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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.Â
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.
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
OTHER TASTY PASTA RECIPES
If you make this fajita pasta, I'd love it if you could leave a star rating below. Thanks!Â
One Pan Fajita Pasta
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
Jess @hellotofit says
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".
Dani @ DaniCaliforniaCooks says
I think this combines everything my boyfriend likes into one meal - I'll definitely have to give this a try!
Arman @ thebigmansworld says
um.....this is just amazing. Sorry playing catch up.
Wedding schwedding. Wear a wedding dress made of pasta.
Whitney Carney says
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. 🙂
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
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!
Erin says
Definitely hearty and delicious--thanks!!
Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor says
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!
Erin says
Thanks Ashley!
Kate says
This is my kind of meal! I love everything about it!
Erin says
Thanks lady!
Christine@ Apple of My Eye says
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!
Erin says
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 😀
Marisa @ Uproot from Oregon says
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
Erin says
Hahah I see you liking my color schemes on Pinterest 😉 and YES TJ's flowers! You're so right.
Brie @ Lean, Clean, & Brie says
Fajitas and pasta are two of my favorite meals -- and even better, a one pan meal! I love it!!
Erin says
Thanks lady!
Kelly @ Kelly Runs For Food says
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!
Erin says
Oh gosh I HATE those songs....they're fun for like 3 mins then they get so old.
Shashi at RunninSrilankan says
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!
Erin says
Haha right?! Text message invites WILL happen in the future.