Creamy, cheese, hearty, and delicious this Instant Pot Taco Pasta recipe is just what you need on a busy weeknight! This recipe is seriously one of the most simple dinner recipes ever!
All the flavors of a taco in an easy one-pot pasta dish that the whole family will love. It takes less than 30 minutes to make! Garnish with your favorite taco toppings for a quick and family-friendly dinner option!
Jump to:
- So what is taco pasta?
- Ingredients required to make this dish (Measurement is given in recipe card below)
- How to make Instant pot taco pasta? Step by step process –
- Notes, pro-tips, and quick FAQ –
- If you are looking for some more one-pot Mexican recipes like this, then, check out my other recipes –
- Instant pot taco pasta
- Video
Who doesn’t like that kind of dish which comes together in no time and that too in one pot with your favorite ingredients?
We all love a one-pot meals right, especially during busy weeknights!
Tacos are always a hit with both kids and adults. This recipe is a unique way to get your meal done with minimal work and with your favorite ingredients.
The beauty of making taco pasta in the instant pot is everything cooks together in one pot – even the pasta gets cooked in the same pot.
How cool is that!
So what is taco pasta?
It is a dish made with pasta of your choice, salsa, beans, some vegetables, and taco-inspired seasonings. It is the seasoning and salsa that gives the overall Mexican flavor and vibe to this dish.
Taco Pasta is a combination of most of the families’ two favorite cuisines – Mexican and Italian! Combining these two in one ultimate dish is a great idea!
It has everything you are looking for in a hearty main dish! It is filling, quick, and easy to make.
Perfect for potlucks, gatherings, and any family occasion, this dish will surely be something to rave about!
While Taco Pasta is delicious as is, it’s even tastier with some toppings.
You can add as many toppings as you like to get that loaded taco experience but in pasta form.
Whatever you like on regular tacos will go well with this dish. Below are our favorites:
- ripe, thinly diced avocado (or guacamole)
- fresh diced cilantro and green onions greens
- sour cream
- some tortilla chips.
Ingredients required to make this dish (Measurement is given in recipe card below)
- Rotini pasta
- Canned black beans (Drain all the liquid from can)
- Corn
- Bell peppers
- Jalapenos
- Onion
- Grated garlic
- Salsa
- Salt
- Taco seasoning
- Oil
- Cheese
- Water
How to make Instant pot taco pasta? Step by step process –
Turn on the normal saute button of the instant pot. When the display screen says hot, add oil, garlic, onions, bell peppers, and corn. Saute for a minute. (Photo 1 to 4)
Now add salt and taco seasoning. Mix everything well. (Photo 5)
Add 1 cup water and deglaze the pot very well. Make sure there’s nothing stuck at the bottom. (Photo 6)
Add remaining one cup of water, pasta and black beans. Do not stir but press slightly so that pasta is under the liquid. (Photo 7 )
Now add salsa. Spread the salsa little bit. BUT DONT STIR. (Photo 8)
Close the pot with its lid. Press the manual/ pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes, with the pressure valve in the sealing position. (photo 9 and 10)
Once cooking time is done, carefully quickly release all the pressure. (Photo 11)
Open the pot and add in the grated cheese and close the pot with a glass lid or plate for a couple of minutes until the cheese melts. (Photo 12)
Stir the melted cheese with the pasta.
Top taco pasta with cilantro, avocado, sour cream and serve with tortilla chips. Yum!
You can Pair Taco Pasta with a big salad like –
Notes, pro-tips, and quick FAQ –
- Be careful when substituting different kinds of pasta. Cooking time and water ratio will depend on the type of pasta you use. Elbow macaroni, small pasta shells, and rotini cooks quickly so it works well in this taco pasta. However, if you use larger noodles, it may take a bit longer and may require more water/liquid to cook through.
- To make the recipe more healthy, use whole wheat pasta, as it is higher in protein and nutrients than regular white pasta. The cooking time and water ratio will change in this case.
- We like well-cooked pasta. If you like al-dente pasta, cook it for 3 minutes instead of minutes.
- Depending on the taco seasoning you use, you may need to adjust the seasoning at the end, so just give the dish a taste and adjust seasonings as needed. I have used McCormick brand taco seasoning.
- You can also make this Cheesy Taco Pasta as cheesy as you’d like. If you want your pasta to be cheesy I suggest 1.5 cups of cheese instead of ⅕ cup.
- I added Colby jack cheese, you can also use a Mexican blend cheese mix or cheddar cheese.
- To make it Dairy Free omit the cheese.
- Use a hot salsa and more jalapenos to make it extra spicy. And to make it mild, skip the jalapenos.
- You can substitute salsa with diced tomatoes.
How to store:
This one-pot recipe stays fresh in the refrigerator for days. Cool it completely and store it in an airtight container.
It Freezes well too. If you are planning to freeze it, don’t add cheese. Let the pasta cool down completely, store it in airtight freezer containers. It stays good for up to 2 months.
When you are ready to eat, take out from the freezer, let it come to room temperature, and warm it in the microwave or a pan. Add cheese before serving and mix.
If you are looking for some more one-pot Mexican recipes like this, then, check out my other recipes –
★ Have you tried this recipe? We’ll love your feedback, Please click on the stars in the recipe card below to rate and leave your feedback in the comment box below.
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Instant pot taco pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz. – Rotini pasta see notes
- ½ cup – Canned black beans (Drain all the liquid from can)
- ½ cup – Corn (Used frozen, you can use fresh too)
- ½ cup – Bell peppers chopped (I used red and green, use whatever is available)
- 1 tablespoon – Jalapenos chopped (See notes)
- ½ cup – Onion
- ½ tablespoon – Grated garlic
- 1 cup – Salsa
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon – taco seasoning
- 1.5 tablespoon – Oil
- ½ cup – Cheese See notes
- 2 cups – Water
Instructions
- Turn on the normal saute button of the instant pot. When the display screen says hot, add oil, garlic, onions, bell peppers, and corn. Saute for a minute.
- Now add salt and taco seasoning. Mix everything well.
- Add 1 cup water and deglaze the pot very well. Make sure there’s nothing stuck at the bottom.
- Add remaining one cup of water, pasta, and black beans. Do not stir but press slightly so that pasta is under the liquid.
- Now add salsa. Spread the salsa little bit. BUT DONT STIR.
- Close the pot with its lid. Press the manual/ pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes, with the pressure valve in the sealing position.
- Once cooking time is done, carefully quickly release all the pressure.
- Open the pot and add in the grated cheese and close the pot with a glass lid or plate for a couple of minutes until the cheese melts.
- Stir the melted cheese with the pasta.
- Top taco pasta with cilantro, avocado, sour cream and serve with tortilla chips. Yum!
Video
Notes
- Be careful when substituting different kinds of pasta. Cooking time and water ratio will depend on the type of pasta you use. Elbow macaroni, small pasta shells, and rotini cooks quickly so it works well in this taco pasta. However, if you use larger noodles, it may take a bit longer and may require more water/liquid to cook through.
- To make the recipe more healthy, use whole wheat pasta, as it is higher in protein and nutrients than regular white pasta. The cooking time and water ratio will change in this case.
- We like well-cooked pasta. If you like al-dente pasta, cook it for 3 minutes instead of minutes.
- Depending on the taco seasoning you use, you may need to adjust the seasoning at the end, so just give the dish a taste and adjust seasonings as needed. I have used McCormick brand taco seasoning.
- You can also make this Cheesy Taco Pasta as cheesy as you’d like. If you want your pasta to be cheesy I suggest 1.5 cups of cheese instead of ⅕ cup.
- I added Colby jack cheese, you can also use a Mexican blend cheese mix or cheddar cheese.
- To make it Dairy Free omit the cheese.
- Use a hot salsa and more jalapenos to make it extra spicy. And to make it mild, skip the jalapenos.
- You can substitute salsa with diced tomatoes.
- Use vegetable stock instead of water for more flavors.
How to store:
This one-pot recipe stays fresh in the refrigerator for days. Cool it completely and store it in an airtight container. It Freezes well too. If you are planning to freeze it, don’t add cheese. Let the pasta cool down completely, store it in airtight freezer containers. It stays good for up to 2 months. When you are ready to eat, take out from the freezer, let it come to room temperature, and warm it in the microwave or a pan. Add cheese before serving and mix.Nutrition
Warm regards,
Dhwani.
I just made this after seeing your post. It was super easy and super delicious. I didn’t have garlic so used garlic powder, jalapeño relish over jalapeño, and elbow macaroni pasta. I also added in a whole can of black beans because I love them. And definitely the 1.5 cups of cheese. Did 5 minutes as I like my noodles very done. Thanks for a great recipe-will make again!
So glad to know. Thank you so much for the feedback!
Hi, what can we use instead of taco seasoning?
Use cumin powder, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Can I add chicken in it, what would be the process for that?
Hi Jayna!
As I am vegetarian, I have never tried adding chicken or any meat in it. So sorry, I won’t be able to help.
What are the cooking/water differences when using whole wheat pasta?
This recipe is easy and crowd pleaser.
I tried and it came exactly the same … above all my picky eater son ate his lunch without complaining!
So glad to know. Thanks 🙂
Any changes if you wanted to double the recipe? Extra water, etc.? I plan on making this tonight for Cinco de Mayo. Sounds delicious!
Hi,
No, you don’t need to change anything. Time will remain the same. I hope this helps.
Can you add hamburger meat to it any changes if you do?
Sorry, Chris! I have no idea about meat.
This recipe was delicious, easy to make. Dhwani’s instructions were easy to follow. I always have to double my ingredients because we have a large family. The kids definitely loved it, and it will go on our favorite recipes that we are collecting currently.
So glad to know. Thanks for the feedback.
What size instant pot did you use to double the recipe?
I have used 6qt.
Thanks for the recipe.Its so easy and quick to make.We all loved it.
Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Hi could you suggest what would be the timing and water amount when using whole wheat rotini pasta .. thanks.
Hi,
I would go with 7 minutes on high pressure with natural pressure release. Increase 1 cup of extra water. Hope this helps.
My mother in law made this for us and it was amazing! Definitely going to become a regular dish in our house.
So glad to know Meghan. Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Whenever I try this recipe, I get Burn .
Whst am I doing wrong ?
Hi Raman,
1. Do you scrape the bowl well after sauteing onion garlic and before adding pasta?
2. Don’t stir after adding pasta, beans, and sauce.
Kids are trying new receipe, I have my try this, came out so good , end up making another quick starter to go with it. Sure it’s going to be regular dish.
Thanks for the feedback 🙂
This was my first recipe I ever used on my instant pot, and I loved it! I followed your directions step by step and everything turned out tasty. However, when it came time to adding the cheese, I definitely added extra 🙂
Overall, this dish was delicious and quick and it reheated well the next day!
Thank you, and I look forward to exploring more of your recipes!
So glad to know Darisa. Thanks a lot for the feedback. Appreciate it. 🙂
Tried this, it was yummy 😋. Everyone at home liked it.
So glad to know 🙂
Tried your recipe, its yummy and my new favorite recipe. Thanks for sharing
Glad to know 🙂 Thanks!
This was a master piece. Added extra veggies which were hidden and kids didn’t know. This was a great recipe thank you for sharing.
Thanks a lot! I am glad to know that you loved this recipe.:)
Made this tonight. Kids loved it. So did I. Thank you for an easy wonderful filling recipe!
So glad to know. Thank you!
This dish was delicious! I doubled the beans, corn, peppers and onions. Increased the taco seasoning too. 2 cups of dairy free cheese. Yum!!! Thanks for this recipe.
Oh and I added some Gardein beef crumbles
So glad to know. 🙂
I added & sautéed 1lb of ground beef with the onions . Then added 1/2 C of cream cheese with the shredded cheese at the end.
Yummy!
Hi,
Good to know 🙂
This is great and perfect for a cold night. Mine is the consistency of taco soup but super flavorful. I added a bit more rotini, less cheese, and a full can of black beans but that was the only change. I will definitely make this again and add a full cup of corn and maybe some toasted tortilla strips. Thank you!
Glad to know. 🙂
Came very well. I used pasta sauce with taco seasoning( Costco) . It came well
Tried this tonight. It was nice but I thought a bit watery. The recipe says use one cup of water at the beginning and then states add remaining cup of water later which confusing. Should say use half of water at the beginning and them add remaining half. As a result I probably added twice the amount required.
Has anyone tried this with GF pasta (Catelli or similar) and nailed the timing /water ratio?
I haven’t tried this yet but I really want to, I don’t have an instant pot so I would be trying this in either a slow-cooker or in a pan on the stove. Do you know of anyone who has tried this?
If I have to double the recipe the water n time will remain the same?
Hi Kirti,
The water and time will remain the same. 🙂
This was pretty good! The toppings are necessary to give it tons of flavor! We used sour cream, cilantro, hot sauce, scallions and pickled jalepeno with tortilla strips.
So glad to know. Thanks 🙂
I’d like to use chickpea rotini. Does anyone know the water/time ratio?
In this case, read the time direction given on the package and half the time in instant pot. For example, the cooking time on the stove top is 10 minutes. In instant pot, cook the pasta for 5 minutes. Hope this helps.
i love all your recipes. Thank you for making it simple and easy. my question is that every time i make Pasta in IP after 30 min. or so it gets very dry. so if i want to use it for next day lunch it’s too dry. any suggestion on that?