This taco mac and cheese is a little bit taco and a little bit mac and cheese. It’s really the best of both worlds—Taco-spiced ground beef with cheesy macaroni. Add your favourite toppings to really make each plate catered to everyone in the family. It’s really that easy!
It’s not quite a one-pot meal but really close to it. In fact, if you want to cook the noodles in the sauce you absolutely can.
This dish is a great way to get extra protein and iron into a meal. You can add fresh veggies beyond what is in your salsa for even more nutrients.
If you have picky eaters, start with a small amount meat on the side, then slowly add more, eventually combining it with the noodles.
Preparing Taco Mac and Cheese
Start by pouring water into a medium/large pot and cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Stir occasionally to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other or the bottom of the pan.
I usually purchase meat in bulk, portion it out and freeze it so that I always have what I need on hand. Remembering to take it out in time for dinner is usually my biggest struggle.
Once you have your meat ready, put it in a deep large pan or pot. It needs to be able to hold the sauce and all the noodles in the end. Turn the heat to high to warm up the pan and once it’s warm lower it to medium. Use a wooden spatula to break up the meat into small pieces.
If you are adding vegetables to the recipe, dice the onions and peppers while the meat is cooking. Add to the pan once the meat started to brown and cook until softened stirring occasionally. While you wait, get the taco spice (if you don’t have any on hand) and all of your toppings ready.
Once the meat is browned, add in the taco spice. If you are making your own see our taco spice recipe. You will need the whole taco spice recipe for this mac and cheese. I usually make a large batch of the taco spice ahead of time and have it handy in a jar whenever I need it. You can also use the store-bought spice to make this recipe even easier and faster.
Stir everything together until fully coated with salsa. You will really smell the aroma at this point. This is usually the time my family comes to the dinner table demanding their food. Don’t worry, it’s almost ready to eat.
Turn off the heat and, keeping the pan on the burner, add the cheese. Stir until the cheese is fully melted and integrated into the meat mixture.
Drain the noodles over the sink using a colander making sure to shake off most of the liquid. It’s ok if there is some liquid left over, it will just make mixing in the sauce easier
.
Add the noodles to the pan with the meat sauce and stir everything together.
You are ready to serve!
Substitutions
This recipe is very flexible.
Ground beef: Ground beef can easily be replaced with chicken, pork, or even tofu. If you like the vegetarian option, cook the tofu similarly to the ground meat but I like to use a potato masher or a fork to break it up into small pieces.
Vegetables: If you want to add other vegetables you can really get creative. You can add zucchini (grate it if you’re hiding it from your kiddos), squash, spinach, or grated carrots. Or simply double up on the salsa veggies by adding more onions, peppers and tomatoes.
Cheese: For the cheese, I usually use a medium to sharp cheddar and/or Monterey Jack. I have used mozzarella in a pinch and it has worked out great as well.
As mentioned above you can use any toppings that you like, there is no right or wrong way to top this pasta. I really believe you can’t ruin it.
As always, don’t forget to tell us what you think! I love hearing new suggestions and tweaks to make this family favourite even better. Leave us a comment below or send us an email using the contact page.
Serving Taco Mac and Cheese
You don’t need anything to top this pasta but it really takes the dish to the next level. I always serve sour cream, avocado, pickled jalapenos, and chopped cilantro as my staples but you can add anything you might enjoy on a taco.
If I have other toppings handy, I really enjoy adding pickled vegetables (recipe coming soon), taco sauce, and green olives. You can also simply add a little more salsa and cheese and not fuss about it.
Are you looking for other pasta ideas? Check out some of our favourite recipes:
Taco Mac and Cheese Pasta Recipe
Equipment
- Medium pot
- Colander
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 ½ tbsp taco spice (see taco spice recipe to make your own)
- 1 cup salsa
- ¼ cup onion (optional)
- ¼ cup green bell pepper (optional)
- 450 g elbow noodles
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
Toppings (optional):
- Jalapenos
- Sour Cream
- Avocado
- Olives
- Pickled Veggies
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Cook noodles according to package instructions.450 g elbow noodles
- While the noodles are cooking, heat up a large and deep pan or pot with the ground beef. Cook on medium heat until browned breaking it up with a spatula.1 lb ground beef
- If adding onion and pepper, dice into ¼ inch pieces and add to the meat once it is has started to brown. Cook until vegetables start to soften.¼ cup onion, ¼ cup green bell pepper
- Make taco spice, if making your own (see taco spice recipe on our website). Add taco spice to the pan and stir to coat evenly. Cook for about 1 minute.1 ½ tbsp taco spice
- Pour in the salsa and cook for another 3-4 minutes.1 cup salsa
- Turn the heat off leaving the pan on the burner and add the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and spread evenly.1 cup cheddar cheese
- Drain the noodles and add to the pan. Stir everything together until all noodles are coated with the meat sauce.
- Serve hot with your favourite toppings.Jalapenos, Sour Cream, Avocado, Olives, Pickled Veggies, Cilantro
