Taco Pasta Salad
Taco Pasta Salad blends seasoned ground beef with tender spiral pasta, crisp lettuce, juicy cherry tomatoes, and sharp Cheddar for a hearty, Tex-Mex twist on a picnic classic. Crunchy corn chips and tangy French dressing add bold contrast, while a dollop of sour cream rounds it out. Great for potlucks, game day, or an easy weeknight dinner.
- Prep10 mins
- Cook20 mins
- Serves6
- DifficultyEasy
easyChef Pro health score
Calculated from USDA-referenced nutrient data for the ingredients in Taco Pasta Salad, not estimated by an AI model. The same recipe returns the same score every time.
- Glycemic ImpactFair
- 50 / 100
- Carb quality, not quantity. Higher is better.
- Nutritional DensityPoor
- 9 / 100
- Nutrients per calorie. Higher is better.
- Energy DensityFair
- 44 / 100
- Calories by weight. Higher means more food for fewer calories.
- NOVA Processed Culinary Ingredients
- 2 / 4
- Processing level, 1 (whole) to 4 (ultra-processed). Lower is better.
How it scores for each health goal
The same recipe scores differently against different goals, because the goal changes the calculation rather than filtering a list. Set your goal in easyChef Pro and every recipe is scored against it.
- 15
- Heart Health
- 70
- Metabolic
- 39
- Digestive
- 22
- Inflammatory
- 30
- Performance
- 32
- General Wellness
- 1
Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring it to a rolling boil. Stir in spiral pasta and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender yet slightly firm to the bite, about 12 minutes; drain.
- 2
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the ground beef. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Drain and discard any excess grease. Stir the taco seasoning into the beef; let cool.
- 3
Stir the beef mixture into the pasta. Add the lettuce, tomatoes, Cheddar cheese, corn chips, onion, and French dressing; toss to combine and coat. Top with sour cream.
- Calories 796.75 kcal High 40%
- Protein 30.97 g Good Source 62%
- Carbohydrate 73.52 g 27%
- Total Fat 43.18 g High 55%
- Saturated Fat 14.75 g High 74%
- Trans Fat 0.0 g Low Source 0%
- Cholesterol 85.21 mg High 28%
- Sodium 601.81 mg High 26%
- Dietary Fiber 5.53 g Moderate 20%
- Total Sugars 10.76 g --
- Added Sugars 0.06 g Low Source 0%
- Calcium 293.07 mg Good Source 23%
- Iron 3.98 mg Good Source 22%
- Potassium 92.28 mg Low Source 2%
- Vitamin A 96.84 mcg Moderate 11%
- Vitamin C 3.95 mg Low Source 4%
- Vitamin D 0.19 mcg Low Source 1%
Values are per serving. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
- Milk 🥛
- Wheat 🌾
- Gluten
- Corn 🌽
- Tomatoes 🍅
- Onions 🧅
About This Recipe
Taco Pasta Salad is a Tex Mex dinner recipe made with 10 ingredients. It takes about 30 mins, serves 6, and is rated easy. Key ingredients include Cherry Tomato, Corn Chips, Diced Onion, and French Dressing. Each serving provides about 796.75 kcal, and is a good source of protein.
Recipe Questions
- What is Taco Pasta Salad?
- It is a Tex-Mex salad recipe made with 10 ingredients, usually served for dinner or lunch or salad.
- What is Taco Pasta Salad made of?
- The main ingredients are Cherry Tomato, Corn Chips, Diced Onion, French Dressing, Fusilli Pasta. The full list of 10 is above.
- What goes well with Taco Pasta Salad?
- Explore these Tex-Mex side-dish recipes.
- How long does it take to make Taco Pasta Salad?
- About 30 mins in total: 10 mins to prepare and 20 mins to cook.
- How many calories are in one serving?
- One serving provides about 796.75 kcal. The full nutrition breakdown is above.
- Is Taco Pasta Salad easy to make?
- This recipe is rated easy, with 10 ingredients and 3 steps.
- Is Taco Pasta Salad healthy?
- Taco Pasta Salad has an easyChef Pro health score of 37/100. Per serving, it provides 796.75 calories and 30.97 g of protein, or 62% of the Daily Value. It is a good source of calcium and iron. Worth noting per serving: sodium at 601.81 mg (26% of the Daily Value) and saturated fat at 14.75 g (74% of the Daily Value). It contains Milk, Wheat, Gluten, Corn, Tomatoes and Onions, so it may not be suitable for people with those allergies or dietary restrictions. Whether it fits your goals depends on your complete meal plan and nutritional needs. Remix it in easyChef Pro to adjust the ingredients and generate fresh nutrition and scores.
How easyChef Pro scores recipes and products
easyChef Pro analyzes up to 41 nutrients using data sourced from USDA and other verified food databases. Its scoring method uses the nutrients relevant to nutrition quality, calorie density, processing level, and your selected health goal. Recipes and food products get a health score from 0 to 100, calculated using consistent rules instead of being estimated by AI. The same nutrition data, serving size and health goal will produce the same result.
The calculation evaluates nutrients, calorie density, processing level, and how well the food supports your selected health goal. Protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and other beneficial nutrients can strengthen the score. High amounts of sodium, saturated fat, added sugar and other nutrients may lower it.
Your health goal also matters. easyChef Pro evaluates recipes and products across six health areas and adjusts their importance for your selected goal. This means the same food may be a better fit for one health goal than another.
For recipes, changing an ingredient, quantity or serving size changes the nutrition and may change the score. Remix the recipe in easyChef Pro to calculate fresh nutrition and scores for the version you actually make. Product scores are based on the nutrition and serving information associated with that specific product.
Score a recipe free, no app required