Turkey Taco Mac and Cheese

Make Turkey Taco Mac and Cheese for an easy, satisfying family dinner. With ground turkey, packaged shredded cheese, and a few pantry items, it is a simple one-pot meal everyone will love.

These days cooking from what is available in the house is essential now that I can’t run the store anytime I’m out of an ingredient. This pasta maximizes a package of ground turkey and turns it into a hearty meal that feeds a family. Utilizing canned sauces, packaged taco seasoning, and shredded cheese makes this taco mac an ideal (mostly) pantry meal.

Things I like about this dish: one-pot, budget-friendly, easy to make, quick, kid-friendly, and comforting.

Are you in? Let’s get to it!

Recipe highlights:

• Add olive oil to a large pot over medium-high heat.
• Add ground turkey. Brown.
• Season with salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder.
• Reduce heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is translucent.
• Stir in crushed tomato, tomato sauce, water, sugar, and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil.
• Add elbow macaroni and pickled jalapeño peppers. Bring to a boil. 
• Reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until elbows are just shy of tender, stirring every five minutes. Should take about 10-12 minutes.
• Stir in half of the shredded cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the pasta.
• Cover and cook for a few minutes until cheese is melted.
• See the recipe card for detailed instructions.

What to serve with this meal?

While this taco mac is delicious and substantial on its own, these are some great side ideas:

• Popovers with Garlic Herb Cheese
• Roasted Black Pepper Caesar Salad with Pancetta
• Rita’s Green Bean Special

What can I substitute?

Pasta dishes are versatile, and that’s one of the reasons I love them. This is no exception. Substitutions for this recipe can be made without sacrificing taste.

Pasta substitutions:

No elbow mac? No problem! Use pasta you have on hand. Make sure to swap out for the same quantity by weight. This recipe has 10 ounces of elbow mac. If swapping out for pene, for example, you would need 10 ounces of pene. Keep in mind that cooking time might vary slightly when making pasta substitutions. Adjust accordingly.

I use a kitchen scale regularly. It is a helpful gadget to have if you do any cooking. My scale is old, and I don’t think it’s available anymore. But something like this one (affiliate link) is handy when you need to weigh ingredients.

Tomato sauce substitutions:

This recipe utilizes 28 ounces of canned crushed tomatoes. You can substitute an equal amount of another variety (28 ounces of diced tomatoes, for example). Canned whole tomatoes would work, too, but make sure to hand crush the tomatoes before adding them to the sauce. 

The recipe also requires 8 ounces of tomato sauce. If none is available, substitute chicken broth. In a pinch, water will do.

Meat substitutions:

This recipe uses ground turkey, but any ground meat would be delicious—chicken, beef, even pork!

The taco seasoning gives the dish a Tex-Mex flair and warm, robust flavors. I mixed half of the shredded cheese into the pasta and half on top. You can incorporate all the cheese into the pasta or add all to the top. Whichever you choose, it will be fantastic!

Recommended supplies:

(Affiliate links. The products I recommend are either what I use, are on my wish list, or come highly rated.)

• This 4-quart skillet comes with a lid. It’s the perfect size for this recipe.
• A wooden spatula is my favorite kitchen tool for cooking ground meat. This one is made of teak wood.
• Pickled jalapeño peppers to add a little kick to the pasta dish.

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