Cheesy Taco Pasta is easy to make and tastes like the Hamburger Helper you used to eat as a kid, except so much better. Try it tonight!
Hamburger Helpers are a nostalgic and crowd-pleasing boxed meal. I’ve made homemade versions, like this one, Bacon and Cheeseburger, Pepperoni Pizza, and Philly Cheesesteak for an elevated, but still easy, Pasta Dinner!
Sabrina’s Cheesy Taco Pasta Recipe
Cheesy Taco Pasta is my nod to the Hamburger Helper I grew up eating as a kid. This isn’t exactly the “crunchy taco hamburger helper,” I skipped adding the tortilla chips. However, the ooey-gooey meat and cheesy sauce are still the same, and with just a few ingredients! Plus, you can always add crushed tortilla chips to the top. Then you’ll really be reliving some awesome childhood Hamburger Helper memories.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound large shells pasta
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning , (or 1 packet)
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 cup jarred salsa
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Cook the shelled pasta according to the directions on the box and drain.
- Add the ground beef to the pan and brown well.
- Drain the fat.
- Add the taco seasoning and ¾ cup of water, stir and cook until water is gone.
- Add the pasta back into the pot with the salsa and cheese.
- Stir to combine.
- Serve immediately, preferably with crunchy tortilla chips (optional) on top.
Nutrition
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Table of contents
About this Recipe
If you love extra cheesy food, you’ll love this recipe! I added only a single cup of cheese, but you can add up to 2 cups of cheese. You could also just serve more cheese with other toppings, like tortilla strips, sour cream, and fresh tomatoes, so that everyone can add as much as they like.
Kitchen Tools and Ingredients
- Cast Iron Skillet: You want a big skillet, preferably 12 inches, that is a bit deep so that you can mix everything without losing any of that flavor you built searing the meat.
- Jarred Salsa: Using your favorite jarred salsa cuts the prep time down to just a couple of minutes, and the flavors are still outstanding. You could also use my Homemade Salsa Recipe for a more gourmet option.
- Taco Seasoning: Buy a packet of premade taco seasoning at the store, or use my Homemade Taco Seasoning recipe to make your own with common pantry spices.
Can I make It Ahead of Time?
You can cook the pasta recipe now and freeze it to enjoy at a later date. I’d skip adding the cheese and when you defrost it, use a cup of chicken or beef stock to revitalize the sauce. Then once warmed through add the cheese, mix and serve.
How to Store
- Store: After cooking, don’t leave this pasta recipe at room temperature for more than 2 hours. You can let the leftovers cool, then transfer them to an airtight container to keep fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: For another storage option, seal the recipe in a freezer bag and keep it frozen for up to 3 months. You can let it thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheat: You can reheat the cheesy pasta over medium-low heat on the stovetop, or in 30-second increments in the microwave. Add a splash of water or broth to keep the recipe from drying out, and stir as you reheat it.
Looking for more cheesy pasta dishes?
These photos were used in previous versions of this post.
Amazing recipe and very easy. I did add green chili’s to spice it up. Also I see a green herb that doesn’t look like cilantro, what herb is in the photo?
I just added parsley for the photo and presentation. Completely optional. Enjoy!
Is this a half pound of uncooked or prepared pasta?
uncooked 🙂
Subrina everything you fix looks sooo good. Thanks for being here.
Does it matter what type of salsa i use?
Nope, whatever you prefer. Enjoy!
Seriously, so good! Even leftover it’s great!
I’d love to receive the recipe for baked scallops. Sounds yummy
Here’s the link: https://dinnerthendessert.com/baked-scallops/
Super good base recipe. I didn’t have shell pasta, so I used elbow. Also, the first time I made it I realized IT IS best served right away. I needed a quick meal to whip up for lunch this morning, though, so I added some half and half and stirred the cooked pasta and cheese in before the liquid was all cooked up with the taco meat. It heated up nicely.
This was perfect! I used it as a base recipe to use the odds and ends in the fridge. The left over taco meat that wouldn’t make enough servings for round 2, added green pepper, onion, and cherry tomato to the recipe with the shell macaroni noodles that I had. Perfect way to reinvent the taco left overs, use up that remainder of salsa and sour cream. Its going into the menu rotation for sure!
I love it when it’s quick and tasty! thanks, especially helpful when kids are at home from school due to quarantine.
Didn’t have shell pasta so I used rotini. Super easy and quick. Even the 7 year old skeptic loved it!
This was absolutely delicious and easy to make! My only question is how many calories? It’s important for me to know how many calories I intake.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I do have nutritional facts at the bottom of the recipe card though they are an automated calculation. You may want to input it into your own counter to make sure it’s accurate.
Most EXCELLENT!!!!!
family ? loved it.
Perfect! Delicious, simple, and uses ingredients I always have on hand. I did the pasta and meat at the same time in separate pots and i was done in 25 minutes! Thank you!
Really good – my whole family loved it (and that doesn’t happen often). Next time, I may try fresh salsa (not from a jar) with diced tomatoes. I will definitely make this again. Thank you!!
I was wondering if you could cook this in the instapot, but not sure how? I am a beginner at using the instapot so don’t know conversions yet.
I’ve not tested it before. You might be able to find another recipe online using similar ingredients and use that as a guideline. Good luck!
any jars of salsa should you use for a family of 4? Thanks. Honey from N.Y.
I used 1 cup of jarred salsa for this recipe. Feel free to add more to your liking or if you plan on doubling the recipe.
Love how easy and quick this is! Used elbow macaroni, substituted a can of rotel tomatoes for the salsa, added garlic and topped the dish with sour cream! It was delicious!
Is it ONE cup or ONE jar of salsa? Thanks!
1 cup of salsa. Enjoy!
Made this last night. Super quick and easy with ingredients on-hand. Very YUMMY!
Super easy and delish! Used Velveeta shredded cheddar for that extra oomph! of cheesy goodness. I’m not a big fan of salsa but this recipe is so versatile. I only used a 1/2 jar.
Excellent recipe, I added a can of Rotel Tomatoes , Yum !!!
Just made this for dinner tonight and it is AMAZING! Always looking for fast easy meals. This is a hit! Used the Sargento 4 cheese Mexican blend instead of Cheddar
How much of this equals a serving?
1 cup
Just made this for dinner tonight and it is AMAZING! Always looking for fast easy meals. This is a hit! Used the Sargento 4 cheese Mexican blend instead of Cheddar.
Do you use mild…..medium or old cheddar ?
I used mild but you can use whatever you prefer. This recipe is very flexible.
No baking needed. Only needed 1 pan. Did not disappoint. Was delicious. To be honest was sceptical with lack of ingredients but it truly was good. Thank you
So glad you decided to give it a try, Nate. Thanks for the 5 stars.
Good sounding, making it as I type.
Unfortunately no baking temperature or size of baking dish.
Guess I’ll wing it.
It goes in one pot on the stove. You don’t bake it.
Made this was good … I used Velveeta cheese.. And elbow macaroni..
So easy, even with a crabby one-year-old on my hip! This was a hit with the little ones! Great use for my ultra-mild homemade salsa. I added a bit of frozen spinach to the sauce for some hidden nutrition. Then I decided to spoon the sauce over the noodles, like you would spaghetti (kid friendlier that way). We added shredded cheese, sliced black olives, sour cream, and crumbled corn chips on top. Awesome!
Glad you liked it! That’s some super cooking one handed juggling a little!
I made this last night but used ground chicken. So very good.
That’s a great swap, especially to lighten it up a bit. Happy you enjoyed!
Made tonight for supper- SO good! I thought about adding some cheddar cheese soup to the recipe, but it was perfect as is. So quick and easy, and full of flavor!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Alysha.
I made This for dinner tonight! It tastes amazing. I added a bit more water at the end to help the cheese melt nice and gooey – plus the pasta will soak up the liquid while it’s in the refrigerator. I also just used penne noodles and used about 3/4 of the box. I just added extra while mixing.
Yay! I am so glad it turned out well for you! Thank you so much for the review.
Awesome. Thanks for sharing you used penne. I was wondering if I could use that type of pasta as I have everything except for the large shells. I may still go buy them fof my first try on this recipe…but good to know it worked with another pasta. Love that it’s just a few simple ingredients.
Delicious! I accidentally used double the amount of pasta (I’m in Canada and failed to convert the measurements properly from pounds to grams) but it still turned out great! It made 5 large servings for me. Delicious meal prep! Will definitely make this recipe again in the future.
Haha guess there’s nothing wrong with doubling the recipe – more for you later! 🙂 Glad you liked it!
Very very good! Added 1/2 can refried beans and 1/2 cup sour cream. Family devoured it. Quick to make. Will make again but will double the recipe.
That sounds like some great additions! So glad you enjoyed!
Very very good. Made it as above but double all ingredients for larger batch.
Thanks for the review! This is a great recipe to double (or triple) for a crowd!!
Just made this tonight with the shells, ground Turkey, salsa and cheese with a packet of taco mix. It was really good. Next time I will add veggies and some beans.
So glad you liked it! Love that you lightened it up with Turkey.
I made a really tasty!!! pot of pasta penne with ground beef, cheese and salsa casera. Made per your instructions , I just had different ingredients available to me. To make a even larger dish, you can add corn or any other veggie you like!
It’s a family favorite – and yes, you can add lots of different veggies. It’s a great adaptable dish.
This is delicious and my family loved it!! I used a jar of black bean and corn salsa along with a jar of mild salsa. I omitted the water and just mixed in my taco seasoning in along with the salsa. This is definitely on my family’s menu!!
Made this tonight with ingredients I had on hand. Everybody liked it very much. I added some refried beans into the meat because I had no corn or bell peppers, came out fantastic! Love the fact that it is so versatile.
Very good and very simple! My kids don’t like tacos, but will happily eat this!
Fantastic! Thanks for the 5 stars Katy.
Do you use a whole box of shells? I know the recipe says 1/2 a pound but when I try to visualize that it seems like there would be a lot more meat than pasta.
I used 1/2 pound but feel free to adjust if you’d like more. Enjoy!
I have made this many times. I am not a fan of jarred salsa so I go to Chili’s and ask them for 2 cups of salsa (I double the recipe). It also freezes very well… which is why I double it.
I make something kind of like this but no salsa I brown the hamburger add some prego meat sauce a packet of taco seasoning mix in the large shells after boiling and put In a baking dish then spoon a mixture of sour cream and onion and chive cream cheese that you mix together before hand and top with cheddar cheese and bake it’s so good
Its really good. I dont drain the fat, there usually isnt that much, or not as much as you would believe. So I just leave that in there and add the seasonings and water. Comes out great. And this is from someone who DOESN’T like tacos lol.
I’m so glad you decided to try it then!
I’m not a fan of using ground meats. Could you substitute with something like chicken or can ot be eaten meatless?
Ground chicken would work. 🙂
You can substitute ground chicken or ground turkey for any recipe that calls for ground beef
You can use cubed meat instead of ground…kind doesn’t matter. Chicken, beef, and pork are all good.
Great my husband loves this
Just made it and thank yuh was easy and better than the box! I added sour cream too
This is a great recipe and quick. Thank you for posting.
Love this recipe! I added about a cup of sour cream to the dish itself, along with the salsa and cheese. So yummy! Thank you! This will definitely be a go-to dinner on busy evenings in our house!
Sounds delicious, Courtnee. Thanks for the 5 stars.
This was really good. I added onion to the ground beef while it was cooking. And used a 1/4 cup of taco seasoning. And garnished it with cilantro, green onions and sour cream. It was delicious.
Thanks for the 5 stars, Robert. So glad you enjoyed it.
I made this a couple nights ago and it was a big hit! I sautéed some red bell pepper and few cloves of minced garlic for extra flavor before adding the meat. I also added a little cumin, garlic powder, and coarse black pepper to the mix. I used half salsa and half picante sauce because it’s what was on hand and it turned out so tasty! Thanks for the recipe…we will be making this again!
It was good will be making this again we put sour cream on ours
Im serving this tonight on a bed of shredded lettuce. Maybe I’ll put warmed refried beans on the lettuce too. Thanks for a simple weeknite recipe!
Sounds delicious!