Healthy Taco Pasta

Enjoy the best of both worlds with Healthy Taco Pasta. Perfect for when you can't decide, need something quick, or want a kid-friendly meal sure to fill bellies. Made with ground beef, select veggies, pasta, and more!

Course dinner, gluten-free, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword taco pasta, taco pasta bake

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 478kcal

Author Erin Antoniak

Ingredients

4 cups dry pasta I used brown rice fusilli
2 tablespoon olive oil
½ large white onion diced
1 teaspoon garlic minced
1 small red pepper diced
1 lb ground beef
1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can corn drained and rinsed
1 packet taco seasoning
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes fire-roasted preferred
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 casserole dish.
Cook your pasta according to the package. Drain accordingly and set aside.
In a large pan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add onion and pepper.
After a few minutes when the onions and peppers begin to soften, add garlic.
One minute later, add ground beef. Cook until no longer pink, then drain everything in a fine-mesh strainer.
Add back to the pan and turn on low heat.
Add black beans, corn, and taco seasoning. Stir to combine, then add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.
Let simmer for 5 minutes over low heat, then stir in cooked pasta.
Pour into the casserole dish and top with cheddar cheese. Bake for 10 minutes.
Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

Use Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes: The fire-roasted variety adds a subtle smoky depth to the sauce that regular tomatoes just can't match, and it's an easy swap that makes the whole dish taste more complex.
Simmer the Meat Mixture Before Adding the Pasta: After adding all the taco ingredients — beans, corn, seasoning, tomatoes, and sauce — let everything simmer together for 5 minutes before stirring in the cooked pasta. This extra time lets the flavors meld and deepen before the noodles join the party.
Broil for the Last Couple of Minutes: After baking for 10 minutes, switch the oven to broil for just 2–3 more minutes to get a beautifully charred, bubbly cheese topping.

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