Cheesy Beef Taco Pasta
A bubbling pan of glossy, taco-spiced pasta under torn ribbons of molten mozzarella and a heavy snowfall of sharp Cheddar, crowned with cool soured cream, bright guac and fiery pink jalapeños.
Ingredients
Serves 6- 500 gbeef mince
- 200 mlhot beef stock
- 1red pepper, diced
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1onion, diced
- 2garlic cloves, grated
- 400 mlpassata
- 1 tbspolive oil
- 2 tbspmild taco seasoning
- 200 gsweetcorn, drained if tinned
- 350 gfusilli
- 200 gmature Cheddar, grated
- 150 gmozzarella, torn
- 3spring onions, sliced
- 4 tbspsoured cream
- ½ tspchilli flakes
- 1lime, cut into wedges (optional)
- 15 gcoriander leaves (optional)
- 150 gguacamole (optional)
- 300 gshredded iceberg lettuce (optional)
- 50 gpickled jalapeños (optional)
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large deep pan or casserole over a medium-high heat. Take a moment to dry the mince.
- Brown the mince in two batches, 4 minutes each, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until deeply coloured with crisp edges. All at once and the pan crowds, water leaches out, and you've boiled the meat instead of browning it. Return all the mince to the pan.
- Drop the heat to medium and add the onion. Cook for 6 minutes until soft and translucent, scraping up any brown bits stuck to the base.
- Stir in the garlic and taco seasoning and fry them in the fat for 30 to 60 seconds, just until fragrant and clinging to the meat.
- Pour in the passata, the hot beef stock and 200ml hot water. Bring to a simmer.
- Stir in the fusilli, sweetcorn and red pepper. Taste the liquid and season lightly; the stock and cheese bring salt of their own. Cover and cook on a gentle bubble for 14–16 minutes, stirring often, until the pasta is tender. Add a splash more hot water whenever the sauce thickens before the pasta is cooked; it should finish glossy and clinging.
- Fold through most of the Cheddar a handful at a time until melted into the sauce. Tear the mozzarella across the top, cover, and pull off the heat for 2 minutes so the mozzarella softens into molten ribbons.
- Loosen with a splash of hot water if you want it saucier.
- Scatter over the spring onions, reserved Cheddar and chilli flakes, then add dollops of soured cream. The coriander, guacamole, shredded lettuce, pickled jalapeños and lime wedges are optional additions.
Per serving
- kcal
- 749
- protein
- 40.1g
- fibre
- 5.1g
- carbs
- 59.6g
- fat
- 38.7g
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