Creamy, hearty, and absolutely delicious, this cheesy Taco Pasta recipe combines the flavors of Mexican and Italian classics into a tasty vegetarian one-pot meal. In this easy, 30-minute Instant Pot recipe, pasta, beans, and corn are cooked with salsa and zesty taco seasoning, then finished with ooey-gooey cheese and cilantro.
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This taco pasta is one of the most popular Mexitalian dishes, a fusion cuisine in which Mexican flavors meet good old Italian classics!
This is one of my kids' favorite pasta meals and for a good reason.
Here's Why We Love This Recipe:
- It's an easy one-pot meal made using pantry and fridge staples in a little over 20 minutes. The result is a delicious and satisfying weeknight dinner.
- This Vegetarian Taco Pasta has all the delicious taco flavors, combined with creamy beans, and hearty and cheesy pasta. Meals like these come to my rescue on busy school nights.
- The black beans and veggies make it a meal rich in protein and fiber.
- The great thing about this recipe is that it's easily customizable. Make it with your favorite beans, veggies, and pasta shape. Stir in more or less cheese, and finish it with your favorite taco toppings.
Another One-Pot Pasta Meal: Easy Broccoli Cheddar Pasta
Ingredients - Notes & Substitutions
You only need a handful of fresh produce and pantry staples to make this delicious one-pot cheesy taco pasta. Here's what you need:
- Oil: Use olive or avocado oil, or any neutral oil you have on hand.
- Garlic & Onion: Grate or finely chop two cloves or use 2 teaspoons of garlic paste. As for onions, I use whatever I have on hand- red, white, or yellow. Just chop it medium-fine.
- Vegetables: We're using pepper and corn in this recipe. Use any color of bell peppers and chop them about the same size as the onions. As for corn, fresh or frozen both work great. If using frozen corn, no need to thaw it.
- Broth: I use vegetable broth to infuse more flavor in the cooking liquid. You can also use chicken broth if you don't care about this dish being vegetarian.
- Pasta: Elbow macaroni or any small-shaped pasta works great.
- Salsa: Use any medium-thick salsa. My preferred brand is Salsa Authentica from Trader Joe's.
- Beans: Black beans are my pick since they're full of plant-based protein and fiber, and taste delicious in Mexican-inspired dishes. Alternatively, use kidney or pinto beans.
- Taco Seasoning: I use the Trader Joe's brand. You can use your favorite brand here.
- Cheese: Store-bought finely shredded Mexican blend cheese saves time and melts easily in the pasta. If you have the time, get a block of Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, and Cheddar and grate it using the small holes on the box grater.
- Toppings: This is where you can customize this pasta. I serve this pasta with sour cream, cilantro, extra cheese, guacamole, or avocado chunks. You can top it with your favorite taco toppings.
Scroll to the recipe card for a detailed list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Taco Pasta
Here are two equally easy ways of making this cheesy taco pasta recipe - Instant Pot or Stovetop. Both use just one pot or pan, but the Instant Pot method is more hands-off comparatively, so pick whatever works best for you.
1. Instant Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to make this easy Taco Pasta in an Instant Pot, or any comparable electric pressure cooker.
Preheat the Instant Pot to Saute mode. When hot, add oil, crushed garlic, chopped onions, and peppers, and saute for 30 seconds. (pic 1)
Add the stock followed by pasta. Gently press down the pasta with a wooden spoon to submerge it. (pic 2)
Pour the salsa evenly over the pasta. Don't stir. Evenly spread frozen corn and drained beans followed by taco seasoning.(pic 3 & 4)
Close the lid and set the valve to the sealing position. Pressure cook for 3 mins. For time variation for different pasta shapes, read the notes.
After the cooking time is up, carefully release the pressure manually, and open the lid once the pin drops.
Stir in shredded cheese and mix it well (pic 5 & 6). Garnish with chopped spring onions, chopped cilantro, avocado chunks, and a squeeze of lime. Enjoy!
Want to use another shape of pasta? Refer to the pasta cooking time chart in this article: Instant Pot Pasta.
2. Stovetop Recipe
To make this cheesy taco pasta recipe on the stove, follow these simple instructions:
Heat oil in a pasta pot on medium-high heat. Saute crushed garlic, chopped onions, and peppers for 30 seconds.
Add 3 cups stock for 2 cups of elbow pasta and bring it to a boil. Then, add, pasta, frozen corn, drained beans, and taco seasoning. Mix well.
Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for the suggested time on the pasta box, or until the pasta cooks through.
Stir in shredded cheese and mix it well. Garnish with chopped spring onions, chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Although this pasta doesn't really need any accompaniments, you can elevate the dish by serving a variety of toppings.
This includes sour cream, salsa, fresh pico de gallo, chopped avocado, guacamole, sliced jalapeno, and cilantro, just to name a few.
How to Store
Taco pasta stores easily in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 5 days. To reheat, simply microwave for 1-2 minutes.
I wouldn't recommend freezing the leftovers, since the cheesy sauce disintegrates upon defrosting.
Try a Variation
- Add chicken: Saute bite-size chicken pieces, with the onions and peppers for a few minutes, and follow the recipe instructions.
- Ground meat: You can ground chicken, beef, or turkey in this dish by simply sauteeing the ground meat for 3-4 minutes before adding onions and peppers.
- Beans: Add kidney or pinto beans instead of black beans.
- Pasta shape: You can use any pasta shape you like in this recipe. Adjust the pressure cooking time based on your pasta shape by following this guide: Instant Pot Pasta.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Pasta shapes: If you want to use another shape of pasta, refer to the pasta cooking time chart in this article: Instant Pot Pasta.
- Instant Pot cooking tip: After adding salsa, do not stir the pasta. This prevents the possibility of a burn error.
- Stovetop recipe: If using the stovetop recipe, remember to add 3 cups of liquid for 2 cups of pasta.
- Make it creamier: If you want to make this dish more creamy and rich, you stir in a few tablespoons of sour cream after cooking.
- Shredded cheese: I like using a shredded Mexican 3-cheese blend in this recipe, but you can use any melting cheese you like. Also, you can customize the cheesiness of this dish. Stir in more or less cheese, based on your liking.
- Add toppings: This pasta is delicious as-is, but if you want to add some topping, you can use traditional taco toppings, including salsa, guacamole, sliced jalapeños, chopped avocado, cilantro, etc.
- How to add chicken or ground meat: To add meat or chicken to this recipe, simply saute some ground meat, or cubed chicken, with the onions and peppers and follow the recipe instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can serve a variety of toppings with taco pasta including sour cream, salsa, cheese, chopped avocado, jalapeno, and cilantro, just to name a few.
To reheat taco pasta, microwave for a minute, stir the pasta, then heat in 30-second increments until it is warmed through.
Yes, you can. For the stovetop recipe, simply follow the cooking times listed on the box. And for the instant pot version, refer to the pasta cooking time chart in this article: Instant Pot Pasta.
Yes, you can. Simply follow the cooking time and instructions listed on the box of your favorite brand.
More One-Pot Instant Pot Pasta Recipes
These recipes are part of the Pasta and Noodles Recipes collection:
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📖 Recipe
Taco Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
Pressure Cook
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon garlic 2 cloves
- 1 cup onion, chopped 1 medium onion
- 1 cup bell pepper (your choice)
- 1½ cups vegetable broth (or water, adjust seasoning if adding water))
- 8 ounces elbow macaroni (2 cups)
- 12 ounces Salsa (1 jar) (I use Trader Joe's Salsa Authentica)
- 1½ cups frozen corn
- 15 ounces canned black beans (1 can) (rinsed and drained)
- 2-3 tablespoons taco seasoning (adjust to taste)
Garnish After Pressure Cooking
- 1 cup shredded mexican cheese (adjust to taste) - skip for vegan
- 1 tablespoon chopped spring onions for garnish
- 2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
- juice of lime
Instructions
Instant Pot Recipe
- Plug in the Instant Pot and select Saute. When hot, add oil, crushed garlic, chopped onions, peppers, and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add the stock followed by pasta. Gently press down the paste with a wooden spoon to completely submerge it. Pour the salsa evenly over the pasta. Don't stir.
- Top that with frozen corn and drained beans. Sprinkle taco seasoning and gently spread it over the corn and beans.
- After the cooking time is up, carefully release pressure manually (QR). Open the lid once the pin drops.
- Stir in shredded cheese and mix it well. Garnish with chopped spring onions, chopped cilantro, avocado chunks, and a squeeze of lime. Enjoy!
Stovetop Recipe
- Heat oil in a pasta pot on medium-high heat. Saute crushed garlic, chopped onions, peppers for 30 seconds.
- Add 3 cups stock for 2 cups of elbow pasta and bring it to a boil. Then, add, pasta, frozen corn, drained beans and taco seasoning. Mix well. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for the suggested time on the pasta box, or till pasta cooks through.
- Stir in shredded cheese and mix it well. Garnish with chopped spring onions, chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Enjoy hot!
Video
Notes
- Pasta shapes: If you want to use another shape of pasta, refer to the pasta cooking time chart in this article: Instant Pot Pasta.
- Instant Pot cooking tip: After adding salsa, do not stir the pasta. This prevents the possibility of a burn error.
- Stovetop recipe: If using the stovetop recipe, remember to add 3 cups of liquid for 2 cups of pasta.
- Make it creamier: If you want to make this dish more creamy and rich, you stir in a few tablespoons of sour cream after cooking.
- Shredded cheese: I like using a shredded Mexican 3-cheese blend in this recipe, but you can use any melting cheese you like. Also, you can customize the cheesiness of this dish. Stir in more or less cheese, based on your liking.
- Add toppings: This pasta is delicious as-is, but if you want to add some topping, you can use traditional taco toppings, including salsa, guacamole, sliced jalapeños, chopped avocado, cilantro, etc.
- How to add chicken or ground meat: To add meat or chicken to this recipe, simply saute some ground meat, or cubed chicken, with the onions and peppers and follow the recipe instructions.
Nutrition
This recipe has been recently updated with new photos, tips, and alternate cooking methods.
Carrie says
I'm not clear about the "Instant Pot" label. Does that mean the 3 qt or the 6 qt. This recipe seems like an awful lot of stuff to squeeze into a 3 qt, but I can't tell for sure.
Aneesha says
Hi Carrie, this recipe was filmed in a 6Qt, but I've made it in a 3 qt as well. The thing to remember is that the instant pot insert should never be filled more than 3/4 of the way. Hope this helps!