Twirly Taco Pasta Skillet

My boys love “tacaroni.”

They have for years. And this is my skillet hack version of the “tacaroni” that they love!

This is very much a “homemade hamburger helper” kind of meal. And it’s amazing! If you’ve never cooked a skillet meal from scratch like this, please let me teach you. I survive the busy-madness with these kinds of quick and easy meals.

Let me describe it, or you could watch the video below.

1. Brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic.
2. Stir in the canned goodies and combine and warm it all up together.
3. Mix in the pasta, then stir in the liquid.
4. Cover and let the pasta soak up the liquid.
5. Remove from heat quickly, so pasta doesn’t turn to mush.

And just like that, you have this amazing pile of delicious-ness ready for your table…

And yes…below is the new long handled wooden measuring spoon that I’ve been obsessing over this past month. It’s part measuring spoon (it’s flipped upside, so you can’t see it the 1 Tbsp marking) and it’s part wooden spoon.

ADORE.

(You can get your set from Utensi here.)

And if you’ve never made a skillet dinner like this, you’ll want to watch me cook this (recorded live on Facebook)…

Print Recipe

Twirly Taco Pasta Skillet

Also known as taco-roni!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: twirly taco pasta skillet

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 Tbsp minced onion
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 15 os can crushed tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp taco seasoning
• 12 oz rotini pasta noodles
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• Salt and pepper
• Shredded cheese or sour cream, for garnish
• Fresh veggies, as side dish

Instructions

• Open, drain, and rinse the black beans.
• In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the minced onion and garlic powder. Drain and return to skillet.
• Stir in the drained black beans, crushed tomatoes, taco seasoning, salt, and pepper. Bring to bubbling in the skillet.
• Stir in the rotini pasta noodles with the chicken stock. (You could use beef stock or water, if preferred.)
• Bring to bubbling again, then cover and let pasta cook for 10 minutes, or al dente. Immediately remove from heat, so the pasta doesn't over cook.
• Prepare veggies for side dish.
• Serve Swirly Taco Pasta Skillet with shredded cheese or sour cream garnish and fresh veggies.

Pin all of our 31 Days of FreezEasy Meals here!

Erin’s Personal Recommendations for FreezEasy Meal Supplies:

• Freezer Bags, gallon size
• Freezer Bags, 2 gallon size
• Disposable 9×5 Loaf Pans or Reusable Silicon Freezer Safe/Oven Safe Loaf Pans
• Disposable 9×13 Aluminum Foil Pans or Reusable Silicon Freezer/Oven Safe 9×13 Pan (I’d recommend using a baking sheet with this one when cooking!)
• Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
• Melamine Mixing Bowls with pouring spout, 3 ct. set (3 qt., 2 qt., and 1 1/2 qt.)
• Dishwasher safe Cutting Boards, set of 4

See all of our 31 Days of FreezEasy Meals here!

Other 31 Days of Series to check out:

• 31 Days of 5-Ingredient Meals
• 31 Days of 31-Minute Dinners
• 31 Days of Breakfast Recipes
• 31 Days of Budget Friendly Paleo Recipes
• 31 Days of Chili, Soups & Stews
• 31 Days of Freezer Cooking Recipes
• 31 Days of Gluten Free Meals
• 31 Days of Grilling Recipes
• 31 Days of Healthy Snacks
• 31 Days of Holiday Sweets & Treats
• 31 Days of Rotisserie Chicken Recipes
• 31 Days of School Lunchbox Ideas
• 31 Days of Skillet Dinner Recipes
• 31 Days of Slow Cooker Meals
• 31 Days of Summer Slow Cooker Meals

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