Taco Mac and Cheese
Easy Taco Mac and Cheese is a budget-friendly, family-friendly meal made with ground beef, taco seasoning and boxed mac and cheese.
An Easy Taco Inspired Meal!
When I first shared this recipe 8 years ago, it was a bit of an experiment. I was tasked by a brand to come up with a budget friendly recipe for a family of 4. I went shopping and came up with this recipe when I got this boxed mac and cheese on sale. This Easy Taco Mac and Cheese ended up being a huge hit with everyone I made it for. It is now a staple dinner recipe in my house – even after all these years!
Tips for Making Taco Mac and Cheese
- Broccoli would be a great vegetable to add to this recipe. It would need to be cooked first (using steam-able broccoli is perfect and keeps it easy) or serve it on the side as shown below.
- Top with crushed tortillas, sour cream, diced tomatoes, lettuce and/or sliced green onions.
- If you prefer, you can make your own Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Take it a step further and make this with your favorite Homemade Mac and Cheese recipe.
- This is a whole meal in itself but you can serve with a side salad or any of your favorite veggies like Mexican Street Corn!
Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe)
- ground beef – you can use ground turkey or ground chicken.
- taco seasoning – use a packet of store bought taco seasoning or make a homemade taco seasoning.
- water – don’t use the amount on the back of the taco seasoning. We’re only going to use 2/3 cup water here.
- boxed macaroni and cheese (with cheese sauce) – use your favorite boxed Mac and cheese. I just used the shells and cheese. This will work with any 12 ounce package of macaroni and cheese that has the liquid cheese sauce.
How To Make Taco Mac and Cheese
In a large pot, boil water and prepare boxed macaroni and cheese according to package directions. In a separate skillet, brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease. Place meat back in skillet and add taco seasoning and water. Keep heat on medium-low and allow mixture to thicken.
When ready, combine taco meat with prepared macaroni and cheese. Stir well. This stuff is so good just like this. Just serve it with a salad and dinner is done!
I’m serving it here with some microwaveable steamed broccoli that I sprinkled with some of the shredded cheese and seasoned with salt and pepper.
If you want to make this meal really majestic – top it with with some sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes and crushed tortillas!
CRAVING MORE RECIPE?
Taco Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 12 ounce box macaroni and cheese with cheese sauce (I used the shells and cheese, like Velveeta)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- ⅔ cup water
- shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese (optional toppings)
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil water and prepare 12 ounce box macaroni and cheese with cheese sauce according to package directions.
- In a separate skillet, brown and crumble 1 pound ground beef. Drain excess grease. Place meat back in skillet and add 1 packet taco seasoning and 2/3 cup water. Keep heat on medium-low and allow mixture to thicken.
- When ready, combine taco meat with prepared macaroni and cheese. Stir well.
- Optional: top with with some shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese or even crushed tortillas for some crunch. Serve with a salad or steamed vegetables.
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 and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: March 2018
Updated & republished: April 2026
I’m bringing some freezer meals to a friend of mine who is getting out of the hospital soon and I thought this would be a good one to try. Does it freeze well? What would you recommend for reheating instructions?
This was really good! I used two boxes of Mac and cheese.Even my picky eater had a second helping. It will definitely be added to our usual rotation. It’s super easy to throw together on a busy week night, and we always keep most of the ingredients in the pantry. Thank for the recipe
5 stars! Hubby said this was a “do over”. I used a family sized box of Kraft Deluxe to one pound of ground round. It was the perfect ratio for us. We also used all of the usual suspect taco toppings. It was delish! Thanks Brandie.
2 boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese
I’m Scottish so what kind of macaroni and cheese would I use as this looks delicious
I made this as a school project for Home Ec. It was perfect: few ingredients, simple instructions, and I got an A+ on the assignment! Thanks for boosting my GPA.
This was delicious!! It was storming out and I didn’t want to go to the store. Since I had all the ingredients for this I decided to try it. The whole family liked it!
So glad the family enjoyed it. It is certainly a family favorite around here.
This is a keeper. Easy to make and the husband liked it
I was looking for some budget friendly recipes when I came across this site…So glad I did! Just can’t say enough good words about this clever recipe.This was super fast, really easy and oh so delicious and satisfying. The only thing I did differently was to use my own homemade taco seasoning mix. Took your advice and topped our bowls with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sliced green onions, sour cream and salsa. It is bursting with flavors and texture. I’m making this again for SURE.Yum! Next on the list is the chicken noodle casserole. Can hardly wait! Thanks for sharing this fab recipe.
Excellent. Easy.
Good job, Brandie! You keep giving us great ideas for quick, easy, and tasty meals. Plan to make this while at the beach next week.
You’re the sweetest Judy – thank you!!
This was easy and tasty. I will make it again
Thanks so much Tammy! Love hearing that!
This meal is delicious and a kid pleaser! The only thing I do differently is I don’t mix the meat into the Mac n cheese – I let everyone mix their own at the table because each of my kids has their own preference as far as how much meat they want mixed in.
Hi Megan! What a good idea! Everyone can make their own. 🙂