Cheesy Tex Mex Pasta

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on Last updated

15 Comments

5 from 5 votes
Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Cheesy Tex Mex Pasta made in ONE POT with seasoned ground beef, bell peppers, salsa, vegetables, and cheddar cheese with rigatoni pasta, ready in under 20 minutes!

Easy Mexican inspired recipes are my go-to on busy weeknights including QUICK Enchilada Sauce, Mexican Rice and my crazy popular Cheesy Taco Pasta!

Cheesy Tex Mex PastaCHEESY TEX MEX PASTA

Cheesy Tex Mex Pasta is savory, cheesy, and incredibly EASY to make in one pot in under 20 minutes. It’s perfect for a weeknight dinner, made with ground beef, taco seasoning, cheddar cheese, tomato sauce, and pasta. Plus it’s full of vegetables like bell pepper, black beans, corn, and salsa. You can use store-bought salsa, or freshly made salsa with my homemade Pico De Gallo. I also like to use my Homemade Taco Seasoning, because I usually make a big batch and have it leftover in the pantry.

HOW LONG DOES CHEESY TEX MEX PASTA KEEP?

This pasta will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, but will always be the best the day of. Make sure you store it in an airtight container to keep the pasta from drying out.

CAN YOU FREEZE CHEESY TEX MEX PASTA?

You can make this ahead of time and freeze it for a busy night. I recommend only cooking the pasta until it’s al dente, so it can finish cooking the rest of the way when it’s reheated. I would also leave the cheese out if you’re making this to freeze.

Defrost in the refrigerator the night before, then reheat in a large skillet, adding some extra broth as needed. Stir in the cheese before serving.

WHAT OTHER VEGGIES CAN YOU ADD?

  • Mushrooms
  • Jalapeños or poblano peppers
  • Peas
  • Kale
  • Spinach
  • Black olives

MORE EASY WEEKNIGHT PASTA RECIPES

TIPS FOR MAKING CHEESY TEX MEX PASTA

  • I’m using rigatoni pasta in this recipe, but you can use penne or any other noodle if that’s what you have.
  • I like to make this with ground beef, but you can also make it with ground chicken, turkey, or sausage. Or cut up leftover rotisserie chicken!
  • I always serve this with extra cheese and some fresh cilantro on the table.
  • If you want to make this extra crunchy, top with some crushed tortilla chips before serving.
  • You can make the cheese golden brown and bubbly by using an oven-safe skillet and broiling for 2-3 minutes. Watch closely, to make sure it doesn’t burn as the broiler is very hot.
  • Make this extra spicy by adding ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper, or make it smokey by adding some chipotle seasoning.
  • You can leave the pasta out of this dish entirely and replace it with rice, or serve the seasoned meat and vegetables with warm tortillas for a Tex Mex burrito bowl.

Tex Mex Pasta

Pin this recipe now to remember it later

Pin Recipe
Dinner, then Dessert

Cheesy Tex Mex Pasta

Cheesy Tex Mex Pasta made in ONE POT with seasoned ground beef, bell peppers, salsa, vegetables, and cheddar cheese with rigatoni pasta, ready in under 20 minutes!
Yield 8 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American/Mexican
Author Sabrina Snyder
Cheesy Tex Mex Pasta
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 cup onion diced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper diced
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 1 cup corn
  • 1 cup black beans
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese
  • 8 ounces cooked rigatoni pasta

Instructions

  • Add the canola oil, beef, onion and bell pepper to a large skillet and cook on medium-high until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
  • Add in the taco seasoning, beef broth, tomato sauce and salsa and cook until it thickens, 3-4 minutes.
  • Add in the corn, black beans, cheese and pasta and stir to combine.

Notes

Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 412kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 569mg | Potassium: 587mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 770IU | Vitamin C: 15.1mg | Calcium: 142mg | Iron: 2.7mg
Keyword: cheesy tex mex pasta

Want to save this recipe? Create a free account to easily save your favorite recipes

Tex Mex Pasta

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the upcoming cookbook: Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients which is being published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

Categories

Leave a comment & rating

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

    1. I typically use canned but you can use frozen too. I’d recommend rinsing it in a colander and letting it drain before adding it at the end. It will have a bit more bite to it. Enjoy!

      Reply

  2. This dish is amazing! I cooked it for my wife and children. Let’s just say there was no leftovers. Very, very good!

    Reply

    1. I’ve haven’t tested it like that yet but I don’t see why not. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turned out. Thanks!

      Reply

  8. This recipe was DELICIOUS!!! My family loved it! I will defiantly make it again. The next time I prepare this dish, I plan to serve it along side of tortilla chips. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

    Reply