Creamy Taco Pasta Salad
on Jun 20, 2017, Updated Sep 09, 2024
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Creamy Taco Pasta Salad made with pasta, hamburger, chopped vegetables, and a creamy taco-inspired dressing to bring it all together. Bonus: It’s done in about 20 minutes!
One of the best things about this taco pasta salad recipe is that it’s hearty enough to serve as a main dish and simple enough to make as a side for a picnic or cookout too. Who doesn’t love a side that you can also use as a main dish?
Serve Creamy Taco Pasta Salad with some homemade lemonade, and you’ll have yourself one delicious summer meal!
Check out Simple Italian Pasta Salad, Quick & Easy Pesto Pasta Salad and Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad for more pasta salad inspiration.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy and delicious.
- Budget-friendly.
- Can be a side or a main dish.
- Easy to transport.
Recipe Ingredients
- Pasta: Rigatoni, rotelle, penne, or medium shells are all great in pasta salad.
- Ground beef: You could also use ground turkey, pork, or chicken.
- Bell pepper
- Black olives
- Tomato
- Red onion
- Cheddar cheese: Buy a block of cheddar (not shredded cheese) because it’s cut into small cubes.
- Mayonnaise
- Sour cream
- Spices: Chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Popular Substitutions and Variations
- Meat: Feel free to use any ground meat you have or want. Ground pork, turkey, chicken or even bison would all work in this recipe.
- Meatless: Omit the hamburger and add a can of black, small red, or pinto beans. You can also add a can of beans in addition to the hamburger to stretch the salad a few more servings.
- Extras: Serve with shredded lettuce, crushed Doritos, avocado slices and hot sauce on the side so everyone can customize their salad to their liking.
How to Make Creamy Taco Pasta Salad
- Step #1. Boil water and cook the pasta al dente according to directions on the package.
- Step #2. Cook the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat until thoroughly browned.
- Step #3. In a small separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, and spices to form the dressing.
- Step #4. Put the pasta in a medium-sized bowl and add the cooked ground beef, vegetables, olives, and cheddar cheese.
- Step #5. Add the mayonnaise mixture and stir until evenly combined.
- Step #6. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve right away.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. If you are making this ahead of time, keep the dressing separate and add it right before serving. Put it in a bowl with a lid if you need to transport it somewhere.
In Italian, al dente means “to the tooth,” which means the pasta is cooked to be firm to the bite.
Yes. It’s a good idea to rinse cooked pasta in cold water when making pasta salad because it lowers the temperature and stops it from cooking. And, it takes off the starchy coating that causes cooked pasta to stick together.
Expert Tips
- You can use any ground meat in this recipe – turkey, chicken, pork, bison, or lamb would all be good alternatives.
- I recommend using smoked paprika in this pasta salad because it adds more flavor than regular paprika.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use a gluten-free pasta and check that all the other ingredients that you use are also gluten-free.
- Feel free to serve this with some sliced avocado, shredded lettuce, hot sauce and/or some crushed Doritos on the side.
More Pasta Recipes to Consider
Pasta Dishes
Easy Slow Cooker Vegetable Lasagna
Pasta Dishes
Pumpkin Alfredo
Pasta Dishes
Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Baked Pasta
Soups, Stews & Chowders
Pasta Fagioli Soup Recipe
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Creamy Taco Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups small dry pasta, about 8 ounces
- ½ pound hamburger
- ½ cup finely chopped bell pepper
- ½ cup sliced black olives
- ½ cup chopped tomato
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 cup cubed cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions until it is cooked al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water.
- While the pasta cooks, cook the hamburger in a small skillet over medium-high heat until the meat is cooked through and no longer pink. Drain extra grease and set aside.
- In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add the pasta to a medium mixing bowl. Add the cooked hamburger, bell pepper, olives, tomato, red onion, and the cheddar cheese.
- Add the mayonnaise mixture and stir everything together until it is well-coated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve right away.
Video
Notes
- When the pasta is done cooking, rinse it in cold water so it doesn’t stick together.
- To make this meatless, omit the hamburger and add a can of black or pinto beans (drained and rinsed).
- This recipe feeds about 4 adults as a main dish (or 2 adults and some kids), or 8-10 as a side.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
My husband enjoyed this dish tonight! Definitely going to make again!
My husband enjoyed this dish tonight! Definitely going to make again!