Taco Macaroni
This easy Taco Mac recipe is a quick, one-pan, 30-minute meal packed with taco meat, noodles and cheese! Perfect for busy weeknights and family dinners.
Every family has their go-to busy weeknight dinner, and I’m excited to share ours with you! With over 600 ratings full of quotes like “A total win with everyone at our dining room table!” and “Perfect family dish that my tots loved,” it’s clear that we’re not the only ones gushing over this easy one-pan pasta. I’ve tested and tweaked this to work with easy-to-find pantry staples, but I’ve also included tons of tips for how to add veggies, change the protein, or adjust the recipe according to your needs. It’s going to be a gamechanger for those lazy nights when you want to skip the fuss!
Taco Mac Recipe Ingredients
The best part about this recipe is that it is made in one pan! The second best thing is that the ingredients are so basic. This recipe has mostly pantry staples you probably keep handy.
- Ground beef or ground turkey
- Elbow noodles (I use Barilla gluten-free)
- Beef or chicken broth
- Canned tomatoes with green chilies
- Milk
- Tomato sauce
- Taco seasoning
- Cheddar cheese
How to Make Taco Mac
Just five simple steps give you an easy one pan pasta dish that has all the flavor of tacos! Top with any of your favorite fixings like avocado, sour cream or hot sauce!
Here are the basic steps to making taco mac and cheese:
- In a large skillet, brown the ground meat over medium heat.
- Add the undrained can of tomatoes with green chilies, broth, milk, tomato sauce and taco seasoning.
- Increase heat to medium high until the mixture begins to simmer.
- Stir in the noodles and reduce the heat to low. Cover and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes.
- When the noodles are tender, stir in the shredded cheddar cheese.
Taco Mac Variations
Can I Make This Vegetarian?
I’m sure you can! I’d recommend omitting the meat and adding a drained can of beans in its place (perhaps two cans, depending on how chunky you want your taco mac ‘n’ cheese). You’d also need to use veggie broth instead of beef broth.
Can I Omit the Milk?
Yes, you can replace it with another liquid if desired. Keep in mind that the milk helps make the taco mac ultra creamy, so your pasta won’t turn out as thick without it.
Tips for Making Taco Mac and Cheese
- If you don’t have elbow pasta on hand, you can use another short, sturdy pasta instead.
- I prefer making this recipe with cheddar cheese, but another sharp cheese will work. Think: Monterrey Jack, Pepper Jack, or a Mexican cheese blend.
- This recipe can easily be made gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta.
- Pair it with a skinny keto margarita!
Storing Taco Mac and Cheese
Allow your taco mac to cool completely, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3-4 days. For convenient lunches, I recommend storing individual servings separately, then drizzling a little bit of water over it just before reheating to keep it ultra creamy. Microwave at 50% power, stirring between 1-minute increments until warmed throughout.
More Recipes To Try
- Chili Mac And Cheese
- Hash Browns
- Crack Chicken
- Cheesy Rice Recipe
- Creamy Chicken Soup
- Taco Mac
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Fig Bars
Get the Recipe: Taco Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey or beef
- 1 10 ounce can Ro-Tel, undrained
- 1 cup broth, chicken or beef broth
- 1 cup milk
- 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 1 ounce package taco seasoning
- 1 1/2 cup elbow noodles, I use Barilla gluten free elbows
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the ground turkey or ground beef over medium heat. Drain off any grease.
- Add the undrained can of Ro-Tel, broth, milk, tomato sauce and taco seasoning.
- Increase heat to medium high until the mixture begins to simmer.
- Stir in noodles and reduce heat to low, cover and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes.
- When noodles are tender, stir in shredded cheddar cheese.
Thank you for a great recipe! This could not have been easier to make! And it was delicious! My 1 and a half year old and picky 3 year old both gobbled it up so it will be added to the rotation! Only change I made was using heavy whipping cream instead of milk since I was running low on milk and needed to save it for the kiddos! Haha. Turned out perfect and super creamy!
What a wonderful recipe thank you so much for sharing!
This was absolutely delicious and couldn’t have been easier. Thank you for the great recipe!
This is exactly the kind of meals that my kids LOVE. I can’t wait to put this in the rotation.
What a great recipe! I have to put this on my menu!
My family would LOVE this!! The perfect weeknight meal!!
Yummy! I think my whole family will love this dish!
A total win with everyone at our dining room table!
This was amazing! Followed the recipe, except I used dairy-free products and added some black beans! Everyone loveddd….
Hi Chelsea! I am so glad!! I have a Chili Mac version of this recipe too your family might enjoy that one too! You just can’t beat a one pan meal can you?! 🙂
I added some cream cheese to this to make it even creamer and extra rotel! Next time I make this I’m be adding something to give it a little spice and it’ll be perfect!
Perfect family dish that my tots loved! Thank you!
Looks great!! Seems like a great way to use up left over taco meat. I am adding both tacos and this to the menu. I love when I can cook meet for two days meals at once. Thanks for sharing
Made this last night after searching for ground turkey recipes. I measured each bowl into 1 cup portions for each of us, and we were so stuffed. Super easy and delicious! This will definitely be added into our meal rotation!
Do I cook the noodles first?
Kim, no you do not.
Great recipe! I added black beans and it worked!
Loooks like it’ll fit right into our menus! Thanks!
This looks both easy and tasty. Perfect for a quick dinnner
Thanks Gina! We love it!
This was so simply and yummy! I followed the recipe to a tee and was so pleased, I will definitely be making it again!
Thanks Jess! I’m so glad your family enjoyed it!
can you use vegetable broth instead?
Hi Chesni, sure that would work too!
is this good reheated the next day?
Yes, this is great for meal prep.
This looks very easy and very tasty
What would be the cook time if I tried this in my Instapot? This was amazing on the stovetop but our IP browns the meats and cooks the pasta so much better! Thank You ?
Can I omit the milk?
Kristel you can replace it with another liquid if you wish, but the milk does help make the dish creamy.
Thanks for the recipe idea!! I did however give it a big twist!!
I added: onion, garlic, frozen corn, goat cheese along with the cheddar cheese. I also added a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar and some hot sauce to the sauce.
I love this recipe, I have made it several times, turns out everytime. It’s quick, minimal ingredients, and taste great as left overs. This is a great staple, with alot of flavor.
So I made a few adjustments to accommodate or family needs: added mushrooms and green peppers subbed out the milk for coconut milk, subbed out the cheese for goat cheese, added cumin, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper separately, instead of store bought “taco seasoning”. It was absolutely stellar thank you for the idea.
This was very good. I altered it a little because I used what I had on hand which was diced tomatoes, green peppers & onion & mozzarella cheese & it was still yummy.
Will almond milk work in place of reg milk?
Hi Katina, yes it will. I hope you enjoy!
Made this tonight for the family and was a success!! So easy and delicious thanks for sharing?
Such a great recipe that can be changed up in so many ways! Thank you for such a great idea to work with!! God bless?
Can it be made in advance and then baked in the oven?
New favorite recipe!
How do you get these one pan recipes not to burn to the bottom when you put the lid on!?
Hi Jennifer, thanks so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed this. I have not had an issue with the bottom layer burning, however next time just open midway through the cooking time and give it a quick stir, that should prevent any issues. Enjoy!
My wife and I love this recipe. I’ve made it twice in about a month. We’re always looking for good gluten free recipes and this is one we’ll keep making.
So good! Easy, delicious. What could be better? It makes a ton, so I was able to share with family.
Hi Annie, this recipe is incredible and SO easy! My whole family asked for seconds, and they already want to know when I’m making it again. I can’t thank you enough for sharing it! 🙂
We enjoyed this easy to prepare recipe. I will make a couple of tweaks next time to suit our taste but we were definitely pleased. My daughter made the comment that the hamburger mixture would be perfect for nachos and I totally agree with her.
This was great! I used low sodium taco seasoning and broth and it was still big on flavor! Will be making this again!
Do you have any tricks to get the noodles to cook through all the way?? I’ve made it twice now and they have come out still a little raw. Thanks!
Mariah, no this pasta is never undercooked for me. Your altitude and many other things could come into play, just cook an additional 1-2 minutes until the pasta is cooked to your liking.
OMG, just looking at those photos makes me crave Taco Mac. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us. I’ll give this a try tomorrow. I’m hoping the final outcome will be yummy. Wish me luck haha
Looks like taco mac is going to become my new favorite comfort food!
Thanks for sharing! Taco night is back!
This dish was really good and easy to make. I cheated and used my Instant Pot. I added a can of diced chilies, dash of chili powder, increased the pasta to 2 cups and added additional 1-1.5 cups of beef broth. Thanks for a yummy recipe.
Delicious!! Just love it! Thanks for sharing.
Loved this recipe. Thanks for sharing. I used heavy whipping cream instead of milk and the sauce was so thick and creamy.
I absolutely loved this recipe! All of the ingredients were inexpensive, maybe around $10, and the directions made it super easy to make. It was a bonus that it took less than 30 minutes. It was totally delicious & we’re definitely making it again! Thank you for this great dish!
This recipe looks so good! Nice twist of mac and cheese and tacos! Going to have to try this one for sure! Thanks for the recipe!
I am so much in love with pasta that the sight of it makes me drool. But I cannot have pasta everyday due to too much of gluten in them. However, this recipe was of great help and the taste of this pasta is incredible to be honest.
This looks like the perfect weeknight dinner solution – simple, delicious, and gluten-free!
Can I use evaporated milk?
I have not tried that but I imagine it would work.
I made this for my family last night and everyone loved it! I was anticipating a large amount of leftovers, as there are only 3 people in my family, but we ate all of it. I can’t wait to make this again. It is definitely a new family favorite. Thank you!
This recipe just made it to the top of my ‘must-try’ list! The combo of tacos and mac in one pan sounds like a game-changer.
This is my go to quick meal. My family loves it. I follow the recipe as written. Yummy.
Can you freeze this?
We made this but added diced bell peppers and onions and subbed a can of enchilada sauce for the tomato sauce and it was a little spicier but so good! this was very popular in my house and easy enough for my partner to make while I was at work. I’m definitely adding it to my meal rotations, thank you!
Best recipe ever
Good recipe! I used rotini, added a bit of onion and also omitted the broth in favor of salsa (no chunks). I served it with lettuce, sour cream and pico de gallo and my kids loved it! Very versatile dinner.
Can I add black beans or red beans to this recipe for extra fiber/protein?
Absolutely, add them when you add the canned tomatoes; just be sure to drain and rinse first. Enjoy!
I love this easy recipe I made it once and double it cause my husband has a big family, but one would’ve been more than enough! I add ranch style beans into the mix and it so good I also added red onions too! It’s his is perfect for meal prepping and yummy family meals topped off with the sour cream and chives, it hits the spot!! Thanks for sharing your recipe❤️
Super easy to make! Love that it truly is a one pot meal. I make my own taco seasoning instead of using a packet. We’ve made this twice now, the first time followed the recipe 100%, this time we added a can of black beans. Yum!
Very tasty and easy to cook.
Only recipe I use. The family loves it! Thank you
I have made this dish several times, was a hit everytime. it is super easy, quick with minimal ingredients.
my whole family loved this! I made it exactly the way the recipe calls. Will be making again.
This is a “go to” recipe for us! It’s awesome when feeding a larger bunch!! And it’s a crowd pleaser every single time!!
We love this recipe !