Easy One Pot Taco Pasta Recipe

 The response to last week's Frugal Friday/5 Ingredient Friday (we're still working on that name) was HUGE!  I can see that we are all looking for ways that we can save on groceries as well as create flavorful and filling meals for our families.  This is what I try to accomplish with dinner every day and I am excited to share with you what I come up with.  This week's Easy One Pot Taco Pasta Recipe was a MASSIVE hit in our house this week!  

Indulge in the ultimate comfort food with this Easy One Pot Taco Pasta recipe! Packed with savory flavors and simple preparation, this dish is a weeknight dinner game-changer. Get ready for a deliciously hassle-free meal that will satisfy the whole family! Oh, and wait till you see the breakdown of the cost! It's mind blowing! I can't wait to share this with you so...

Let's Get Started!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 lb. of Ground Beef
• 1 Onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp Garlic, minced
• 1 (1 oz) pack of  Taco Seasoning Mix
• 4 cups Beef Broth
• 1 (15 oz) can of Diced Tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can black Beans 
• 1 (15 oz) can of Corn
• 1 cup Salsa
• 1 lb pasta
• 2 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded

HOW CAN I MAKE THIS PLANT-BASED?

As in most of my recipes the plant-based swaps are simple.  

1. Instead of the ground beef, use your favorite plant-based ground meat or frozen crumbles.  The TVP Meat I have on my blog (I'll link it HERE) would also work well.  You can also omit the meat substitutes all together and just double beans.
2. Instead of the beef broth you can use a no-beef broth base or simply use vegetable broth.  Yes, you could use just water, but the broth gives this dish a lot of flavor, so I wouldn't skip it.  
3. Instead of the regular cheese, use your favorite plant-based variety.  I really like Daiya, Follow Your Heart, and Violife for this.  

DO I HAVE TO USE GROUND BEEF?

No.  You can use any kind of ground meat you like.  Ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken, sausage.  Whatever meat you like in your tacos can me used here.  I actually think shredded chicken or pork would be good in this as well. 

DO I HAVE TO USE A CERTAIN KIND OF PASTA?

Again, no.  You can use any kind of pasta you like.  I chose the shells because they reminded me of tiny taco shells.  

WHAT MAKES THIS A FRUGAL MEAL?

Look at this recipe you may not look at it as being frugal.  I mean, it seems pretty decadent, right?  Well, let's break down the numbers.  

Keep in mind I purchased everything at Walmart because this is a store MOST people have access too, and used the Great Value brand where it was the least expensive.  Here are the results.  

Ground Beef- 5.27

Onion- .78

Garlic- .69

Taco Seasoning- .47

Beef Broth- 1.37

Diced Tomatoes- .96

Black Beans- .82

Corn- .64

Salsa- 1.77

Pasta- .98

Cheese 2.22

 

Which brings us to a grand total of $15.97.  Okay, that seems kind of high still yes, BUT you get 8, you read that right, EIGHT servings which makes this meal come out to roughly $1.99 per serving!!!  That is INSANE!  And if you choose to omit the meat and just beans it comes out to $11.70 which makes it come out to $1.44 per serving!  That is A LOT of food for now a lot of money!  In fact, we got one dinner and 2 lunches out of this at my house.  And you aren't sacrificing anything.  Not flavor, not filling, NOTHING!  

Okay, I think I have covered everything so let's get to the recipe!