Crock Pot Taco Pasta combines pasta shells, taco seasoning, cream cheese, ground beef, green peppers, onions and diced tomatoes. So good!
AN EASY CROCK POT MEAL
This slow cooker taco pasta will be the newest addition to your favorite recipe collection. Cheesy, creamy deliciousness. If you don't want to use a slow cooker, this can easily be made on your stovetop or as a casserole. Whatever is easiest for you. I haven't tried it in an Instant Pot yet so I can't vouch for that one. But maybe I'll give that a try soon. If you try it out, please let me know!
CAN I MAKE THIS MEATLESS OR WITH CHICKEN?
You can easily make this with ground or shredded chicken. Or, just leave the meat out if you prefer. It still has amazing flavor even if you decide to make it vegetarian. Another great substitution is to use salsa in place of the diced tomatoes. I enjoy substituting salsa in a lot of recipes that call for a can of diced tomatoes. If you enjoy a spicier dish, a spicy salsa makes a perfect fit for this recipe.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- ground beef
- diced tomatoes
- taco seasoning
- water
- pasta shells
- cream cheese
- shredded cheddar cheese
- diced green pepper
- diced onion
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT TACO PASTA:
Combine cooked ground beef, diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, and 1 cup water water in a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Stir, cover, and cook on high 1 hour.
Meanwhile, partially cook pasta shells, cook them in salted boiling water for about 6 minutes. Drain and set aside. Then add in cream cheese, partially cooked pasta shells, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, onion, bell pepper, and ¼ cup water. Stir.
Cover and cook another 2 hours on high.
Serve with remaining 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese on top.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Originally published: February 2018
Updated & republished: August 2019
Crock Pot Taco Pasta (+Video)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, cooked and crumbled
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 ¼ cups water, divided use
- 2 cups pasta shells measured dry
- ½ block cream cheese (4 ounces), softened to room temperature, cut into cubes
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided use
- ½ cup diced green pepper
- ½ cup diced onion
Instructions
- Combine cooked ground beef, diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, and 1 cup water water in a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Stir, cover, and cook on high 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, partially cook pasta shells, cook them in salted boiling water for about 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Then add in cream cheese, partially cooked pasta shells, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, onion, bell pepper, and ¼ cup water. Stir. Cover and cook another 2 hours on high.
- Serve with remaining 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese on top.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Shelby
can I make this with macaroni noodles instead of shells?
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Absolutely. Same amount.
Brandie @ The Country Cook
It’s readily available in most all grocery stores now. If you Google “cookie butter” you can see the different brands and packaging. You can usually find it near the peanut butter. 🙂
Kennedie
Currently making this! I had everything minus cream cheese so I improvised with some sour cream! Smells amazing, can’t wait to eat it!
Pam B
I used 1/2 lb hamburger meat and 1/2 lb Chorizo, used the whole block of cream cheese, half small block of Velveeta and a small can of chopped jalapeños. Added the cream cheese, Velveeta, pasta (cooked pasta - cooked separately) at the end of the cooking time. Soo good!!
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Yay! Love how you took the recipe and made it your own! Thank you for coming back to comment!!
Aubree
This says 4 servings. I'm making it for a potluck and wonder how much you'd suggest increasing the ingredients to serve more? Also, how long could I keep it on warm for? Thanks
Joann
This looks so good and can't wait to make it. I do have a question. Can you cook this on low and if so, for how long? Or, is there a reason you cook it on high? Thanks for any help you can give me. 🙂
Pat Cody
Perfect! YUM!
Brandie @ The Country Cook
So happy you enjoyed this one!
Carlee
What a great way to get a tasty dinner on the table! Love it!
Diego Lopes
Dang. Looks awesome. Don't have the ingredients right now otherwise it would be tonight's dinner haha maybe next month after grocery shopping 😉
William Cozzens
Just wondered about this recipe done in a crockpot casserole. Any modifications?