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Taco Macaroni

4.75 from 4 votes

A cheesy one-pot Taco Macaroni made with lean ground beef, pasta, bell peppers, and taco seasoning. Quick, family-friendly, and perfect for busy weeknights with minimal cleanup.

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 35

Yield: 4 servings

Course: Dinner, main dish

Cuisine: mexican inspired, Mexican-American

Ingredients

¾ pound 93% lean beef
1 tablespoon taco seasoning (homemade or package)
½ cup yellow onion (chopped)
½ cup red bell pepper (chopped)
½ cup green bell pepper (chopped)
10 oz can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 ½ cups beef broth
½ cup milk
8 ounces macaroni (elbows, baby shells, etc (or gluten-free pasta))
1 cup Mexican blend cheese ( or Monterey jack cheese)

Instructions

Heat a large, deep skillet on medium high heat and add the beef and taco seasoning. Cook, breaking the meat up into small pieces until browned, 5-6 minutes. Add the onion and bell peppers; cook until aromatic; 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in the canned tomato and beef broth and bring to a boil. Add the macaroni and make sure to submerge pasta into the liquid.
Lower heat to medium-low and cover. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring halfway until the pasta is almost tender and the liquid is mostly absorbed.
Uncover, add the milk, and cook, covered stirring periodically medium-low until pasta is al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove from heat, uncover and add cheese. Stir to combine

Notes

Any short pasta that holds sauce would be good for this recipe, cooking times may slightly vary.

I found that protein pasta or bronze cut pasta doesn’t work as well for one pot pastas, protein pasta doesn’t have as much starch so the sauce ends up being much thinner. Bronze cut pasta has too much starch and comes out gummy.

Ground bison or ground turkey can also be used.

Nutrition

Serving: 1½ cups, Calories: 510kcal, Carbohydrates: 53.5g, Protein: 34g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 83mg, Sodium: 920mg, Fiber: 4.5g, Sugar: 7g

- WW Points: 11

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