If you’re in need of a meal prep recipe, this taco pasta bake might be your new go to. It’s super simple to make, loaded with cheesy taco flavor, and has fantastic macros for a pasta recipe.
One serving of this taco pasta bake has 24 grams of protein with only 28 grams of carbs and 250 calories. The recipe makes nine servings, so you could feed the entire family for a few days or double up on servings and have a 500-calorie, protein-packed meal for four days. Needless to say, this is nacho average taco pasta bake.
K, I don’t think we need to taco bout it anymore. Let’s get down to business.
How to Make This Taco Pasta Bake
Like most of my recipes, this is another ultra simple recipe. You’ll need seven ingredients total, but two are seasonings and two are canned. Other than cooking some pasta and ground beef or meat of your choice, this taco pasta bake is pure assembly.
I’ll quickly run through the ingredients you might have questions about modifying.
Pasta
I used Banza Shells which are made from chickpeas. They’re much higher in protein and lower in carbs than traditional pasta. If you’ve never tried any of the chickpea or lentil pastas, this is the recipe to start with since the blend of textures more than accommodates for the difference.
You could use another brand of “protein pasta” like the Barilla Protein+ I used in my Italian Sausage and Veggie Pasta Bake.
Or if you’d rather go with a regular pasta or save some time, you could use something like the Barilla Ready Pasta I used in my Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta or frozen cauliflower gnocchi in my Italian ground turkey soup. You can pop it in the microwave for 60 seconds and be ready to roll.
Obviously switching from the Banza pasta to a traditional pasta will increase the carbs and slightly decrease the protein, that might not be a problem for your nutrition protocol. If you have the carbs, I say go for it!
Another pasta alternative might be chopped corn tortillas. My ground chicken taco casserole and beef enchilada casserole recipes fold in six chopped corn tortillas before topping with cheese. It’s pretty great!
Taco and Ranch Seasoning
I used a packet of taco seasoning to keep things simple. If you’d like to reduce the sodium a bit or use your own spice mixture, I’d highly recommend the spices from my low fat nachos.
And if you don’t have any ranch seasoning on hand, you could use a bit of garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, dill, and powdered buttermilk.
Cheese
While I wouldn’t recommend going all the way fat free with the cheese, you could certainly use less cheese than the recipe calls for to reduce the calories. I was able to fully coat the taco pasta bake with about 3/4 cup cheese and decided to make it extra cheesy with another 1/2 cup.
If you stopped at 3/4 cup, you’d save about 20 calories per serving. Doesn’t seem like much when I put it that way. Cheese it up.
Update 10/2019: If you want to seriously up the cheese game, you could incorporate queso into the mix like in my chicken fajita pasta bake recipe!
Okay, the full recipe is below. When you make this taco pasta bake, I’d love to see it. Snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @mason_woodruff or join my free Facebook group and share it with the proton party!
Easy Taco Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 1 lb 96/4 Ground Beef
- 1 packet Taco Seasoning
- 1 packet Ranch Dip Mix
- 10 oz can RO-TEL, or diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 15 oz can Pinto Beans, undrained
- 1 box, 8oz Banza Pasta Shells, or Barilla Ready Pasta to save time
- 1 1/4 C (140g Reduced Fat Mexican Cheese Blend
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 400F.
- Cook the pasta as directed unless you’re using something like Ready Pasta.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium high heat. Cook until no pink remains.
- Reduce the heat to low before adding the taco and ranch seasoning, RO-TEL, and pinto beans to the beef. (If you’d like a thicker pasta, drain the beans.) Stir well.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water and add the pasta to the taco mixture.
- Mix everything together before adding the mixture to an 8×8 baking dish or comparable dish. Top with shredded cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes. (Keep an eye on the cheese to avoid burning.)
Notes
- 1 serving has 6 Smart Points.
This is a staple dinner recipe in my house. Bonus, it makes enough for me to have lunch leftovers for the week!
Another great recipe! It’s great to have leftover the next morning with a runny egg!
I can’t count how many times I’ve made this and it just gets better every time. I have shared the recipe with countless friends after bringing it to pot lucks and parties! I’ve tried it with Banza (shells and other shapes) and with regular pasta, and both work great. I make it with regular diced tomatoes and black beans too. My additions are always Trader Joe’s frozen roasted corn and some chopped onion. I think subbing in black bean and corn salsa would be so good in here too! It’s so versatile. Thanks Mason!
This is by far the best & easiest taco back I’ve ever made & had. Made with a meat substitute & still amazing. My go-to for quick, easy, delicious meals. Makes enough for multiple meals.
I make this at least once a month for meal prep for the week. ITS SO GOOD. i never get tired of it
I have been looking for a healthy version of taco pasta for a long time. My kids love Taco Tuesday so I’m always looking for something to switch it up but keep with the taco theme. I made a little tweak to this one…I didn’t bake it. Instead of putting it in a baking dish and topping it with the cheese, I mix the cheese in while it’s on the stove top and serve it like that, like a taco mac & cheese. It’s so good! Everyone enjoys it and that’s not always easy to do in my family!
This recipe is a go to meal prep in my house! Super easy, healthy and loaded with nutrients. I always look forward to lunch or dinner when I make this meal!
This recipe is so easy and so good! It is a staple meal prep dish in my house. So filling and I always look forward to lunch or dinner when I have this meal to eat!
This taco bake is a STAPLE at my house! I have replaced ground beef with ground turkey for a more macro friendly dish. For more veggies, I’ve also added bell peppers, onions, spinach, and zucchini. Absolutely delicious!
This was a great recipe! Easy to make and delicious! My husband who is super picky even liked it! Will definitely make again. Thanks!