This Creamy Ground Beef Taco Pasta is filled with hearty ground beef and tender pasta in a cheesy creamy sauce, ready in 30 minutes!
I took my Creamy Beef and Shells recipe and gave it a little taco-flair using my Homemade Taco Seasoning. It’s a winner of a dinner!
This easy pasta dish was an instant favorite with the family. Even my picky toddler went back for seconds!
The best news? You probably already have the ingredients needed to make it right now!
Beef Taco Pasta Recipe
In order to give this pasta it’s nice creamy and cheesy consistency we’re going to make a simple roux with butter and flour after we brown the ground beef.
The sauce is seasoned with tomato paste, beef broth and my special Homemade Taco Seasoning blend. You can use store bought seasoning if you don’t want to make the homemade seasoning.
Ingredients Needed:
Here’s the basic list of ingredients you’ll need in order to make this pasta dish. As always, you can find the full list of ingredients in the printable recipe card below.
- Short Pasta – I’m using Radiatore, but you can also use medium shells, bowtie, etc.
- Ground Beef – lean ground beef
- Red Bell Pepper – green bell peppers would also work, feel free to omit entirely if desired.
- Onion – use a yellow onion for a more mild flavor
- Garlic
- Taco Seasoning – my homemade blend is amazing!
- Tomato Paste
- Butter
- All Purpose Flour – to help create the creamy sauce texture
- Beef Broth – low sodium
- Sour Cream
- Fiesta Blend Cheese
How To Make Taco Pasta
This recipe for Ground Beef Taco Pasta comes together in under 30 minutes. Here is how you make it…
BOIL PASTA – Start by boiling your pasta in a pot of water. Once it’s tender, drain and set aside.
BROWN GROUND BEEF – Cook the ground beef in a skillet with the bell pepper and onion until the beef is cooked through and the peppers and onion are tender. Stir in the taco seasoning, garlic and salt and cook until fragrant.
MAKE ROUX AND SAUCE – Add the butter to the ground beef mixture and stir until it’s melted throughout. Sprinkle the ground beef mixture with the flour and cook about 1 to 2 minutes until the flour is absorbed and cooked. Gradually add in the beef broth, stirring to make the creamy sauce. Stir in the tomato paste until mixed throughout.
ADD THE PASTA – Finally, stir in the sour cream and cheese, then add in the cooked pasta. Mix it all together and dinner is ready to go!
I love using these fun shapes of pasta because the sauce and ground beef sneak in to all the little nooks and crannies and it’s so tasty!
My Chicken Zucchini Pasta Skillet uses the same pasta, but you can really use any type of small cut pasta like this if you can’t find this specific one in the stores.
Substitutions, Tips and Variations
Here are some substitutions to keep in mind if you’re looking to make this ground beef dinner recipe…
- TOMATO PASTE – you can swap out the tomato paste for a 10oz can of Rotel diced tomatoes. It’ll make the sauce a little thinner, but still delicious
- GROUND BEEF – try using ground turkey in place of the beef
- CHEESE – I’m using a fiesta blend or Mexican blend of cheese, but a simple cheddar or colby jack cheese will also work here.
- PEPPERS – try adding in a variation of colors of peppers or adding in chopped jalapeno to make it a little extra spicy!
- BEEF BROTH – the beef broth adds to the flavor of the sauce, but can be swapped out with water and beef bouillon.
What To Serve With Taco Pasta
We love to serve this saucy and creamy dish with our favorite taco toppings like chopped cilantro, corn chips, diced tomatoes, hot sauce and sour cream.
Here are some good side dish ideas:
More Taco-Inspired Recipes
Craving more of that ground beef taco goodness? I’ve got you covered with these fun and festive recipes…
I can’t wait for you to try this delicious dinner! I know you’re going to love it!
Creamy Ground Beef Taco Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 cups uncooked pasta, Radiatore, shells, bowtie, etc.
- 1 lb ground beef, lean
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- ¼ cup Taco Seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth, low sodium
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup Mexican 3 cheese blend, shredded
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a pot of boiling water as per package instructions, until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the ground beef along with the diced red bell pepper and onion, until beef is no longer pink. Drain any fat from pan and discard.
- Add in the garlic, taco seasoning and salt and mix until combined. Add in the butter and melt into beef. Sprinkle the flour over the beef and stir, cooking an additional 1 to 2 minutes, until the flour is absorbed into the beef mixture.
- Gradually add the beef broth to the pan, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring mixture to a simmer and add in the tomato paste and stir until thickened.
- Add in the sour cream and cheese to create a creamy, cheesy sauce. Add in the cooked pasta and stir to coat. Enjoy right away!
Super Easy Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Karen
This recipe was very easy to follow and so delicious!
After dishing up, I topped mine off with sliced avocado.
Lyuba
My picky kids liked it. They said it was pretty good. I followed the recipe exactly, which I don’t always do.
Madi
Is it possible to add corn and black beans? If so would i cook them before and put them in, or would I add it to one of the steps?
Katie Smith
OMG! So good! I left out the peppers and onions because my husband doesn’t like them. I followed the rest of the recipe just like it says. I am in love with this and plan to make it again. Whoever came up with this, you are a food god!!!
Zara VP
Would it be ok to omit the sour cream? Is there a substitute…maybe heavy cream?
Myrna. M
Could I omit the sour cream or substitute something?
Melisa
Absolutely delish
bruce
This sounds great, and I have used other recipes of yours, they are always great.
Just one question: it calls for 1/4 cup Taco Seasoning, that seems like a lot! Is that accurate?
Thank you,
Bruce
Rebecca
A “normal” packet of taco seasoning is 3 TBS. Since the recipe is extended for the pasta and sauce (not just taco meat), the 1/4 cup (4 TBS) is perfect.
Jeff
I like this recipe so much, I’ve made it twice now. Other than using ground turkey instead of ground beef, I don’t alter a thing. For whatever reason, I find the finished product to be addictive. Easy to make. It will stay among my favorites!
Candy
Made this tonight using gluten free penne pasta. I also used cassava flour instead of regular flour and it was delicious. My kids and hubby loved it. I will make it again.
Trish
Made this for a twelve year old sleepover. Huge hit with ALL of the girls who went back for seconds. My hubby had 4 servings! I didn’t alter a thing and even made the taco seasoning. I topped with black olives and hot sauce.