Taco Pasta Bake

A wooden spoon resting in a casserole dish of taco pasta.

4.96 from 24 votes

This cheesy Taco Pasta Bake is loaded with a saucy ground beef and bean mixture and baked until bubbly. A hearty, comforting casserole for a busy day.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Servings: servings

Calories: 511kcal

Author: Valerie Brunmeier

Ingredients

16 ounces dry pasta campanelle, fusilli, penne, rigatoni
1 ½ pounds ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
15 ounce can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix
15 ounce can black beans drained
4 ounce can diced green chiles
1 ½ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese divided
1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese divided
4 green onions chopped
¼ cup chopped cilantro for garnish
sour cream for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a large baking dish or lasagna pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large pot, boil pasta in salted water a couple minutes shy of the package directions.
Coat a large pan with nonstick cooking spray and place over MEDIUM heat. Cook the ground beef with onion and garlic, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks until it's no longer pink. Drain the grease from the pan and return it to the heat. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, taco seasoning mix, beans, and diced green chiles. Stir to combine and allow the mixture to come to a low boil. Reduce the heat to LOW and simmer for five minutes.
Drain the water from the pasta and return the cooked pasta to the pot it cooked in. Add the meat mixture and ½ cup of both the shredded Monterey jack and cheddar cheese (1 cup total). Mix well.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and green onions. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Remove from the oven.
Garnish the casserole with cilantro and serve with sour cream.

Video

Notes

Freezer Meal Instructions

Prepare the pasta mixture as directed and transfer it to a freezer-safe baking dish. Cover the dish tightly with heavy duty foil, crimping the edges tightly, and transfer the unbaked casserole to the freezer. I like to reserve the final layer of cheese to add just before baking.

To serve, thaw the casserole in the refrigerator overnight and remove it from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking to take the chill off. Top it with the final layer of shredded cheeses and bake the casserole as directed, increasing the time as necessary to heat it through if the casserole is still very cold when going in the oven.

Nutrition