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Home » Recipes » Dinner

One Pan Fajita Pasta

By Erin · June 3, 2015 · Updated May 13, 2020 · 20 Comments

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Gluten Free

This One Pan Fajita Pasta IS just as good as it sounds! Pasta mixes with traditional fajita ingredients--tomatoes, ground beef and cheese--to make this deliciously comforting recipe, plus it's made in one pan in under 30 minutes. 

large bowl with pasta, tomatoes and cheese

Name someone who doesn't love one pan recipes? That's right, you can't because they're the best! This one pan fajita pasta is an awesome make-ahead dinner that you can enjoy throughout the week, yet also a quick weeknight meal for those nights when you really don't feel like making dinner.

It kind of reminds me of my veggie fajitas but with beef, and in pasta form. ....so some may argue that it's even better!

WHY THIS FAJITA PASTA IS THE BEST

  • This recipe is made in ONE PAN (enough said)
  • It can easily be made gluten free by using gluten free pasta
  • It's loaded with all the best foods: tomatoes, avocado and cheese!

HOW TO MAKE ONE PAN FAJITA PASTA

Start by sautéing the veggies, aka the peppers and onions, until they're soft, which should take 3-5 minutes. TIP: Since this is a "one pan" meal, make sure to use a large skillet!

Next, add the ground beef, along with the spices, and cook until the beef is *almost* completely cooked. Quickly add the grape tomatoes and stir for 1-2 more minutes so that the beef is fully cooked and the tomatoes are slightly soft.

At this point, add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, pasta, and water and then stir everything together. Simmer the pasta and place a lid on the skillet, cooking until the pasta is soft.

Stir in the cheese, then serve the whole dish with avocado! Viola--it's like your favorite fajita recipe in pasta form.

peppers and beef in skillet

HOW TO STORE LEFTOVERS

Store the leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When I made this recipe, it was just for my husband and I, so we definitely had leftovers and enjoyed them the following night for dinner.

RECIPE TIPS/SUBSTITUTIONS

  • Don't love beef? That's ok! Chicken or shrimp would be delicious in this recipe
  • As far as canned diced tomatoes go, I always prefer fire roasted diced tomatoes because they have more flavor
  • If you do go the gluten free pasta route, expect the pasta to somewhat break as you're stirring everything together (you can kind of see this happen in the photos). It's not a big deal at all, it just doesn't hold together as well as traditional pasta

bowl of pasta with avocado

OTHER TASTY PASTA RECIPES

  • Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
  • Bacon Parmesan Pasta
  • Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

If you make this fajita pasta, I'd love it if you could leave a star rating below. Thanks! 

bowl of pasta with avocado

One Pan Fajita Pasta

This One Pan Fajita Pasta IS just as good as it sounds! Pasta mixes with traditional fajita ingredients--tomatoes, ground beef and cheese--to make this deliciously comforting recipe, plus it's made in one pan in under 30 minutes.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Author: Erin

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 green pepper diced
  • â…“ cup yellow onion diced
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ cup grape or cherry tomatoes sliced
  • 14 oz. fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 6 oz. tomato paste
  • 8 oz. gluten free pasta
  • 5 cups water
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese
  • 1 avocado

Instructions

  • Add olive oil, pepper and onion to a large skillet and sauté for 3 minutes or so. Then, add the ground beef, along with the spices, and cook until the beef is *mostly* no longer pink. Next, add the grape tomatoes and cook the entire mixture for 1-2 more minutes, until beef is completely cooked and tomatoes are slightly soft.
  • Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, pasta, and water and stir everything together. Bring mixture to a simmer, then cover the skillet and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked and water has been absorbed.
  • Add cheese to the pasts and stir to combine. Serve pasta with avocado and enjoy!

Notes

*I used gluten free pasta, but ANY pasta will work. Also, if you need to increase the serving size, simply increase the amount of pasta you use (up to 1 lb. pasta without having to change any of the other ingredient measurements). 
**If you add more than 8 oz. pasta, you MAY need to add a little more water. 
Did you Make this Recipe? Tag me Today!Leave a comment below and tag @thealmondeater on Instagram!

 

 

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About Erin

Erin is the recipe developer, writer and photographer behind the healthy food blog, The Almond Eater. She's been blogging since 2014 and loves to create food for many different diets, including vegan, gluten free and/or Whole30 recipes.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jess @hellotofit says

    June 05, 2015 at 8:27 am

    oh I LOVE wedding talk. It'd be fine with me if you want to blog about it some more 😉 are you enjoying the planning so far? We've decided on a light pale teal/sage color. J. Crew calls it "dusty shale".

    Reply
  2. Dani @ DaniCaliforniaCooks says

    June 04, 2015 at 12:36 pm

    I think this combines everything my boyfriend likes into one meal - I'll definitely have to give this a try!

    Reply
  3. Arman @ thebigmansworld says

    June 04, 2015 at 12:30 pm

    um.....this is just amazing. Sorry playing catch up.

    Wedding schwedding. Wear a wedding dress made of pasta.

    Reply
  4. Whitney Carney says

    June 04, 2015 at 10:53 am

    I definitely like pastel color schemes. One of my best friends got married this past year and used like a peacock color scheme, gold, turquoise, and purple. That was really pretty as well. Excited for you!! Also, love how easy & delicious this recipe sounds. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Thalia @ butter and brioche says

    June 03, 2015 at 11:29 pm

    YUM. This fajita pasta looks totally hearty, delicious and homely. Definitely the perfect recipe for me right now - the winter weather just calls for it!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      June 04, 2015 at 10:46 am

      Definitely hearty and delicious--thanks!!

      Reply
  6. Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor says

    June 03, 2015 at 12:15 pm

    I am a huge fan of one pot meals! Love the flavors in this dish. I definitely need to add this to my dinner menu soon!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      June 04, 2015 at 10:45 am

      Thanks Ashley!

      Reply
  7. Kate says

    June 03, 2015 at 11:53 am

    This is my kind of meal! I love everything about it!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      June 04, 2015 at 10:45 am

      Thanks lady!

      Reply
  8. Christine@ Apple of My Eye says

    June 03, 2015 at 11:17 am

    I know that when Kyle and I get engaged, I'm going to be an absolute MESS when it comes to making any decisive decisions. I do know that I like a more pastel-y color scheme (from Pinterest and from the wedding photography I've been doing lately), but I'm at a total loss of what to actually go with. I'm glad we still have a few years before I have to face any of that madness ;).

    This looks delicious! I love that it only takes one pan and gives all the flavors of fajitas, but in pasta form!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      June 04, 2015 at 10:44 am

      There are just too many things that need to be decided which is overwhelming for my indecisive self! You definitely have time to think about it 😀

      Reply
  9. Marisa @ Uproot from Oregon says

    June 03, 2015 at 9:45 am

    Going to check out all your color scheme pins now... it totally doesn't matter as long as YOU are happy about all these things the day of! Good music can be had via iPod, Trader Joe's has cheap flowers if you have enough stores to ransack, and no one cares about the invites except for maybe moms 😉 xo

    Reply
    • Erin says

      June 04, 2015 at 10:44 am

      Hahah I see you liking my color schemes on Pinterest 😉 and YES TJ's flowers! You're so right.

      Reply
  10. Brie @ Lean, Clean, & Brie says

    June 03, 2015 at 8:38 am

    Fajitas and pasta are two of my favorite meals -- and even better, a one pan meal! I love it!!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      June 04, 2015 at 10:42 am

      Thanks lady!

      Reply
  11. Kelly @ Kelly Runs For Food says

    June 03, 2015 at 8:23 am

    Mmm fajita pasta sounds delicious. I get tired of all those songs at weddings that tell you what moves to do. I get that DJs play them initially to get people on the dance floor, but when every song is choreographed I get annoyed!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      June 04, 2015 at 10:42 am

      Oh gosh I HATE those songs....they're fun for like 3 mins then they get so old.

      Reply
  12. Shashi at RunninSrilankan says

    June 03, 2015 at 8:10 am

    Invitations via text message would be so cool - only thing cooler would be an informal wedding reception! The weddings I've been too, most of the music has been a mix of dance/pop numbers from over the years.
    As for this pasta - yum! This sounds wonderful - and yay for one pan cooking!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      June 04, 2015 at 10:41 am

      Haha right?! Text message invites WILL happen in the future.

      Reply

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