Vegetarians rejoice! Meatless Skillet Taco Pasta has all the taco flavour your crave in a big bowl of creamy, spicy pasta. This dish can be made with ground beef too!
In a effort to finish a new project I’ve been working on involving recipes which use textured vegetable protein, I was researching recipes which use ground beef, turkey, or pork, and trying to incorporate Yves Veggie Ground Round product line into the recipe as a meat substitute. While looking on Pinterest for ideas, I found a recipe similar to this one for a taco-inspired pasta dish. Since we love tacos, and we love pasta, why not give it a try?
Pasta is a staple in our home. With two vegetarians living here, pasta is an easy out for me. I know, I know, Dear Reader; I love to cook, but sometimes, all I can do is muster up the desire and energy to make a very easy one pot meal like this Meatless Skillet Taco Pasta.
I just recently made this dish again and updated the photos. That is why, Dear Reader, you see this lovely pasta dish in a dutch oven rather than a skillet. You can use either and achieve the same result.
Byron – the kitchen fanatic – the one who loves skillets, pots and pans, and cooking/baking accessories of all kinds, has a confession to make. I don’t have a medium-sized skillet. The shame!
When I was remaking this dish, my oven, which has 4 burners, was already in food-prep overload and my large skillet would not fit comfortably on the stove top. And, the skillet that I have the next size down, was too small. That’s why I had to use one of my medium-sized dutch ovens instead. I guess now I have to shop for a new skillet or add it to my birthday, Christmas, or Father’s Day present list. 🙂
In the end though, it all worked out well. And the goal was not to reinvent the recipe; the goal was to update the photos, and at the same time, get a quick and easy meal on the table for my family.
Now, back to the recipe. Even thought I love to cook, I equally love a fast go-to dish that delivers big, bold flavours, costs very little to make, has few ingredients, and looks like it’s worth its weight in gold. This dish meets every single one of these criteria and more.
The taco flavour is just the right amount; it’s not too intense at all. I was worried about it being a little too spicy, but the addition of the sour cream not only cools down the taco seasonings, but adds a wonderful creaminess to the dish.
For colour, I added in lots of freshly sliced green onions, but to mimic the look and taste of a taco, I added in lots of finely chopped fresh tomatoes right at the end. I didn’t want to cook the tomatoes, but just heat them through with the residual heat from the pan.
Topping this bowl of pasta with a bit of sour cream creates the masterpiece you see in front of you. But, you can most certainly shred a little bit of sharp cheddar on top, or add some guacamole, or even crushed Doritos!
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Meatless Skillet Taco Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 cups Yves Veggie Ground Round, or Gardein Beefless Ground
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 35 grams package taco seasoning
- 450 grams package pasta, (fusilli, penne, or macaroni) uncooked
- 3 large tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup green onions, finely sliced
- 1 cup sour cream
- 6 cups water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet, over medium heat, add the olive oil, onion, and veggie ground round. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the onion powder, salt, and pepper. Stir well.
- Add the pasta and stir into the veggie ground round mixture. Once well coated, add the water and stir in the taco seasoning packet. Continue to stir frequently until the pasta is cooked and the water has evaporated and is absorbed.
- Turn off the heat. Add the green onions, tomatoes, and sour cream. Stir into the hot pasta.
- Serve immediately. Garnish with more sour cream and green onions.
Nutrition
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WhitBit's Kitchen says
This seems like such a fun recipe! And cheap, too! Now I want taco pasta.
byronethomas@gmail.com says
LOL – they say cheap isn’t always better, but sometimes, it just is!
Paige @ Where Latin Meets Lagniappe says
This looks so delicious! And easy one pot meals are always on my menu– this one is definitely going on the list!!
Whitney says
Oh this is genius! Love the fusion of flavors — tacos and pasta are literally two of my favs too!
Hillary Reeves says
YES to the crushed Doritos idea, that is absolutely brilliant.