This Easy Taco Bake is a pasta dish that tastes just like a taco! It’s a Mexican meets Italian easy dinner that can easily be made ahead of time and freezes great. Also a good way to use leftover taco meat.

Easy Taco Bake - A pasta dish that tastes like a taco! the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

TACO BAKE RECIPE

People always assume that I’m this fantastic gourmet chef and always have been. The truth is that I was a horrible cook. Eating, yes, I have always been good at that. But the actual cooking – not so much.

It’s like people assuming that just because you have a lot of kids you’re a wonderful parent. That is also not true, unfortunately. But with practice comes experience and just like knowing when your butter is browned and not burnt, you also learn to predict the triggers of a 2-year-old’s tantrums.

Easy Taco Bake - A pasta dish that tastes like a taco! the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

I appreciate this Easy Taco Bake for its simplicity and down home tastiness. My kids loved this Taco Pasta so I knew this version would go over well and a great switch up to Taco Tuesday. A lot of meals can be overly fussy and complicated and this one will be a family staple I promise. It freezes great too!  Easy Taco Bake - A pasta dish that tastes like a taco! the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

OTHER PASTA OPTIONS

You can use any short pasta that you have on hand for this recipe. Penne, rigatoni, farfalle, or ziti would all work.

MIX IT UP

You can add a can of cornblack beans, sliced peppers, or black olives to this to mix it up.

FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS:

Prepare recipe according to directions up until baking. Freeze at this point. To eat after freezing: thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake covered in the oven for 25-35 minutes or until hot.

OTHER TACO RECIPES:

Easy Taco Bake - A pasta dish that tastes like a taco! the-girl-who-ate-everything,com

Easy Taco Bake

4.34 from 27 votes
This Easy Taco Bake is a pasta dish that has all the flavor of a taco! It can easily be made ahead of time and freezes great.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce, (you can sub spaghetti sauce if you like)
  • 1-1/4 oz. package taco seasoning mix
  • 3 cups elbow macaroni, cooked, (or any short pasta)
  • 1 (8 oz) container sour cream
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • Garnish: chopped green onions or cilantro

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 13"x9" baking dish.
  • Brown beef in a skillet over medium heat; drain. Stir in tomato sauce and seasoning mix. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Combine cooked macaroni, sour cream and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese in a large bowl. Add the beef mixture to the macaroni mixture and stir to combine.
  • Spoon macaroni mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese.
  • Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with chopped green onions for garnish.

Notes

Freezing Instructions: Prepare recipe according to directions up until baking. Freeze at this point. To eat after freezing: thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake covered in the oven for 25-35 minutes or until hot.
Source: Renae Scheiderer from Gooseberry Patch
Cuisine: Mexican
Course: Main Course

easy taco bake

This Easy Taco Bake is a pasta dish that tastes just like a taco. It can easily be made ahead of time and freezes great. #easy #taco #bake #recipe