Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you had a nice weekend!
It was absolutely gorgeous ’round these parts, so Ben and I spent some time outdoors and went out to eat at a couple of fun places, including A Dong (actual name) where I tried Pho for the first time. It was PHOnomenol!
Sorry. We spent the majority of our lunch coming up with hilarious Pho (a Vietnamese noodle soup pronounced “fuh”) restaurant names and taglines, and that was pretty much the only thing clean enough to share on the blog. My Grandma reads this, y’all!
Anyways! My in-laws also got into town from the East coast, and are staying with us for the week, so we’ve been having fun catching up. :)
Most people are surprised to learn that entertaining actually turns me into a NERVOUS NELLY. Don’t get me wrong, I adore having relatives and friends stay over – making up the guest bed with fresh sheets, setting out fluffy towels, and stocking the Keurig carousel – but I panic when it comes time to think about what to feed everybody.
What if I make the one thing they hate? What if it tastes terrible? What if they get sick? Eek!
Don’t even get me started on throwing a dinner party. I’d rather have rickets!
So, what’s a desperate entertainer to do when she’s got a crowd to feed? Make a bake, of course!
Featuring homemade taco seasoning, lean ground beef, plus taco and pantry staples like tomato sauce, petite diced tomatoes, pasta, cheese, and tortilla chips, Taco Pasta Bake is filling, satisfying, and will have your guests feeling right at home.
While a bake or casserole isn’t ground-breaking or gourmet by any means, they’re total crowd pleasers. When’s the last time you saw someone disappointed by a hot, bubbly casserole being plunked down in front of ’em?
Better yet, Taco Pasta Bake is easy and ready in about 40 minutes with lots of downtime while the dish basically sautes, simmers, and bakes itself.
Start by sauteing lean ground beef (I used 90/10 and broke it up with a potato masher when it was still raw) with chopped onion, then stir in homemade taco seasoning, canned tomato sauce and petite diced tomatoes. Simmer until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes, then stir in shredded cheddar cheese and cooked macaroni shells.
Finally, stir in slightly spicy chopped green chilies, and frozen or fresh corn (no need to thaw, even!) then pour the mixture into a baking dish.
Bake for 10 minutes, top with crunchy crushed tortilla chips and a bit more cheddar cheese, then bake until the cheese is hot and bubbly, about another 10 minutes.
Top with fresh salsa, tomatoes, green onions, or sour cream. Now THIS is entertaining made easy!
Taco Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 recipe homemade taco seasoning link in notes below
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 14.5 oz can tomato sauce
- 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
- few dashes hot sauce optional
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 1-1/2 cups corn kernels frozen then thawed, fresh, or canned
- 4 oz can chopped green chiles
- 8 oz gluten-free or regular macaroni shells cooked and drained (dish will not be GF if using regular pasta)
- 2 cups crushed tortilla chips
- Toppings: chopped tomatoes, salsa, sliced olives, green onions, sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees then spray an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Brown ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain then return to the skillet. Add water, homemade taco seasoning, salt, tomato sauce, petite diced tomatoes, and hot sauce then stir to combine. Turn heat down to medium low then simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile cook macaroni shells in salted, boiling water until just under al dente, then drain and set aside.
- Turn stove off then add 1-1/2 cups cheddar cheese to the tomato mixture and stir until smooth. Add corn, chilies, and cooked shells, then stir to combine. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish then bake for 10 minutes. Top with crushed tortilla chips and remaining cheese then bake for 10 more minutes. Serve with desired toppings.
Notes
Zesty, cheesy, hearty – my inlaws and I each devoured a big bowl of bake for lunch.
The crushed tortilla chips on top were our favorite part. I used Tostitos Multigrain Scoops which are thicker and have a more satisfying crunch than regular tortilla chips. Highly recommend!
Believe it or not, another low-stress idea for entertaining is making homemade pizza! My pizza crust recipe is so fool-proof and easy that I know I can count on it to turn out every time. Then everyone can pick and choose what they want on their pie which means they’re (pretty much) guaranteed to love it.
I guess we’ll find out tonight though. I’ve got a few dough balls rising for supper as we speak! :D
~~~~~
Do you like entertaining and hosting?
[…] in our house, anything from tacos to burritos to enchiladas. I came across this recipe on Iowa Girl Eats and just knew it would be something everyone would […]
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Omg.. I literally just made this using your recipe. LOVE it. Thank you so much!!! I did omit the chips on top–but everything else is there! :-) going to take it over to a friends house for dinner tonight, and am sure it will be a HIT.
[…] Taco Pasta Bake: Iowa Girl Eats […]
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Just made this tonight with my kiddos for dinner….. SO great!!! It’s definitely going to be a regular request around here. :-)
[…] Taco Pasta Bake, courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats. […]
There is a pho place near me called Pho King. That is their actual name that the state of Virginia allowed them to name themselves.
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I made this tonight for dinner … I tweaked it a lil by doubling The spice for my taste
Buds ….only after making by the measuremts from the recipe and tasting ! Very …. will make again! Might even try it with. Crumbled Doritos ! Thanks for posting this delish recipe !
Yum! I am going to try this recipe tomorrow night! Thank you so much!
Aww, your recipes look delicious so I’m sure you’re a stellar hostess! I love entertaining and cooking for people, nothing delights me more than watching a crowd enjoy something from my kitchen. Plus, company gives me just the right motivation to get my apartment sparkly clean! ;-)
Recently we had friends of ours over with two elementary aged daughters (very few of our friends have kids yet, so this was new territory for us!). I decided to make calzones–I bought Trader Joe’s pizza dough and supplied tons of toppings, and everyone made their own calzone! That way the girls could pick and choose, and wouldn’t end up with something they didn’t like. It was a big hit!
I feel your pain. I’m always afraid that whatever I make won’t be enough and then I usually end up with tons of leftovers. Homemade pizza is a great idea. This taco bake looks delish!
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I bet this would make a great crock pot recipe…any thoughts? :)
That’s so surprising that you get nervous about entertaining! Everything you post on the blog looks SO DELISH! I get pretty anxious about it, too, but I don’t cook much & am certainly not as comfortable in the kitchen as you are. I have a few go-to recipes, though, that I know I make well & seem to be crowd pleasers. It’s def rewarding when everyone raves & cleans their plates! :)
I do love entertaining but feel that no matter how prepared I am, when the time comes I’m not as prepared as I’d like to be. I seem to always spend too much time on one project, leaving all of the others to be hurriedly put together as the guests are walking in the door.
But with a dish like this, I don’t think you can go wrong. :)
LOVE this! Casseroles are so delicious, especially when they’re made with “real” ingredients. Tacos are one of my favorites, so this is totally up my alley.