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Need an easy dinner everyone will demolish? Throw together this taco pasta bake using five simple staples. It blends cozy pasta with bold taco flavor, then blankets it in gooey cheese. Use whatever's in your fridge and make it your own. Great for a crowd or a regular weeknight at home.
Top Reasons You'll Love It
With just five easy things, you'll have a meal that fills everyone up. It's awesome when you're wiped out but still want good eats. Swap in whatever's handy in your pantry. Go wild with your favorite add-ons. There's plenty for eight, and it tastes just as awesome warmed up later.
Stuff You'll Need
- Plain water: just use tap
- Cheese: just grab shredded cheddar
- Pasta: shells cling onto all that sauce
- Taco seasoning: a single packet handles it
- Ground beef: any kind will do
- Salsa: use any variety you like best
- Extras if you're up for it:
- Sour cream
- Cream cheese
Easy Cheesy Taco Bake
- Get Your Gear Ready
- 1. Fire up oven to 400° 2. Pull out a 9x13 pan 3. Set a big pasta pot on the stove 4. Grab a big skillet for meat
- Start With Pasta
- 1. Fill your pot and salt it 2. Heat until it's bubbling good 3. Toss in the pasta 4. Stir often so it won't clump 5. Let it go for 8-10 minutes 6. Drain off the water in a colander
- Brown The Beef At The Same Time
- 1. Warm the skillet over high 2. Drop in a pound of ground beef 3. Break it up with a spoon 4. Stir until it's no longer pink 5. Drain extra grease 6. Pop the meat back into the pan
- Everything Goes Together
- 1. Dump the drained pasta in with the beef 2. Sprinkle in taco seasoning 3. Pour salsa over 4. Add half a cup of water 5. Mix until it all comes together 6. Try a bite to see if it needs salt
- Prep For The Oven
- 1. Spray the baking pan so nothing sticks 2. Spread in all that pasta-beef mixture 3. Smooth it flat 4. Dot with cream cheese if you're using it 5. Pile on plenty of cheese 6. Make sure cheese spreads to every edge
- Bake And Serve
- 1. Slide it in the oven 2. Set a timer for 20 minutes 3. Watch for melty, bubbling cheese 4. Take it out when golden 5. Let it sit about 5 minutes 6. Add your favorite toppings 7. Dish it up hot
How This Hits the Spot
You don't need a bunch of fancy steps for this one, but it tastes like you fussed. The noodles get soaked in taco goodness. Beef makes it extra filling, and cheese pulls everything together. Mix things up with whatever's in your fridge - swap pasta, meat, cheese, or spice levels. Dinner feels easy but tastes amazing.
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Choose Your Favorite Salsa
Salsa is what decides the vibe here. Chunky salsa means you'll get bits of veggies in every forkful. Want everything saucy? Go for pureed. Turn up the heat with extra spicy salsa, or keep it chill with something mild. Fresh salsa brings zing, or try green salsa for a twist. Just grab whatever you and your crew are into.
Make It Your Own
Throw on all kinds of toppings. Sliced green onions, chopped lettuce, fresh diced tomato, or more cheese all work great. Toss out bowls of avocado or sour cream too. Let people pile on whatever they like. Makes dinner more fun, and everyone’s happy.
Tips To Make It Easy
If you have a big pot that can go in the oven, use it all the way through and skip extra dishes. Dutch ovens do the trick—brown the meat, mix it up, then bake. Try new stuff every batch. Don't want beef? Ground turkey's good. Pepper jack cheese brings more kick. Rotate your pasta shapes—doesn't matter, it all works. Make it the way you want.
Feed A Crowd Or Just Yourself
This feeds eight with no problem. Need even more? Just double up and grab two pans. Only making dinner for a few? Split the batch, eat half now, and wrap the rest well to freeze. Pull it out later for a no-fuss meal—let it thaw and pop it in to warm. Easy dinner whenever you need it.
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Common Questions
- → Can I use different meat?
- Try ground turkey if you want it lighter. Chicken makes it totally new but still tasty. Italian sausage is good too, and it adds extra spice. If you go for turkey, toss in more seasoning since it's not super strong. Brown any meat fully for the best taste.
- → Need it spicier?
- Toss in some diced jalapeños—fresh ones give the biggest kick. Swap for hot salsa or zippy Rotel instead of mild. Sprinkle extra chili powder or cayenne with your taco seasoning. Some folks just shake hot sauce on at the end. Start gentle—you can always turn up the heat!
- → Can I make it ahead?
- Go ahead and mix it up (skip the cheese), stash in the fridge for 2 days. Add cheese right before baking. Or freeze the whole thing up to 3 months, then thaw overnight before popping in the oven. Just cook the pasta a tiny bit less if you’re stashing for later—it’ll turn out just right.
- → How about no meat?
- Black beans and corn slip right in if you skip the beef. Toss in more beans for a protein boost. Chopped peppers give good crunch. Try a meatless crumble if you want. Or just used canned mixed veggies—drained well works fine. Season it just like the meaty version.
- → Want it creamier?
- Mix in a chunk of cream cheese (about 4 oz) while it's still warm. Spoon sour cream on top to serve. Some folks use cream of chicken soup, or even Mexican crema. Just wait till the end to drop in anything creamy, so it doesn't get weird.
Final Thoughts
If you like easy meals, check out the chicken alfredo bake—it's just as low-effort. Or go for one-pot beef stroganoff when you want quick change-ups.