High Protein Taco Mac and Cheese
Tacos meet mac and cheese in this home-run of a recipe and the results are a cheesy, meaty, nutritious comfort food that’s perfect for weeknight dinners. Ready in under 30 minutes, this is a family favorite.
Made with homemade taco seasoning and a made-from-scratch cheesy sauce, this easy taco mac and cheese recipe is every bit as delicious as it sounds.
The cheese sauce is made with cottage cheese making it deceivingly high in protein. Add in lean ground beef and Banza chickpea noodles, you have a high-protein, flavorful meal the whole family will rave about.
If you’re on a Mac and cheese roll, try my white cheddar mac and cheese or pizza mac and cheese. If you’re just looking for high-protein recipes, you’ll love my list of 20+ High Protein Macro-Friendly Chicken Recipes.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- 39 grams of protein per serving.
- A perfect meal for Taco Tuesday.
- Creamy mac and cheese sauce loaded with taco flavor.
This recipe started as me making ground beef and noodles and accidentally creating the best one pan taco mac and cheese that does not use a packet of cheese flavoring for my family. I started tossing everything from the fridge into the pan and the rest is history. My family loves this recipe and I can’t wait to hear what your family thinks!
Ingredients and Substitutes:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and instructions for this Taco Mac and Cheese.
- Lean Ground Beef: use ground turkey, chicken, or any preferred meat.
- Chickpea Noodles: use your favorite noodles, I’m using chickpea pasta to boost the protein some.
- Taco Seasoning: we make our own taco seasoning in this recipe but to save time you can use a packet of your favorite taco seasoning.
- Cottage Cheese: I do not recommend committing this, give it a shot and let me know what you think! It makes the best creamy macaroni and you can’t taste it, promise!
Variations
- Add a 4 oz. can of green chiles or jalapenos to add some additional heat.
- Include more vegetables to up the fiber.
- Add riced cauliflower to up the volume.
- Top with your favorite taco toppings or tortilla chips.
Dietary Modifications
- If using Banza chickpea noodles, this recipe is gluten-free, as is.
- This recipe relies heavily on dairy ingredients and therefore isn’t recommended to make dairy-free but you can try with dairy free alternatives to cottage cheese and cheese. Or you can use a dairy-free box mix and add in the meat and salsa from this recipe.
How to make this Taco Mac and Cheese (a step-by-step visual guide):
Step 1: cook the noodles
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the elbow macaroni according to the package instructions.
Step 2: cook the beef
While the noodles cook start browning your meat in a large skillet over medium heat (image 1).
Break it down into bite-sized pieces as you cook it (image 2).
Step 3: add the seasoning and vegetables
While the meat browns combine all taco seasonings in a small bowl with water (image 3).
Once browned add the taco seasoning to the meat (image 4). Mix to evenly coat the meat in the seasoning and reduce to a simmer.
Add the bell peppers (image 5). Let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes stirring often (image 6).
Step 4: make the sauce
Using an immersion blender, food processor, or blender, blend the cottage cheese so that it is completely smooth (image 6).
Once smooth add the salsa, milk, and flour (image 7) and mix well to combine.
Step 5: add the sauce to the meat
Add the cottage cheese sauce, mild cheddar and sharp cheddar cheese to the pan with the meat mixture (image 8).
Mix together to completely melt the cheese and evenly combine (image 9).
Step 6: add the noodles
Drain the noodles from the water and add the cooked pasta to the large skillet with the meat and cheese mixture (image 10).
Mix together to completely melt the cheese and evenly combine (image 11).
Expert Tip!
Make two batches. One for now and one to freeze as meal prep! Double up that taco seasoning too so you can use it on meat for taco night or in Greek Yogurt 5 Layer Dip!
Recipe FAQs
Store your taco macaroni in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or stovetop when ready to enjoy. Leftover macaroni is never the same so you can add a splash of milk or beef broth to help loosen it back up when reheating.
Simple microwave! I love having leftovers for lunch the next day. If it seems to need a little bit more liquid to loosen it up just add a splash of water or milk (dairy or plant-based) to the macaroni to loosen it up.
Serve topped with your favorite taco toppings, tortilla chips for scooping, cilantro or as is. I also love this with a non-alcoholic Moscow mule mocktail or NA beer.
This is a great recipe to meal prep, freeze and reheat at work, school or on the go out the door. Simply freeze in individual portions and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes until cooked through. Add a splash of milk or water to loosen if needed.
Check out these other easy recipes!
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Taco Mac and Cheese
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Ingredients
- 1 lbs. lean ground beef 96/4
- Taco Seasoning
- 8 oz. Banza Chickpea Pasta Elbows weighed uncooked
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped 113g
Cheese Sauce
- 8 oz. low fat cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup medium spice salsa
- 1/4 cup whole milk sub 2%
- 1/2 cup mild cheddar cheese 56g
- 1/2 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese 56g
- 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
Taco Seasoning
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp. chili powder
- 1.5 tbsp. ground cumin
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the elbow macaroni according to the package directions.
- While the noodles cook start browning your meat in a large skillet over medium heat breaking it down into bite-sized pieces as you cook it.
- While the meat browns combine all taco seasonings in a small bowl with the water to create a paste. Once browned add the taco seasoning to the meat and reduce to a simmer. Add the chopped bell peppers and let simmer for 5 minutes stirring often.
- Using an immersion blender, food processor, or blender, blend the cottage cheese so that it is completely smooth. Once smooth add the salsa, milk, and flour and mix together well to combine.
- Add the cottage cheese sauce, mild cheddar and sharp cheddar cheese to the pan with the meat mixture. Mix together to completely melt the cheese and evenly combine.
- Drain the noodles from the water and add the cooked pasta to the large skillet with the meat and cheese mixture. Mix together well. Top with chopped cilantro and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutrition facts are an estimate.
- Use any type of ground meat but beef gives the most authentic taco flavor.
- Chickpea pasta adds protein but any short noodle works well.
- Use full-fat cottage cheese for a creamier dish.
I LOVE this recipe. I make it at least once a month. I double the peppers sometimes or throw in some broccoli for extra veggies, and it is always perfect.
Thanks for the review! So glad you loved it.
My whole family loved this recipe!
Has anyone tried freezing the leftovers?
It’s the best feeling when the whole family can agree on something! I haven’t tried freezing it because it never lasts that long and sometimes noodles can come out mushy. Let me know if you try!
We made this for dinner last night – so good! Flavor is great and it was so filling – a great comfort meal. We will be making this again!
One of my favorite comfort meals too! So glad you agree.
Such a great recipe that remains in my dinner rotation! I always add some chopped onion and cilantro too which makes it so perfect!
quick and delicious!
I made it for meal prep last week and making it AGAIN this week! It’s the perfect combination of being fulfilling and a comfort food for rough weeks at work/home. I add a can of black beans for additional fiber/protein. Curbs my snacking until mid-afternoon. Try it, you won’t regret it.
Amazing!!
This is like a homemade hamburger helper. I whipped it up in less that 20 minutes for the next day. I had it for lunch and I can’t get over how good it is. It is a comfort food that I didn’t know I needed. I didn’t have bell peppers and I used a packet of taco seasoning. It is delicious and I can’t wait for my kids to devour it tonight!
Yay!! So so happy to hear how much you love it!
Recipe was delicious but there is no way this serves 6. I portioned it into 5 containers and we both felt like we needed a salad or something in addition to it.
Glad you liked it, I love adding side salads to stuff like this or cauli rice in with the mix but you could also just have 1.5 or 2 servings to fit your needs.
Firstly this was DELICIOUS! I don’t even like cottage cheese and it was the perfect dish. Secondly and most importantly, my children who hate all food absolutely LOVED this dish. They actually licked their plates after…. I was shocked (minimally cause this was a delicious dish). Will absolutely be making this one again!! I did make a couple substitutions based on ingredients I had at home (noodle type, taco sauce instead of salsa) and it still turned out amazing.