One Pan Cheesy Taco Mac
One Pan Cheesy Taco Mac is an easy and delicious ground beef dinner recipe that my kids love. This is a simple one pan meal that doesn’t take a lot of prep work and can be on the table in under 30 minutes!
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This one pan dinner is made with simple ingredients you probably already keep stocked in your refrigerator and pantry. This is an easy hamburger helper style recipe that’s easy to make, comforting, and quick.
Taco Mac is made with ground beef, taco seasoning, onions, garlic, tomato sauce, Rotel, elbow macaroni, chicken broth, and shredded Colby Jack cheese.
If you like easy one pan pasta recipes, check out my Cheesy Chicken Taco Mac. This one has super similar flavors, but is made with a pound of chicken breasts.
Another hamburger helper style dinner my kids always love is my One Pan Cheeseburger Mac. This has all of the delicious flavors of a cheeseburger in a one pot dinner.
Ingredients
- Ground beef
- Onion, chopped
- Salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and dried cilantro
- Chicken broth OR beef broth
- Elbow macaroni
- Rotel (not drained)
- Tomato sauce
- Minced garlic
- Shredded Colby Jack cheese
- Milk
- Fresh or dried cilantro
Make One Pan Cheesy Taco Mac
To start making this super easy one pot dinner, heat a large skillet over medium-heat.
Add 1 lb of ground beef and a chopped onion to your skillet.
Season with salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and dried cilantro.
Once the ground beef is cooked through, add the minced garlic, elbow macaroni, chicken broth, Rotel, and a can of tomato sauce.
Stir everything together well and bring to a quick boil.
Once you see bubbles, turn the heat down to medium low.
Cover with a lid and cook for about 12 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Stir at least once about half way through to keep the pasta from sticking to the skillet.
Finally, add the shredded cheese and milk, stir, and let sit until the cheese is melted.
Serve One Pan Taco Mac
Once the cheese is melted, it’s time to eat! Top with fresh cilantro and serve. I like serving dinners like this one with an easy salad kit or vegetable for a side.
Tonight we had a Southwest Salad kit and it paired perfectly with the Taco Mac!
You will love this easy skillet dinner because it’s so easy to make, clean up is a breeze, and it can be on the table in 30 minutes!
This is an easy weeknight dinner that always has my kids coming back for seconds!
The leftovers reheat well for lunch the next day.
Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
- I like shredding the cheese from a block of Colby Jack cheese for a better melting consistency.
- I like using the blend of seasonings for taco flavored dishes, but you could use any of your favorite taco seasonings/packets instead of the homemade blend.
- Topping this dish with some fresh cilantro gives the dish some freshness, but you could even top it with chopped green onions or any of your favorite taco toppings.
- I used 1 lb of ground beef, but you could use 1 lb of chicken breast cut into cubes instead. Check out my Cheesy Chicken Taco Mac recipe for full instructions.
- I did not drain the can of Rotel.
- Chicken broth OR beef broth can be used in this recipe. I typically keep chicken broth stocked, so that is what I used.
Similar Recipes
- Cheesy Chicken Taco Mac
- One Pan Cheeseburger Mac
- One Pan Chili Mac
- Beef Stroganoff
- Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Mac
- One Pan American Goulash
- Cheesy Hamburger Helper
If you make this one pan Taco Mac, I hope you love it! If you like the recipe please leave me a comment or save this recipe to your Pinterest account.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp each of cumin, garlic powder, and dried cilantro
- 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
- 2 1/2 cups of elbow macaroni
- 10 oz can of Rotel not drained
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 cups of shredded Colby Jack cheese
- 1/3 cup of milk
- Fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-heat. Add the ground beef and a chopped onion.
- Season with salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and dried cilantro.
- Once the ground beef is cooked through drain any excess grease, add the minced garlic, elbow macaroni, chicken broth, Rotel, and a can of tomato sauce.
- Stir everything together well and bring to a quick boil.
- Once you see bubbles, turn the heat down to medium low. Cover with a lid and cook for about 12 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Stir at least once about half way through to keep the pasta from sticking to the skillet.
- Finally, add the shredded cheese and milk, stir, and let sit until the cheese is melted. Serve and top with fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- I like shredding the cheese from a block of Colby Jack cheese for a better melting consistency.
- I like using the blend of seasonings for taco flavored dishes, but you could use any of your favorite taco seasonings/packets instead of the homemade blend.
- Topping this dish with some fresh cilantro gives the dish some freshness, but you could even top it with chopped green onions or any of your favorite taco toppings.
- I used 1 lb of ground beef, but you could use 1 lb of chicken breast cut into cubes instead. Check out my Cheesy Chicken Taco Mac recipe for full instructions.
- I did not drain the can of Rotel.
- Chicken broth OR beef broth can be used in this recipe. I typically keep chicken broth stocked, so that is what I used.
Didn’t change a thing and was delicious! Doubled it for the grown men in my family and glad I did. They’re big eaters but left just enough for leftovers. Saved this and will be making it again and again I suspect!
So happy to hear that! Thank you!
Fantastic! Added a bell pepper with the onion. And had to use normal spaghetti sauce instead of canned. I also added some cream cheese and pepper jack cheese with almond milk in the end. it was delicious! Will make again!
Those additions sound awesome. Glad you liked it!
Does this freeze well?
I haven’t tried freezing this recipe, so I can’t say for sure how it would freeze.
This freezes very well. I have made it twice and doubled the recipe each time for freezer meals for my daughter!
Love to hear that!
Our new family favorite!
And to get 3 teenagers to unanimously agree on a meal is basically unheard of!!
That is awesome to hear! Thank you!
Delicious! I’ve made several of your recipes and they are always fabulous. Fast, and with ingredients I typically have on hand. My 3 year old granddaughter also loved it!
So happy to hear that! Thank you!
Family favorite
I use protein pasta for added protein
absolutely love this recipe
Made it tonight – really good, thank you! Served with a dab of sour cream on top. 🙂
I’m so glad you liked the recipe! Thank you!
This recipe was so easy and very good. I will definitely make this again!
I made this for dinner tonight. So simple and delicious! I used Barilla protein pasta instead of macaroni. Other than that I followed the recipe. Will be adding this to the rotation, especially for lunch prep.
Amazing recipe! I tweaked it a little by using a can of red enchilada sauce, instead of tomato sauce. I also only had shells on hand instead of elbows, but pasta is pasta! Oh, while cooking, I also ordered your Cook Book. I’m looking forward to having paper copies.
That’s so great to hear! I appreciate you!
Delicious and super easy! Love the minimal clean up. I made this with ground turkey instead of beef, shredded cheddar and pepper jack cheese (no Colby on hand) and it was still so good! Next time I think I’ll add sour cream on top!
just made it tonight exactly like the recipe. It was a hit. No Leftovers and my kids were asking when I can make it again.
That is awesome to hear! Thank you!
I’d love to know the breakdown of the meal. Carb, fats and proteins.
My 9-year-old, the pickiest eater alive just gave this a 1000/1000! Absolutely delicious. Thanks for making me the “Meal Dad” hero!
That is so awesome to hear! Thank you!
Anything that gives me nostalgia from childhood and is relevant now is on repeat at my house. Bonus if my kids like it. Who doesn’t love a modern hamburger helper for a MidWeek quick dinner!