Gluten-Free One-Pot Taco Pasta

My easy one-pot taco pasta skillet recipe is made with both fresh ingredients and pantry staples, including delicious gluten-free brown rice pasta that is cooked to the perfect texture. The whole dish is ready in about 30 minutes with little mess or fuss. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.

If you’re looking for a meal that feeds a crowd, or one that comes with plenty of leftovers to enjoy the next day or all week long, then look no further than my gluten-free one-pot taco pasta skillet.

This one-pot taco pasta tastes incredible (more on that in a bit) and can fuel a group of hungry teenagers without breaking the bank!

What You Need

Before making this recipe, make sure you have a large non-stick skillet pan. I bought mine at Costco for $20 and use it constantly. It can hold up to 5 quarts. If you don’t have a large skillet pan, be sure to use a large soup pot or something that can hold at least 5 quarts.

This recipe appears to require a lot of ingredients, but once you dice it all down, you’ll see the ingredients are super simple, pantry staples. Here’s what you need:

• 1 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 – 1.5 lbs ground turkey or ground beef
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes with juices
• 15 ounce can of corn, drained and rinsed
• 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup salsa
• 12 ounce Tinkyada brown rice noodles (the noodles come in 12-16 ounce packages)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1-2 tbsp fresh cilantro optional, for garnish
• 1 avocado sliced

The gluten-free pasta brand you choose is very important. I have found that some gluten-free noodle brands have a better texture than others.

One brown rice noodle brand that I use in this recipe is called Tinkyada. You can find these perfectly textured noodles at many grocery stores across the U.S., from Walmart to Kroger, Safeway, and Sprouts. You can also get them on Amazon.

You can use any of the pasta shapes you desire. I noticed that some of the Tinkyada pasta bags contain more ounces than others. For example, the shells contain 16 ounces of pasta while the penne contains 12 ounces.

I have made this exact recipe using both 12 ounces of pasta and 16 ounces of pasta. The pasta is more al dente with 16 ounces, and I find myself adding 1/4 – 1/2 cups more liquid at the end of the cook cycle when I use 16 ounces of pasta vs. 12 ounces.

If you use another brown rice pasta brand, measure out 12-16 ounces, and watch the cooking time carefully. You may need to add more liquid (or maybe use less liquid) to get the perfect texture.

How to Make Taco Pasta Skillet

Everything is going to cook in one pan, and you won’t have to remove anything from the pan during the cooking process.

Start by heating the avocado oil over medium-high heat in a large 5-quart non-stick pan. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes until they soften. Then add the ground meat and cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper, jalapeno, chili powder, cumin, and salt, and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Add the canned diced tomatoes, corn, black beans, and salsa and mix well.

Next, add the brown rice noodles and chicken broth. Continue to mix until all the ingredients are well combined. Bring the mixture to a boil before turning down the heat to a rolling boil (low). Cover and cook until the noodles are cooked through, about 10-15 minutes.

If the noodles are soft, remove the mixture from the heat even if there is still liquid left in the pan. If the noodles are too hard, add a bit more water, bring the mixture to a rolling boil, cover, and cook for another few minutes, watching the mixture closely and stirring often.

There should be some liquid left in the pan when all is said and done. The extra liquid will thicken as it cools and give the final dish a wonderful saucy texture.

You can also add more salt to taste, as well as top everything with fresh cilantro and slices of avocado (optional).

Store leftovers in a sealed container in your fridge for up to a week. I often portion out the leftovers into these glass storage containers so everyone has lunch ready for the next day.

Why We Love This Recipe

It’s cooked in one pot: Using only one pot makes for easy cleanup. You will make a little mess chopping vegetables and rinsing the canned black beans and corn, but overall, this is a recipe that requires minimal cleanup.

It’s delicious: I love cooking pasta along with the other ingredients because all the starch stays in the pot and gives it a wonderful taste and texture. You may just have to try it to know exactly what I mean.

You can use ground turkey or ground beef: You only need 1-1.5 lbs of ground meat for this recipe. I used only 1 lb of ground beef and 14 ounces of Tinkyada penne pasta in the below picture. You can make expensive meat go further with this one-pot taco pasta recipe.

It’s spicy: If you love spice, you will love this recipe, especially if you crank up the spice levels by using a medium or hot salsa and adding extra chili powder. If you don’t like spice, the good news is you can tone the spice down easily too.

It feeds a crowd: Whenever I make one-pot taco pasta, my kids are thrilled because they know it’ll be in their lunch the next day too. There are plenty of leftovers and each person in my family of four gets to enjoy this the next day.

It’s cheap: With the cost of gluten-free foods skyrocketing these days, it’s nice to have cheap meal options. This meal can easily be made for under $20. The most expensive ingredients would be the meat and pasta.

It’s made in less than 30 minutes: I’m able to pull this meal together in under 30 minutes. I know this is music to the ears of many busy families.

Substitutions and Additions

This one-pot taco pasta skillet recipe is quite forgiving, so feel free to add or omit ingredients as desired.

Meat: You can use ground turkey or ground beef. Make sure the meat is cooked through before adding all the other ingredients.

Pasta: See notes above about why I use Tinkyada brown rice pasta. I cannot guarantee the taste or texture if you use other gluten-free pasta brands.

Salsa: Use any salsa you like. I use the medium-spiced Kirkland brand salsa.

Broth: You can use chicken or vegetable broth. If you don’t have broth, you can use water. I recommend adding a bit more salt and pepper to your mixture if you’re using water in lieu of broth.

Spices: If you like it spicy, add more chili powder and/or a pinch of red pepper flakes. Also use a medium to hot salsa.

More Recipes Like This

You might also enjoy the following recipes:

• Hearty Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
• Slow Cooker Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash
• Asian Meatball Bowls