% milk because milk with lower fat percentage tends to curdle at a higher heat, which is necessary to cook the pasta. If you don’t have it, omit the milk and use 3 cups (total) water.
- Make it extra cheesy. Add another handful of shredded cheese, or stir two ounces (or more!) of full-fat cream cheese into the pasta mixture after the pasta has cooked. It melts better if the cream cheese is at room temperature. Add it by spoonfuls, rather than one big chunk.
- Seasoning shortcut: If you have taco seasoning in your pantry, substitute it for the seasonings listed in the recipe: chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper. I suggest using 1½ to 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning, based on taste. Try my homemade taco seasoning.
- Reduced sodium: Choose no-salt-added tomatoes, tomato paste, and black beans. They have far less sodium than regular canned products and you won’t notice a difference in taste.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Would soy milk work? I want to make it for a vegan using meatless ground.
I haven’t tested it that way so I can’t promise results, but I think that should work fine!
Can you make this with no meat?
That should work!
Made this tonight – HUGE hit with the family! I used chickpea pasta and put in the cream cheese (thanks for the tip!). Will def make again!! Thanks!!
I’m so glad to hear it! I’m happy to hear it works with chickpea pasta. Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!