Why You’ll Dig This Taco Pasta
It’s giving Tex-Mex Hamburger Helper but upgraded with lots of veggies and protein pasta. My wife and I both agreed this was a big hit of nostalgia as we worked our way through the leftovers all week long.
A handful of reasons to try this one:
- Cooking the veggies on their own (and in bigger pieces) makes feeding any picky eaters in the family a lot easier. You can make them their own veggie-free pasta or just let them work around the onions or whatever they don’t get along with.
- Only 440 calories for a 12.5-ounce serving size.
- 34g of protein to 14g of fat per serving (and can be modified to have less fat)
- 8g of fiber per serving
It’s also worth mentioning for long-time readers that this is a hugely upgraded version of one of my most popular recipes from way back in 2018 (taco pasta bake). If you like that recipe, I think you’ll dig this in a big way.
Ingredient Notes
I’m on a big Brami protein pasta kick at the moment. It’s a wheat pasta that’s bulked up with lupini beans, and it blows chickpea pasta out of the water.
That being said, the nutrition facts differences between plain ol’ wheat pasta and protein pastas are smaller than you might think. Feel free to use any pasta.
The remaining ingredients are all pretty standard fare. On the veggies front, you can plug and play with different peppers and leafy greens.
I’ve tested this recipe with bell peppers, poblano peppers (pictured above), serrano, and jalapeño peppers. I like to thinly slice serrano peppers to add a bit of heat, but you can seed and dice them if you prefer.
I always keep fire roasted corn in the freezer, but it’s nearing fresh corn season. Have fun!
A Final Word on Protein Pasta
If you DO like Brami and the extra protein/fiber that comes with it, you’ll want to check out some of my other recipes with it.
Tip: Big Batch = Big Pot
With all the veggies and twelve ounces of pasta, this recipe makes nearly five pounds of pasta! I recommend using a Dutch oven or your largest pot/pan so mixing everything together doesn’t create a big mess.
High Protein Taco Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 oz (dry) Pasta, I used Brami protein pasta fusilli
- 1 cup Reserved Pasta Water
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 White Onion, medium diced
- 2 Bell Peppers, medium diced
- 2 Serrano Peppers, thinly sliced (optional)
- 2 oz Baby Spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 cup (170g) Frozen Fire Roasted Corn
- 16 oz Extra Lean Ground Beef
- 1 packet Taco Seasoning
- 3 oz Asiago Cheese, finely grated (or cotija, parmesan, etc.)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil for the pasta. Start cooking the pasta once the veggies come out of the pan before step 3. Cook to al dente according to the instructions on the packaging. (I cook Brami pasta for 9-10 minutes.)
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and peppers. Toss to coat in the oil and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the veggies pick up some browning in spots and start to soften. Add the corn and spinach to the pan and cook until the spinach wilts and corn thaws, another 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the beef to the same pan and brown one side for 2-3 minutes before breaking apart and fully cooking. Add the taco seasoning and water to the beef and bring to a simmer. Keep warm until the pasta is ready.
- Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the rest. Add the beef and veggies to the cooked and drained pasta along with the cheese. Use the pasta water as needed to bring everything together and form a smooth sauce. (I used about 1/2 cup.)
- Garnish with additional asiago or queso fresco, freshly sliced peppers or cilantro, hot sauce, and a squeeze of lime, if desired.
