This taco pasta salad combines seasoned beef mince, black beans, pasta, tomato, red onion and crunchy lettuce with a simple Mexican-style dressing. Unlike the heavier versions made with creamy dressing and crushed chips, mine uses a simple olive oil and lemon dressing which helps it last a bit longer for meal prepping.
Tacos were probably a weekly occurrence in our house growing up, and the leftovers usually ended up in a giant salad the next day. There was always something about cold taco-seasoned beef that I loved because it kept all the flavour but I didn't have to bother with the microwave (especially useful as a summer recipe).
When I first told Zak I was making taco pasta salad, his immediate question was, "But where is the taco?" Fair point. Technicallllllly, no taco. But we've put the naming of the recipe to bed because he thought it was super yummy.
TL:DR
- Servings: 4
- Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes
- Meal prep: Great for cold meal prep because the seasoned beef, black beans and pasta make it substantial while the fresh vegetables add crunch without needing reheating.
- Fridge storage: Up to 2-3 days in an airtight container (if mixed together, recommend eating within 2)
- Freezer storage:
- Reheating:
- Customise: Change the mince, pasta, vegetables or spice level, or use leftover taco mince to make prep even faster.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Uses leftover taco mince. Make extra beef for my ground beef taco bowl and turn the leftovers into a completely different lunch.
Simple dressing. There's no heavy creamy dressing - just olive oil, Mexican seasoning, lemon and salt.
Affordable ingredients. Beef mince, black beans and pasta stretch into several portions without requiring a long ingredient list.
No reheating needed. You can grab it straight from the fridge, which makes it ideal for work lunches, hot weather or days when you don't have access to a microwave.
Ingredients
Beef mince. I prefer lean beef mince for cold pasta salad because less rendered fat means less fat solidifying around the mince once refrigerated. This also helps keep the texture of the ingredients around it.
Mexican seasoning. This is where most of the flavour in the beef comes from, so use a seasoning you actually like; my homemade taco seasoning also lets you adjust the heat and salt.
If you are using a storebought version, try and pick one with minimal filler ingredients and lower in salt. That way you can control it a little bit better.
Black beans. Black beans work with the taco flavours and help stretch the beef mixture further.
Lemon or lime. Citrus added to the beef after cooking gives the taco-seasoned mince some freshness, which is especially useful because the meat is served cold.
Pasta. Fusilli, penne, bow ties and other sturdy short pasta shapes work best for cold meal prep because they hold their shape after cooking, cooling and dressing.
When meal prepping with pasta, I prefer a decent-quality dried pasta rather than the cheapest packet available. Cold pasta gets handled considerably more than something served straight after boiling, so sturdier pasta tends to survive the process better.
Tomato. Use a reasonably firm tomato and avoid chopping it too finely; very juicy tomatoes can release enough liquid to make meal-prep pasta watery.
Red onion. Red onion adds crunch and sharpness, but because it's eaten raw, a little goes a long way. Finely dice it or soak it briefly in cold water if you want to soften the bite.
Lettuce gem. Gem lettuce gives you more crunch than softer salad leaves, which makes it a better option when the salad needs to survive storage.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity. See below for substitutions and variations.
Substitutions and Variations
Other mince. Chicken or turkey mince can be used. Just note that chicken mince and turkey breast mince can be quite a bit leaner in comparison to the beef so avoid overcooking it or it may taste dry once chilled.
Extra add-ins. You can bulk this salad out with some corn, capsicum and cheese if you want even more of a taco vibe. I personally didn't want to use only half of vegetables (e.g. half a tomato) so I lessened the ingredients to keep it at the number of serves we would reasonably eat for meal prepping.
You could also add in some avocado and broken up bits of taco or corn chips. If you are to use these, I recommend storing separately and only adding just before eating otherwise the texture will go a little funny.
Add spice. If you're like Zak and love a bit of heat, add in some fresh chilli at the end, some chilli oil or even some extra chilli flakes or cayenne into the Mexican seasoning.
How to make taco pasta salad
Step 1. Whisk together the olive oil, Mexican seasoning, salt and lemon until combined. If you're meal prepping, reserve a small amount rather than adding all of the dressing immediately.
Step 2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente according to the packet instructions.
Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process, then allow it to drain thoroughly. Leaving excess water on the pasta will dilute the dressing.
Step 3. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef mince and cook for approximately 5-7 minutes, breaking it into small pieces, until browned and completely cooked through.
Add the Mexican seasoning and stir for another minute so it coats the beef rather than simply sitting on the surface.
Step 4. Drain and rinse the black beans, then add them to the seasoned beef. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until heated through, then finish with a squeeze of lemon or lime.
Transfer the beef mixture to a plate or shallow bowl and allow it to cool.
Step 5. Add the cooled pasta, taco beef and black beans, tomato and red onion to a large bowl. Pour over most of the dressing and gently toss until evenly coated.
If serving immediately, fold through the lettuce gem and add any optional toppings.
For meal prep, portion the lettuce separately or place it on top of the pasta mixture rather than mixing it through completely. Toss everything together immediately before eating.
Lauren's Top Tips
Cool the beef before assembling. Hot mince will wilt lettuce and warm the tomatoes, so give it time to cool before it goes anywhere near the salad.
Season for cold food. Taste the finished salad once it has cooled; taco seasoning, citrus or salt may need a small adjustment because cold food can taste less pronounced.
Meal Prepping taco pasta salad
Taco pasta salad is an easy cold meal prep because you've got beef mince and black beans for the main protein component, pasta as the carbohydrate base and tomato, red onion and lettuce for freshness and crunch. It also doesn't need reheating, which makes it useful for office lunches, hot weather or days when you don't know whether you'll have access to a microwave.
The main consideration is moisture. Pasta will absorb the dressing if it's stored together while you don't really want the lettuce to touch it. You can store the whole thing together as I have specifically chosen gem lettuce which holds up a bit better - like I do for my big mac pasta salad.
Storing
Allow the pasta and taco beef mixture to cool completely before transferring everything into airtight containers.
I like mixing the pasta, beef, beans, tomato and onion together with most of the dressing, then keeping the gem lettuce on top or in a small separate compartment. This gives the pasta time to absorb the taco flavours without letting the lettuce sit underneath wet ingredients.
If you store separately, it'll last for about 3-4 days. But if you're storing it all together, the texture will be best the first couple of days.
Lauren's Meal Prep Tip
Lauren's meal prep tip. Dress the pasta, beef and beans lightly, reserve a little dressing for later and keep the lettuce on top or separately.
Freezing
I don't recommend freezing the pasta salad as there are too many watery ingredients.
But, if you make extra beef mince you can freeze it like I have above and use it in a number of dishes like my slow cooker beef taco soup.
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQs
Keep the lettuce away from the dressed pasta and juicy tomatoes until you're ready to eat. For meal prep, store the lettuce on top or separately and mix it through immediately before serving.
Pasta continues absorbing dressing while refrigerated, so the salad can look drier even though you added enough dressing originally. Reserve a small amount and toss it through just before eating rather than heavily dressing the pasta from the beginning.
Use lean beef mince and drain any excess fat after cooking if needed. Higher-fat mince can feel heavier once chilled because the rendered fat firms up in the fridge.
Other summer-inspired recipes you'll like
Or, you can have a browse through my summer meal prep recipes for more delicious eats.
Recipe
Taco Pasta Salad
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Equipment
- large pan
Ingredients
- 400 g (1 lb) lean beef mince, see note 1
- 3 tablespoon mexican seasoning, see note 2
- 1 tin black beans
- ½ lemon / lime
- 250 g (9 oz) pasta, see note 3
- 1 tomato
- ½ red onion
- 1 lettuce gem / romaine
Dressing:
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Mexican seasoning, see note 2
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ lemon / lime
Instructions
Preparing
- Dice the 1 tomato and ½ red onion. Roughly chop or shred the 1 lettuce gem / romaine and set aside.
- Whisk together the 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp Mexican seasoning, 1 tsp salt, ½ lemon / lime If meal prepping, reserve a small amount of dressing to add just before eating.
Cooking
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the 250 g (9 oz) pasta and cook until al dente according to the packet instructions.
- Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Allow it to drain thoroughly so excess water doesn't dilute the dressing.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat with a small amount of oil. Add the 400 g (1 lb) lean beef mince and cook for approximately 5-7 minutes, breaking it into small pieces, until browned and completely cooked through.
- Add the 3 tbsp mexican seasoning and stir through the beef for approximately 1 minute, until evenly coated and fragrant.
- Drain and rinse the 1 tin black beans, then add them to the beef. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until heated through, then finish with the ½ lemon / lime (juice)
- Transfer the beef and black bean mixture to a plate or shallow bowl and allow it to cool. Cooling it before assembly prevents the lettuce from wilting.
- Add the cooled pasta, beef and black beans, tomato and red onion to a large bowl. Pour over most of the dressing and gently toss until evenly combined.
- If serving immediately, fold through the lettuce gem. If meal prepping, keep the lettuce on top or store it separately and mix through just before eating.
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