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. If you’ve got leftover taco meat to use, you even get to skip a step! 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 FAQs
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.
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.
Taco Mac is a cheesy pasta dish generally made in one pan with common pantry staples. We take the comfort of your classic mac and cheese and mix it with the explosive flavor of your favorite taco dishes! These two family dinner favorites combine to make Taco Mac a huge hit with picky eaters, kids, and busy families.
How to Make Taco Mac with Leftover Taco Meat
If you already have a pound of taco meat prepared, you can skip the first step of this recipe. Go straight to Step #2 where you mix that seasoned taco meat with the milk, broth, Ro-Tel, and tomato sauce. No need to add more seasoning; the flavor in the meat will reach the noodles and sauce while it simmers.
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.
Storing Taco Mac and Cheese
- Fridge: Cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze cooled leftovers in a freezer-safe dish up to 3 months. The noodles will be softer, so consider cooking 1-2 minutes less if you are prepping this for the freezer.
- Reheating: If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge. Sprinkle your individual portion with a bit of water to keep it creamy, then microwave at 50% power in 1-minute increments. Stir between blasts until warmed throughout.
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.
Notes
- Cook time: I used Barilla gluten free elbows and my cooking time is exactly 18 minutes.
- Ro-Tel: If you’re not famliar with Ro-Tel, it’s canned chopped tomatoes with green chilies.
- This recipe yields 6 servings, approximately 1 1/2 cups per serving.
- Using leftover taco meat? Skip Step #1 and mix cooked taco meat with milk, tomato sauce, broth, and Ro-Tel (leaving out the taco seasoning).
Delicious!! Just love it! Thanks for sharing.
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.
Thanks for sharing! Taco night is back!
Looks like taco mac is going to become my new favorite comfort food!
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
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.
This was great! I used low sodium taco seasoning and broth and it was still big on flavor! Will be making this again!
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.
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! 🙂
So good! Easy, delicious. What could be better? It makes a ton, so I was able to share with family.
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.
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!
Can it be made in advance and then baked in the oven?
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?
Made this tonight for the family and was a success!! So easy and delicious thanks for sharing?
Will almond milk work in place of reg milk?
Hi Katina, yes it will. I hope you enjoy!
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.
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.
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.
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.