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
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.
my whole family loved this! I made it exactly the way the recipe calls. Will be making again.
I have made this dish several times, was a hit everytime. it is super easy, quick with minimal ingredients.
Only recipe I use. The family loves it! Thank you
Very tasty and easy to cook.
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!
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❤️
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!
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.
Best recipe ever
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!
Can you freeze this?
This is my go to quick meal. My family loves it. I follow the recipe as written. Yummy.
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.
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!
Can I use evaporated milk?
I have not tried that but I imagine it would work.
This looks like the perfect weeknight dinner solution – simple, delicious, and gluten-free!
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 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 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!
Loved this recipe. Thanks for sharing. I used heavy whipping cream instead of milk and the sauce was so thick and creamy.