Creamy Taco Pasta Salad
Whip up a mouthwatering creamy taco pasta salad in just 20 minutes! Featuring zesty taco seasoning, tender pasta, and a rich, velvety dressing, this dish is the perfect blend of flavors and textures. It's a quick and satisfying meal that’s sure to impress at your next gathering!
Prep
10
min
Cook
20
min
Serves
5
people
Level
beginner
📝 Ingredients
Serves 5🥬Fresh Produce(6)
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (120 ml)
- 1 cup sweet corn (240 ml)
- 2 jalapeños, finely chopped
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced
- 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 1 lb 93% lean ground beef (454 g)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 1/2 cup low-fat shredded Mexican cheese (120 ml)
- 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt (240 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(6)
- 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed (240 ml)
- 1/4 cup @kettleandfire bone broth, to deglaze (60 ml)
- 2 tsp honey (10 ml)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (15 ml)
- 12 oz ditalini pasta (340 g)
- 1 cup pinto beans, drained and rinsed (240 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(4)
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 tsp salt (7.5 ml)
- 3 1/2 tbsp @spicexseasoning taco seasoning (52.5 ml)
- 2 tsp SpiceX Taco Seasoning (10 ml)
🍯Sauces & Condiments(1)
- 1/2 cup light mayonnaise (120 ml)
📦Other(1)
- 2 tbsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (30 ml)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
725
Protein
45g
Carbs
86g
Fat
23g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Cook the pasta until al dente and set it aside.
- 2
In a bowl, mix nonfat Greek yogurt, light mayonnaise, chipotles in adobo sauce, lime juice, taco seasoning, and honey.
- 3
Sear the lean ground beef seasoned with salt and pepper until it develops a golden brown crust.
- 4
Add tomato paste, taco seasoning, and bone broth to the beef and cook until thick.
- 5
In a large bowl, combine pasta, black beans, pinto beans, red onion, corn, taco beef, reduced-fat shredded Mexican cheese, cilantro, tomatoes, and jalapeños.
- 6
Top with the creamy dressing and mix well.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Cook ditalini to 1-2 minutes under al dente (check package time minus 2 minutes) because the pasta will absorb residual heat and tighten up another 1-2 minutes while mixing with warm beef and dressing, preventing mushiness.timing2 minutes under package time
- ✓Use 93% lean ground beef but don't drain it completely—retain 1-2 tbsp of rendered fat after searing because this fat emulsifies with the Greek yogurt-mayo dressing (60% fat content) and prevents it from separating during refrigeration.ingredient1-2 tbsp retained fat
- ✓Reduce the bone broth deglazing liquid until it coats the back of a spoon (about 2-3 minutes) so the beef mixture reaches 60-70% moisture content; this prevents the pasta salad from becoming watery as the wet beef releases additional liquid overnight.technique60-70% moisture target
- ✓Dice Roma tomatoes and salt them at 0.8% their weight (about 1/4 tsp per tomato) then let sit 10 minutes before adding to the salad—this osmotic process reduces their water content by 15-20%, preventing the dressing from diluting.ingredient0.8% salt, 10 minutes rest
- ✓Add the creamy dressing just before serving rather than mixing it in during assembly; the acidic lime juice and chipotle adobo (pH 3.5) will cause Greek yogurt proteins to denature and separate over 2+ hours, breaking the emulsion.timingMix immediately before serving
Share this recipe
Prep
10
min
Cook
20
min
Serves
5
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Creamy Taco Pasta Salad
Whip up a mouthwatering creamy taco pasta salad in just 20 minutes! Featuring zesty taco seasoning, tender pasta, and a rich, velvety dressing, this dish is the perfect blend of flavors and textures. It's a quick and satisfying meal that’s sure to impress at your next gathering!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 5🥬Fresh Produce(6)
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (120 ml)
- 1 cup sweet corn (240 ml)
- 2 jalapeños, finely chopped
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced
- 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 1 lb 93% lean ground beef (454 g)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 1/2 cup low-fat shredded Mexican cheese (120 ml)
- 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt (240 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(6)
- 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed (240 ml)
- 1/4 cup @kettleandfire bone broth, to deglaze (60 ml)
- 2 tsp honey (10 ml)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (15 ml)
- 12 oz ditalini pasta (340 g)
- 1 cup pinto beans, drained and rinsed (240 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(4)
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 tsp salt (7.5 ml)
- 3 1/2 tbsp @spicexseasoning taco seasoning (52.5 ml)
- 2 tsp SpiceX Taco Seasoning (10 ml)
🍯Sauces & Condiments(1)
- 1/2 cup light mayonnaise (120 ml)
📦Other(1)
- 2 tbsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (30 ml)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
725
Protein
45g
Carbs
86g
Fat
23g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Cook the pasta until al dente and set it aside.
- 2
In a bowl, mix nonfat Greek yogurt, light mayonnaise, chipotles in adobo sauce, lime juice, taco seasoning, and honey.
- 3
Sear the lean ground beef seasoned with salt and pepper until it develops a golden brown crust.
- 4
Add tomato paste, taco seasoning, and bone broth to the beef and cook until thick.
- 5
In a large bowl, combine pasta, black beans, pinto beans, red onion, corn, taco beef, reduced-fat shredded Mexican cheese, cilantro, tomatoes, and jalapeños.
- 6
Top with the creamy dressing and mix well.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Cook ditalini to 1-2 minutes under al dente (check package time minus 2 minutes) because the pasta will absorb residual heat and tighten up another 1-2 minutes while mixing with warm beef and dressing, preventing mushiness.timing2 minutes under package time
- ✓Use 93% lean ground beef but don't drain it completely—retain 1-2 tbsp of rendered fat after searing because this fat emulsifies with the Greek yogurt-mayo dressing (60% fat content) and prevents it from separating during refrigeration.ingredient1-2 tbsp retained fat
- ✓Reduce the bone broth deglazing liquid until it coats the back of a spoon (about 2-3 minutes) so the beef mixture reaches 60-70% moisture content; this prevents the pasta salad from becoming watery as the wet beef releases additional liquid overnight.technique60-70% moisture target
- ✓Dice Roma tomatoes and salt them at 0.8% their weight (about 1/4 tsp per tomato) then let sit 10 minutes before adding to the salad—this osmotic process reduces their water content by 15-20%, preventing the dressing from diluting.ingredient0.8% salt, 10 minutes rest
- ✓Add the creamy dressing just before serving rather than mixing it in during assembly; the acidic lime juice and chipotle adobo (pH 3.5) will cause Greek yogurt proteins to denature and separate over 2+ hours, breaking the emulsion.timingMix immediately before serving