Taco Tortellini
Lover of taco and pasta? Combine taco flavors with cheese tortellini and you have a weeknight dinner that everyone will love–Taco Tortellini. This easy one-pot dish is made up of ground beef, tortellini, enchilada sauce, and the whole thing gets topped with cheese and broiled to cheesy, bubbly perfection.
Taco Tortellini is an easy dinner, made in about 40 minutes—quick and packed with flavor! It’s perfect for those busy nights when you need a recipe that everyone loves! It’s delicious served with sour cream, thinly sliced green onion, and some fresh cilantro leaves.
Taco Tortellini
Here we combine cheesy tortellini with the flavors of tacos. A packet of taco seasoning is the key to quick taco flavors–cumin, chili powder, oregano, and paprika–with beans, corn, and cheese blended in.
Why I love this recipe
- It’s quick and easy – dinner on the table in 40 minutes.
- Love the combo of pasta + taco flavors.
- Everyone’s favorite weeknight dish.
Gather these ingredients
- Plain cheese tortellini (dried) – but you can also buy fresh
- Lean ground beef – you can also use ground turkey or ground chicken
- Taco seasoning – buy it or make your own
- Beef broth
- Red enchilada sauce
- Black beans
- Kidney beans
- Corn kernels
- Shredded Mexican blend cheese
- green onions
- fresh cilantro
Toppings:
- Sour cream
- Salsa
- Cherry tomatoes
- Fresh cilantro
How to make Taco Tortellini
- Cook the tortellini according to the package directions, until al dente (about 1-2 minutes less cooking time). Taste to make sure the tortellini is done (but not overly done). When done, pour into a colander and drain. Do not rinse the pasta.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until browned, about 4-5 minutes. With a spatula break the beef into small pieces while it’s cooking. When cooked, drain the skillet of any excess grease.
- Add the taco seasoning, broth, and enchilada sauce to the beef and mix together until the seasoning is completely incorporated. The meat will be saucy!
- Stir in the 2 types of beans, corn, and cooked tortellini, mixing together gently so the tortellini remains whole. Cook over medium heat, and bring to a simmer, 1-2 minutes. The taco tortellini dish will thicken a bit, and will be nice and hot.
- Turn the oven on (HI) BROIL.
- Next, sprinkle the cheese evenly out over the top, and transfer the skillet to the oven. Broil, watching carefully, just until the cheese has melted, for about 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and sprinkle with thinly sliced green onion, and a sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro.
Tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Tortellini: You can buy dried tortellini, or I like to buy the large packs of tortellini from Costco and freeze them! Makes for an easy addition to a dinner night.
- Swap out the beans for your favorite ones.
- Use your favorite cheese in this recipe (Monterey Jack is great, too, plus Sharp Cheddar cheese).
- Add a kick – add hot sauce!
More topping ideas:
- thinly sliced jalapenos
- chili crisp
- crushed tortilla chips or Frito chips
- diced red onion
- guacamole or avocado slices
- various kinds of salsa
Serving
Serve on the side sour cream, and salsa, or the list of topping above. Serve with this Mexican cabbage salsa and Mexican flan cake – for a fun dinner.
Let everyone dig in and serve themselves and add their own dab of sour cream and salsa.
More taco dishes to try while you are here:
Get the Recipe:
Taco Tortellini
Ingredients
- 16 oz plain cheese tortellini, dried
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 cups enchilada sauce
- 1 15 oz can black beans drained
- 1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained
- 1 15 oz can corn kernels, drained
- 1 ½ cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- green onions thinly sliced, for garnish
- fresh cilantro leaves roughly chopped, for garnish
Additional toppings:
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup salsa
- Cherry tomatoes, cut in half (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the tortellini according to the package directions, until al dente (about 1-2 minutes less cooking time). Taste to make sure the tortellini is done (but not overly done). When done, pour into a colander and drain. Do not rinse the pasta.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until browned, about 4-5 minutes. With a spatula break the beef into small pieces while it’s cooking. When cooked, drain the skillet of any excess grease.
- Add the taco seasoning, broth, and enchilada sauce to the beef and mix together until the seasoning is completely incorporated. The meat will be saucy!
- Stir in the 2 types of beans, corn, and cooked tortellini, mixing together gently so the tortellini remains whole. Cook over medium heat, and bring to a simmer, 1-2 minutes. The taco tortellini dish will thicken a bit, and will be nice and hot.
- Turn the oven on (HI) BROIL.
- Next, sprinkle the cheese evenly out over the top, and transfer the skillet to the oven. Broil, watching carefully, just until the cheese has melted, for about 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and sprinkle with thinly sliced green onion, and a sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro.
- Serve on the side 1 cup of sour cream, 1 cup of salsa
- Let everyone dig in and serve themselves and add their own dab of sour cream and salsa.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
