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One Pot Taco Macaroni and Cheese

One Pot Taco Macaroni and Cheese is where Mac and cheese meets taco night, and it is ALWAYS a huge hit with my family! This dinner is all made in one pot and combines ground beef or turkey, taco seasoning, tomatoes, corn, pasta, and cheese for one delicious meal.

One Pot Taco Macaroni and Cheese

Like most people, I have a deep love for meals that require minimal pots and pans to make. It's no surprise that one pot/pan/skillet dishes are so popular! I decided to combine our love for taco night with pasta, and have been making this One Pot Taco Macaroni and Cheese for awhile now. It is a family favorite of ours and I'm so excited to finally share the recipe!

Check out my Chili Tater Tot Casserole for another cozy family favorite!

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Ingredients

  • Ground Beef - I have also made this using ground turkey and Impossible ground "meat"
  • Taco Seasoning - I always use a mild taco seasoning since I serve this to my kids
  • Tomato Sauce
  • Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles - this can be found by the canned diced tomatoes. One well known brand is Rotel
  • Frozen Corn - you can also use canned corn, but I prefer frozen
  • Milk - I used 2% because that is what my kids drink, but I think anything from skim to whole milk will work
  • Chicken or Beef Broth - water also works in a pinch!
  • Elbow Macaroni
  • Shredded Cheddar Cheese - you could also use shredded Mexican cheese
  • Diced Green Onions
One Pot Taco Macaroni and Cheese

How to Make One Pot Taco Macaroni and Cheese

As mentioned, this recipe is so easy and is all made in one pot. To start, brown the ground beef in a large pot. I used my dutch oven and my meat chopper to break the ground beef into smaller chunks.

Once the beef is browned, add the taco seasoning, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, corn, milk, and broth, and mix well to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Next, add the pasta and cover, letting it simmer for 8-10 minutes. You want the pasta to be cooked through. Last, remove from heat and stir in the cheese. Serve topped with green onions and enjoy!

One Pot Taco Macaroni and Cheese

One Pot Taco Pasta Tips and Variations

Make ahead. This dish can be prepped ahead up until the point of adding the pasta. Then, when you are almost ready to eat dinner, you simply bring the mixture to a simmer, add the pasta, and cook until softened.

Swap the meat. You can make this taco macaroni and cheese using ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken, shredded chicken, or Impossible meat!

Add some fiber. Add a can of black beans to this pasta for a boost of fiber.

Add some spice. To bump up the heat in this taco pasta, add a can of diced jalapeños.

Toppings. You can make your one pot taco macaroni and cheese extra fancy by going crazy with the toppings. You could add crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, green onions, avocado, chopped cilantro, pickled jalapeños, or diced tomatoes!

Storage. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

This makes dinner time super quick and easy, and there is minimal cleanup after dinner! I'm a huge fan of prepping as much ahead of time as I can, and this is a great recipe to take advantage of that.

One Pot Taco Macaroni and Cheese

Other easy dinner recipes to consider...

If you tried this Taco Macaroni and Cheese Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below.

One Pot Taco Macaroni and Cheese

One Pot Taco Macaroni and Cheese

An easy one-pot dinner where macaroni and cheese meets Taco night!
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6 -8 servings
Calories: 565kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 15 ounces tomato sauce
  • 10 ounces diced tomatoes with green chiles (like Rotel)
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 8 ounces elbow macaroni
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • chopped green onion for topping

Instructions

  • In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the ground beef over medium-high heat, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks.
  • Once browned, add the taco seasoning, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, corn, milk, and broth mixing well to combine.
  • Bring to a light boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Add the pasta, stirring well to combine.
  • Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until the pasta is cooked.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.
  • Serve topped with chopped green onions.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
  • This dish can be prepped ahead up until the point of adding the pasta. Then, when you are almost ready to eat dinner, you simply bring the mixture to a simmer, add the pasta, and cook until softened.

Nutrition

Calories: 565kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 816mg | Potassium: 766mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 823IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 365mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @greensnchocolate to let me know!
Need more ideas?Find all of my recipe pins @greenschocolate

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