This Easy Cheesy Tex-Mex Skillet is the ultimate one-pan weeknight dinner. If you grew up loving Hamburger Helper, this homemade version is just as quick but much healthier, you can swap out regular rotini for whole wheat pasta and add your own fresh seasoning.
Why You’ll Love This Tex-Mex Skillet
This is a really simple meal for a quick weeknight dinner. It’s one of those that gives me a sigh of relief when I know it’s on the meal plan, because it has almost zero prep. Just dump everything in a pan, and if I forgot to thaw out the ground beef (or ground venison most of the time) I can just thaw it in the microwave quick.
The kids all love this meal. It’s pasta with the taco taste they love. My 3 year old might use the pasta in this meal as a vessel for sour cream, but at least she’s eating something.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Ground beef – We normally substitute for venison.
Colby Jack or cheddar cheese, shredded
Corn – We use canned corn from our garden
Diced tomatoes – These are normally from our garden too!
Taco seasoning – We use this homemade taco seasoning
Rotini pasta
Garlic powder or minced garlic
Onion powder, optional
Expert Tips for the Best Results
You can make this as a one pan meal, just cook the pasta right in the pan, just like you do with hamburger helper. If you’re in a hurry you can boil the pasta in a separate pan, just omit the 1 cup of water and combine the ingredients and heat until warmed through.
Variations and Substitutions
You can add some spicy elements like peppers when cooking, or use diced tomatoes with chilis. We love to top this with some sour cream and green onions.
Ingredients
Method
- Brown hamburger and season with garlic powder and onion powder, drain.
- In the same skillet add pasta, corn, diced tomatoes and taco seasoning with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down to a simmer covered for about 15 minutes, until pasta is tender.
- Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and heat until cheese is melted.
More Weeknight Favorites
If you enjoyed this one-pan dinner, you might also like these other family-friendly recipes from the blog:
- Tex-Mex Enchiladas: A classic flavor profile that’s always a hit.
- Tex-Mex Style Stuffed Bell Peppers: A great way to use up garden peppers and ground beef.
Final Thoughts
This Easy Cheesy Tex-Mex Skillet is proof that you don’t need a pantry full of processed boxes to get a meal on the table in under 30 minutes. Whether you are using beef or venison, store-bought or garden-canned veggies, it’s a flexible “win” for those nights when time is short but you still want a hearty, homemade meal.
Give it a try this week and see if it earns a permanent spot on your rotation, don’t forget the extra dollop of sour cream!
What’s your favorite way to “level up” a skillet meal? Let me know in the comments below!
I stopped by today, and my store has ground beef on sale and this is such a easy recipe, and I am going to make it. I already have the cheese, and corn. I do not have to get very many more items. Thanks for this wonderful recipe.
Just wondering if the pasta should be cooked first or if you add it to the skillet dry.
Just add it in dry. It’ll cook in the skillet, kind of like in a “Hamburger Helper” type skillet.
My husband will LOVE this recipe! He’s a Hamburger Helper fan. Thanks for sharing on Something To Talk About link party!! Hope to see you again next Monday!!
We love Tex/Mex flavors around here, and I’m always a fan of one pan meals. 🙂 Thanks for sharing with us on Inspire Me Monday. Hope to see you again next week!
I am going to try this recipe with ground turkey! Thank you for this