This taco pasta with black beans and corn is the perfect weeknight meal. It’s a one pot meal, vegan, very easy to make, and sooo delicious! Plus it’s packed with protein.

What Is Taco Pasta?

Taco pasta is basically a combination of taco meat and taco seasonings and pasta. It’s kind of like hamburger helper, just sooo much better! Besides taco meat (I used vegan taco meat) and pasta, this recipe also includes black beans, corn, and diced tomatoes. Top it off with fresh lime juice, cilantro, and avocado for even more flavor.

The pasta can be made in just one pot, so the recipe couldn’t be much easier. The pasta is ready in just 25 minutes and you don’t have to do much while it’s cooking.

This taco pasta is:

• fool-proof and very easy to make
• vegan
• very easy to make gluten-free (just use gluten-free pasta)
• kid-friendly
• packed with protein
• budget-friendly
• perfect for weeknight dinners

What You Need For This Taco Pasta

You should be able to find all of the ingredients for this taco pasta in any supermarket. The only exception might be the vegan ground meat. However, most grocery stores carry some kind of veggie ground meat or veggie crumbles these days. They’re usually made of soy.

You need:

• vegan ground meat (Mexican style or regular veggie crumbles made of textured soy and wheat protein)
• black beans
• corn
• green onions
• smoked paprika powder
• cumin
• red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper
• canned diced tomatoes
• crushed tomatoes
• pasta (I used ditalini, but the recipe also works with rotini or penne)
• red or orange bell pepper
• lime
• avocado
• fresh cilantro  (optional)

As always, you can find the full ingredient list and the recipe instructions in a separate recipe box at the end of this post. 

How To Make Taco Pasta

The preparation of this taco pasta couldn’t be any easier.

1. Cut the bell pepper into medium-sized pieces.
2. Combine all ingredients (including the uncooked pasta) in a large pot and cook on medium heat without a lid for 20 minutes. Stir the pasta every few minutes.
3. In the meantime, slice the avocado, cut the green onions into slices, and roughly chop the fresh cilantro.
4. Once the cooking time is over, add the lime juice and season the pasta again with salt and pepper to your taste. Serve with the avocado, the green onions, and the cilantro on top. Serve immediately.

Sounds pretty easy, right? I told you this pasta recipe is fool-proof!

Taco Pasta Without Meat

It’s very easy to make taco pasta without meat. As I already said, I used veggie crumbles instead of ground meat. There are some veggie crumbles that are already seasoned with Mexican spices and are meant for tacos. They’re great for this recipe!

But you can also just use plain soy ground meat. In this case, just adjust the spices to your taste.

If you’re allergic to soy or avoid it for other reasons, you could also try this taco pasta with my lentil walnut meat. I used it for my vegan taco salad and my vegan tacos. However, don’t add it with the other ingredients. Cook the pasta according to the recipe and add the vegan lentil walnut meat at the very end.

Taco Pasta Salad

You could also serve this taco pasta as a salad. It makes a great bring to work lunch. Or you could even add some chopped Boston lettuce for extra crunch.

Just double the recipe if you’re making a pasta salad to bring to a party or potluck. It’s also better when you make it the night before and put it in the fridge overnight. This way is has more flavor.

Taco Pasta – Recipe Tips

• At the very end of the cooking time, you can stir in some vegan cheese if you want a cheesy taco pasta. Make sure the vegan cheese you use melts.
• Make a larger batch of the pasta and take the leftovers to work or school the next day. It’s also great cold.
• You could even make the recipe into a taco pasta salad. Add some Boston lettuce for more crunch.
• Serve the pasta in lettuce leaves for a a healthy taco wrap.
• For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free pasta made of rice or quinoa instead of ditalini.
• The recipe works with most pasta shapes. However, I wouldn’t recommend using thin pasta shapes like spaghetti or linguine.

I hope you like this recipe as much as we do around here! It makes such a delicious and healthy weeknight meal. If you’re looking for more Mexican-inspired recipes, check out my roundup of 38 vegan Mexican recipes.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Sina – xx