This hearty taco pasta salad recipe is a delicious twist on classic pasta salad and taco night flavors! Tender pasta, veggies, and taco meat combined with a creamy dressing.
If you love pasta salad, try my creamy chicken Caesar pasta salad recipe!
TACO PASTA SALAD
This bold and flavorful taco pasta salad is going to become a favorite! Combining the ingredients of your classic taco and tender pasta, this salad is the perfect Tex-Mex dish. The salad is loaded with pasta, ground beef and taco toppings, so hearty and flavorful. Whether you’re serving it at a summer BBQ, potluck, or just for lunch or dinner, this taco pasta salad is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
WHAT YOU NEED-
- Pasta– You can use any type of short pasta for this salad; elbow, rotini, shells, penne, fusilli, farfalle, or even cavatappi pasta. Either regular, protein or gluten free pasta can be used.
- Taco Meat– For the taco meat, I use my easy ground beef taco meat recipe! You can swap the ground beef out for ground chicken or ground turkey.
- Romaine– Freshly chopped romaine or iceberg lettuce can be used.
- Corn– I like to use canned corn for this salad, but you can also use cooked fresh corn.
- Tomatoes– For the best results, I recommend that you use cherry tomatoes.
- Onion– I prefer to use red onion for the salad, but you can use sweet onion or even just leave out the onion completely.
- Cheese– Your favorite shredded cheese can be used for this taco salad! Shredded mild cheddar, mozzarella, or Mexican blend can be used.
- Cilantro– For added flavors, add freshly chopped cilantro to this salad!
- Salad Dressing– The salad dressing for this taco pasta salad brings everything together! The dressing is made up of sour cream and taco sauce. I use Ortega mild taco sauce, but you can also use the Taco Bell taco sauce.
HOW TO MAKE TACO SALAD WITH PASTA
This hearty taco pasta salad comes together quickly with just a few simple steps.
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Rinse in cold water and set aside.
- Prepare the ground beef using this taco meat recipe.
- In a small bowl, prepare the taco salad dressing.
- Cut and prepare all the rest of the ingredients for the salad.
- In a large salad bowl, add the pasta, taco meat, and the rest of the taco toppings.
- Drizzle the salad dressing over the ingredients and using tongs, toss until the salad is fully combined.
- Top with additional chopped cilantro and serve.
| For a crunch, top the salad with crushed Doritos, tortilla chips or Fritos! |
MAKING AHEAD
This salad is a great make ahead salad! Whether you are meal prepping or want to make this before a party, you can totally make it ahead.
- Option 1– You can prep ahead of time and when ready to enjoy, toss and enjoy! Prep up to 2 days by cooking the pasta, the taco meat and making the salad dressing. This will save you a couple of steps.
- Option 2– Make this salad ahead of time up to 1-2 days ahead of time, by preparing everything and adding it to a bowl unmixed. When ready to serve, add lettuce and toss in the dressing.
- Option 3– This salad is a great meal prep dish! Make the salad all the way through and divide it into your to-go containers and store in the fridge.
SALAD VARIATIONS
Just like tacos, you can totally swap out or add more salad ingredients to this taco pasta salad! Here are some other great ingredients to add to this salad:
- Avocado
- Black Beans
- Olives
- Peppers
- Jalapenos
- Green Chiles
- Crushed Doritos
- Crushed tortilla Chips
- Green onion
QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE:
Yes! You can totally swap classic pasta out for any other pasta you prefer. Protein pasta, veggie pasta, or gluten free pasta can be used.
No, you can use ground chicken or turkey instead.
Yes, for a light version, swap the sour cream out for plain Greek yogurt in the dressing.
Store taco pasta salad leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
I have made this ahead of time and the romaine was fine for 3 days. You can also just leave the romaine out if you prefer not to have any soggy lettuce.
OTHER MEXICAN-INSPIRED DISHES
Try some of these other delicious and easy Mexican-inspired recipes:
Taco Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz rotini pasta
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped romaine or iceberg lettuce
- 15.25 oz canned corn
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/3 cup shredded cheese
- 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp cilantro finely chopped
- salt & ground black pepper to taste
Taco Meat-
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 Tbsp taco seasoning
- 3 Tbsp salsa
- 2 garlic cloves minced
Taco Salad Dressing-
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup taco sauce**
- 1 Tbsp taco seasoning
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside to cool as you prepare the rest of the salad.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and taco sauce until well combined. Set aside.
Taco Meat-
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add the ground beef and break it into small chunks. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until browned. Draining any excess fat.
- Season the beef with salt, pepper, taco seasoning, and minced garlic. Stir in the salsa and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, mixing well to combine. Remove from heat.
Assemble Salad-
- In a large salad bowl, add the cooked pasta, taco meat, chopped romaine, drained canned corn, halved tomatoes, shredded cheese, chopped onions, and cilantro.
- Drizzle the taco salad dressing over the ingredients and with tongs, toss the salad until fully combined.
- Top with additional chopped cilantro and crushed chips.
- Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until ready to enjoy.
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