Today I have for you: comfort food in a cast iron skillet. It’s simple, it’s quick, it’s delicious. It’s Simple Skillet Taco Pasta.
First, a word about Cast Iron Skillets. I highly recommend that we all have one (or two). Mine takes the place of what used to be Teflon in my kitchen. Cast iron is crazy healthier to cook with and when oiled or buttered well, it is delightfully non-stick. I use mine at least twice every day – for eggs, for meat, for dishes like this Skillet Taco Pasta. (This one is the Cast Iron Skillet I recommend.)
So back to this new, simple recipe. (More Simple Recipes here.)
How nice is it that this entire dish can be made in one big skillet? Obviously, you will get out salad makings and steam a vegetable to go with this. Obviously. But that will be easy and take a look at how easy this main dish recipe is:
Simple Skillet Taco Pasta
- 1 pound hamburger meat
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 16-ounces salsa
- 1½ cups water
- 8-ounces whole grain pasta, any shape (gluten free works great too!)
- 8-ounces shredded cheddar or Colby jack cheese
- In a large skillet, brown hamburger meat until no longer pink.
- Drain excess grease if necessary.
- Season meat with salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder.
- Stir in salsa, water, and pasta. Bring to a boil.
- Turn down heat to simmer, cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until pasta is tender.
- Turn off heat, sprinkle cheese over the mixture in the skillet, and put the lid on for 2 minutes to melt the cheese.
This recipe has been a huge hit with my family. Leftovers (if there are any) taste even better because of all the yummy flavors settling in to the pasta and meat.
This meal is practically effortless. Clean-up is a piece of cake (though not literally, bummer for that). And if you need this dish to be gluten free, simply use your favorite GF pasta.
Tell me how much you love cast iron. Do you use it often at your house? Need a Cast Iron Skillet?
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Wow, this came at the right time. I was contemplating what to make for dinner tonight with mince and salsa in the fridge, but no sour cream or cream left. Thank you for your this it’s made my day.
How perfect! Hope it turned out delish!
Great recipe! So easy and uses staples we always have on hand here, love that.
Word of caution for those that have Glass-Top Ceramic cooktops: cast iron can easily scratch the cooktop surface. Read your manufacturer’s manual for your model, some manufacturer’s advise against using any cast iron on these types of stoves. I have a GE Profile series double oven/ceramic cooktop. We are not able to use cast iron on top of ours. And I know from experience, LG stoves will scratch WAY easily. Just wanted to post a note for others that may not be aware of this.
Thanks for sharing this! I never had trouble with mine getting scratched back when I had a glass top, but it is something people should be aware of since it can happen to some. Stainless steel skillets can be a good alternative if cast iron isn’t an option for you!
Thanks for blessing my day with an easy recipe!!
Yes! This kind of recipe makes me so happy. :)
Yum! I made a similar meal of pasta, cheese , sour cream and taco meat. Simple but everyone liked it. I have that skillet, and also cast iron griddle and 6 qt ish cooking pot. They are used regularly . ..
I can’t get over how much I love and use my cast iron…
This came at the perfect time as I was wondering what to make for lunch today and just so happened to have leftover hamburgers in the fridge from yesterday’s lunch! Very glad I checked your blog today, my kids ate it up and I know my husband will enjoy having this for lunch at work tomorrow! I modified it a bit to use what I had on hand. I will definitely by making this again :)
That is awesome! Great way to use up leftover hamburgers!
Laura I tried the simple skillet taco pasta tonight and it was delish!! My husband had 3 helpings lol. I served it with a side salad and Texas toast. Just what we needed tonight for a busy school/work night!
That makes my day that you tried it already and loved it! LOVE that your husband had 3 helpings!
Great recipe! Put the word “taco” in front of anything, and my kids will instantly be more inclined to try it! And those are some really neat-looking pasta noodles you used! What kind are they and where did you get them?
Those are my very favorite shape of pasta! The are “gemelli” and I get them from Amazon by the case: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000R9P99Q?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwheavenlyho-20&camp=1789&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=B000R9P99Q
This is just what I needed tonight! I was so exhausted the thought of cooking almost brought tears to my eyes. I had everything on hand, it was quick to put together and it was absolutely delicious! Thank you for rescuing dinner for me!
Made this last night for the family and it was so good!! Thank you :)
Made this last night and it was a hit! So simple & yummy. Thank you for sharing it with your readers!
After almost 30 years of homemaking, I finally seasoned my cast iron a few years ago. What a game changer! Now I use it All. The. Time. Making this tonight. Thanks!
Works well with chicken (cut into bite-sized pieces), too!
The recipe looks amazing. I’m trying to use less ground beef and more chicken. I have zero experience with cooking. Would you suggest poaching the chicken and then adding it instead of the ground beef? Would it be possible to use precooked chicken or would it be too dry? Thank you for your thoughts.
Poaching or roasting the chicken would work great! Using precooked chicken will be just fine, a great idea!