Pasta, Cheese and Taco meat

This recipe came about when I made too much Taco meat filling on taco night! I have been cooking for a family of 4 for 20 years, so when our oldest joined the Air Force and left, I had to start adjusting the size of meals (not too much, we still have a teen boy who EATS, lol)! But, this recipe is really handy when you have leftover Taco meat. I have made a lot of versions of leftover pasta meals, I hate wasting food and lets face it, BUDGET and healthier meals are what we strive for in this house! The great thing about this recipe is you can change the meat, cheese and type of pasta for what you have in your cupboard (remember this is a leftover meal)

Make This Recipe!

For Detailed Recipe Instructions, Just Scroll!

Prep Time: 20-30 min
Oven Temperature: 350 Degrees Ferenheit
Bake Time: 25 Minutes

Easy Cheesy Taco Pasta:

1 Pound Taco Meat (if you don’t have prepared Taco meat, use a meat of your choice, a little more seasoning may be added for taste)

1 16 ounce Penne Pasta (we like Organic Penne Pasta but feel free to use other pastas)

1 Cup Cheddar Cheese (different cheese will change the flavor but everyone has their own favorite, love cheese!)

1 Onion (we cut them in slices for easy pasta, fork pick up)

1 Green pepper

2 Tablespoons Fresh Garlic (garlic powder can be used, we just love Fresh garlic, such a difference in taste)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Cumin (if you are starting with no seasoned meat, than put about 1 Tablespoon of Cumin, 1 Teaspoon Chili Powder or to taste)

1 Teaspoon Dried Parsley (this can be optional)

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper or to taste

Salt to taste

1/4 Cup Sour Cream

Taco Pasta Instructions:

1. The first thing I usually do is to get the pasta cooking (instructions are on the package, a tip I have learned is dash some salt and oil in the boiling water, it always helps the pasta not to stick)

2. While the pasta is cooking, slice up a whole Onion and Green Pepper (chop or cut them to your liking, we like ours chunky), meanwhile get a frying pan and start heating it up on medium heat on the stove top with some olive oil.

3. Once the olive oil is hot enough (but not to hot, we are sauteing the veggies for a little bit, we don’t want to burn them) than put the Garlic, Onions and Green peppers in the pan to start cooking. (Sauteing is basically tossing and mixing with a grease over higher heat.) This is how I like them than I add the Taco meat!

4. At this point, I add the Cumin, Parsley, Black Pepper and Salt. Stir it around for a minute over medium heat, than take off the stove top because we are ready for the next step! At this point your noodles should be done and ready to mix with the meat and veggie mixture (YUM!) but not ready yet!

5. Now we add the Sour Cream right in that mixture than dump the pan of pasta back in to your skillet you used to Saute (no need to make more dishes LOL). Sprinkle 1 Cup of Cheese over the top, covering all pasta like this!

6. Warm up your oven to 350 Degrees F, and cook the pasta for 25 minutes or to your desired cheesy crispness!

Easy Cheesy Taco Pasta Recipe