Skip the tacos on Taco Tuesday and make this 30-minute vegan taco pasta for dinner instead! This easy to make, family-friendly meal is loaded with fire-roasted red peppers, sweet corn, protein-packed black beans, fresh cilantro, and the creamiest taco-inspired sauce! Vegan + gluten-free options.
*This recipe was originally posted on 11/21/16 but I updated it with new pictures and better recipe instructions on 7/25/19.
I love tacos and I bet that you do too since you’re here looking for a taco pasta recipe! Instead of making low-carb baked cauliflower tofu tacos or chipotle jackfruit tacos this Taco Tuesday, why don’t you switch it up and try this delicious tex mex taco pasta!
This healthy pasta is loaded with red peppers, sweet corn, protein-packed black beans, and the creamiest taco-seasoned sauce! This dish is family-friendly, allergy-friendly, easy to make, and it only takes 30 minutes to whip up!
How to Make Taco Pasta – Step by Step Instructions
Step #1 – Boil the raw cashews in water for 10 minutes (or soak the cashews in cold water for 2-3 hours) and then drain them and set aside for later (Photo 1).
Step #2 – Saute the diced onion in 2-3 tbsp of vegetable broth (or olive oil) in a large pan over medium heat until they’re soft, for about 8-10 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and the minced garlic. Let it cook for 2-3 more minutes (Photo 2).
Step #3 – Once the onions have softened, add the frozen (or fresh) diced red pepper, frozen (or fresh) sweet corn, and (1) 14 oz can of rinsed and drained black beans (I like the organic canned black beans from Costco because they’re very low in sodium and the can is BPA-free) to the pan with the onions and garlic (Photo 3).
Step #4 – While the vegetables are cooking, get a large pot of water boiling to cook the noodles and make the sauce (Photo 4).
Step #5 – In a small blender (I used a Nutribullet and the medium-sized cup) add the boiled (cooled) raw cashews, unsweetened coconut milk (from a carton, not a can), green onions (just the green part) taco seasoning, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, sea salt, and fresh lime juice. Blend until the sauce is smooth an creamy (Photo 5).
Step #6 – Let the vegetables and bean mixture cook for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables have softened to your taste (Photo 6).
Step #7 – The vegetables should be ready by now. Pour all of the sauce that you just made over the vegetables and stir it well (Photo 7). Reduce the heat to medium-low and leave the pan on the heat to warm up the sauce until the noodles are done cooking (Photo 8).
Step #8 – Drain the noodles and put them directly into the pan with the vegetables, beans, and taco sauce. Toss it well to coat each noodle with sauce (Photo 9) and then garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, sliced jalapenos, and lime wheels. You can serve it right from the pan, it’s a really pretty presentation with all the garnishes!
What Else Can I Add To This Pasta?
There are so many options! Pretty much anything that you would put on tacos would be delicious in this pasta. You could add:
- Diced Tomatoes
- Thinly Sliced Red Cabbage
- Crumbled Tempeh or Tofu
- Diced Avocado
- Spinach
- Sliced Green Onions
- Shredded Jackfruit (add it when you add the corn, black beans, and red peppers)
- Vegan Shredded Cheese (I recommend Violife shredded cheddar)
- Salsa (as a topping)
Is This Pasta Spicy?
No, this easy to make pasta is not spicy at all. I only added a few shakes of cayenne pepper to the taco sauce because I didn’t want the sauce to be super spicy. You can add as much or as little as you want. If you like it really spicy, you could add one chipotle pepper to the sauce for a spicy kick!
Can I Eat This Pasta Cold?
This Mexican pasta skillet is delicious enjoyed hot or cold! If you’d like to serve it as a cold taco pasta salad, I would follow the recipe exactly except for the toppings.
Wait to garnish the pasta with chopped cilantro, sliced jalapenos, sliced green onions, and lime slices until right before you serve it so it looks fresh and colorful.
You could also add vegan shredded cheese (I recommend Violife shredded cheddar) to make it a cheesy taco pasta salad!
What To Do With Leftovers?
You can store the leftover pasta in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Or you can freeze the leftover pasta. It reheats very well but you’ll need to add water, vegetable broth, or more unsweetened coconut milk to the pasta as you reheat it so it doesn’t dry out.
Is This Recipe Allergy-Friendly?
Yes, this dairy free pasta recipe is very allergy-friendly. It’s vegetarian, vegan, soy-free and it can be made gluten-free but using gluten-free noodles. I recommend these gluten-free noodles, they taste just like wheat-based noodles to me and they have a delicious texture. However, this recipe is not nut-free because the sauce is made with cashews.
Notes & Substitutions
- You don’t want a sweet pasta sauce, so make sure that you use an unsweetened plant milk. My favorite options are unsweetened coconut milk (from a carton), unsweetened almond mik, or unsweetened cashew milk. I would not use soy milk as it gives a sweet flavor to the sauce even if it’s unsweetened.
- You can use red, yellow, orange, or green bell peppers in this pasta.
- You can use fresh or frozen bell peppers and corn for this recipe. I’ve made it both ways and it really doesn’t matter which option you use.
- My favorite noodles to use are casarecce, cavatappi, shells, macaroni elbows, rotini, or penne. Pick a noodle that will catch and hold the sauce.
- If you’d like to add more plant-based protein to this meal, you could add crumbled tofu (that’s been pressed), crumbled tempeh, or an extra can of black beans. Add any of these options when you add the vegetables.
- If you’d like to add vegan “ground beef” to the pasta, you can use the lentil recipe from this vegan crunch wrap supreme recipe. This would taste 100x better than hamburger helper ever could!
- You could also add “chicken” by adding Gardein chick’n strips to the pasta.
- If you’re looking for a taco pasta bake, try this recipe but substitute vegan sour cream (I like Kite Hill plain greek yogurt) and vegan cheese.
Helpful Recipe Tips
- Make sure you soak the cashews for 2-3 hours or boil them for 10 minutes before blending them so they are softer and easier for you to digest.
- It’s important that you use unsalted raw cashews for this recipe. Roasted or salted cashews would change the flavor.
- If you saute with vegetable broth instead of oil (like I do), you may need to add more broth as you saute the onions and cook the vegetables if it gets too dry.
- When you boil the noodles, reserve one cup of the hot pasta water just in case you need it to thin out the taco pasta sauce to your desired consistency.
- If you’re gluten-free, try these noodles. The rest of the recipe is gluten-free as-is.
- Store the leftover pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
More Vegan Taco-Inspired Recipes You’ll Love!
BEST EVER Jackfruit Enchiladas
Vegan Taco Pasta
Equipment
- Large Saute Pan
- Small Blender
- Large Pot
Ingredients
Taco Pasta Sauce -
- 1 cup raw cashews, (pre-soaked or boiled)
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk (from a carton)
- 1 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning (salt-free)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- cayenne pepper to taste (I only used a couple shakes)
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink sea salt (more to taste)
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 3 green onions (only the green part)
Taco Pasta -
- 2 Tbsp vegetable broth (or olive oil)
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- (1) 10 oz bag frozen fire-roasted diced red peppers (or 2 medium fresh bell peppers)
- (1) 14 oz can black beans (rinsed and drained)
- (1) 14 oz bag frozen sweet corn (or (1) 14 oz can or 2 fresh ears)
- 1 lb uncooked pasta of choice (use gluten-free noodles if necessary)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice (about half a medium lime + use the other half for garnish)
- 1 small jalapeno (sliced and seeded for garnish)
Instructions
- Boil the raw cashews in water for 10 minutes (or soak the cashews in cold water for 2-3 hours) and then drain them and set aside for later.
- Saute the diced onion in 2-3 tbsp of vegetable broth (or olive oil) in a large pan over medium heat until they’re soft, for about 8-10 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and the minced garlic. Let it cook for 2-3 more minutes.
- Once the onions have softened, add the frozen (or fresh) diced red pepper, frozen (or fresh) sweet corn, and (1) 14 oz can of rinsed and drained black beans (I like the organic canned black beans from Costco because they’re very low in sodium and the can is BPA-free) to the pan with the onions and garlic.
- While the vegetables are cooking, get a large pot of water boiling to cook the noodles and then make the taco pasta sauce.
- In a small blender (I used a Nutribullet and the medium-sized cup) add the boiled (cooled) raw cashews, unsweetened coconut milk (from a carton, not a can), green onions (just the green part) taco seasoning, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, sea salt, and fresh lime juice. Blend until the sauce is smooth an creamy.
- Let the vegetables and bean mixture cook for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables have softened to your taste.
- The vegetables should be ready by now. Pour all of the taco pasta sauce that you just made over the vegetables and stir it well. Reduce the heat to medium-low and leave the pan on the heat to warm up the sauce until the noodles are done cooking.
- Drain the noodles and put them directly into the pan with the vegetables, beans, and taco pasta sauce. Toss it well to coat each noodle with sauce and then garnish with freshly chopped cilantro, sliced jalapenos, and lime slices. You can serve it right from the pan, it’s a really pretty presentation with all the garnishes!
Notes
- You don't want a sweet taco pasta sauce, so make sure that you use unsweetened plant milk. My favorite options are unsweetened coconut milk (from a carton), unsweetened almond milk, or unsweetened cashew milk. I would not use soy milk as it gives a sweet flavor to the sauce even if it's unsweetened.
- You can use red, yellow, orange, or green bell peppers in this pasta.
- You can use fresh or frozen bell peppers and corn for this recipe. I've made it both ways and it really doesn't matter which option you use.
- My favorite noodles to use are casarecce, cavatappi, shells, elbows, or penne. Pick a noodle that will catch and hold the sauce.
- Make sure to soak the cashews for 2-3 hours or boil them for 10 minutes before blending them so they are softer and easier for you to digest.
- It's important that you use unsalted raw cashews for this taco pasta recipe. Roasted or salted cashews would change the flavor.
- If you saute with vegetable broth instead of oil (like I do), you may need to add more broth as you saute the onions and cook the vegetables if it gets too dry.
- When you boil the noodles, reserve one cup of the hot pasta water just in case you need it to thin out the taco pasta sauce to your desired consistency.
- Store the leftover taco pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
