Veggie-Loaded Mexican Taco Pasta (Dairy Free)

This Veggie-Loaded Mexican taco pasta is a delicious dairy free & gluten free comfort food meal with some serious southwest mac and cheese vibes. Made on the stove top with a nut free cheese sauce, sweet corn, pinto beans, bell pepper, tomatoes, and some sneaky veggies. A delightful meat free recipe that is FULL of flavor and wholesome ingredients! Vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, nut free.

The best vegan taco pasta

Ever since we made this nut free cheese sauce and used it to make a nostalgic dairy-free mac and cheese it has become a VERY big part of our lives, and I am here for it!

I developed the nut-free vegan cheese sauce after we took a dive into this mexican style queso dip (that one’s made with cashews) that is out-of-this-world delicious, and today we’re combining those two recipes to make this VEGAN MEXICAN TACO PASTA / MAC AND CHEESE.

It’s like a delicious vegan cheese vortex that get’s more and more tasty with each recipe.

This super flavorful pasta is loaded up with pinto beans, all kinds of veggies, salsa, sweet corn, and folded into a spiced up creamy “cheese” sauce (with extra sneaky veggies!) that will have you drooling.

You can top it off with fresh herbs, jalapeño, and anything else your heart desires for some extra oomph, or dig in just the way it is.

Right out of the pan maybe?

Why you’ll love this Mexican taco pasta

It is:

• Super creamy
• Loaded with good-for-you ingredients
• Dairy free and gluten free
• Easy to make
• Wholesome comfort food
• Satisfying
• A crowd pleaser
• So very delicious!

Ingredients and substitutions

The ingredient list may look a bit long for this recipe, but that’s just because you’re working on two separate components – the sauce and the pasta dish itself.

In reality it takes less than 45 minutes to pull together, and it’s made with all the yummiest ingredients!

Here’s what you need:

• Gluten free pasta – Any shape will work, but we used elbow noodles for a mac and cheese vibe
• Ingredients for the “cheese” sauce – The Mexican spiced cheese sauce is made with yukon gold potatoes (for a nice starchy texture), carrots, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and a variety of spices.
• Onion, bell pepper, & canned tomatoes – These veggies add a distinctive southwest flavor to the pasta. You could switch them out for whatever you like and/or have on hand. Fire roasted tomatoes add some excellent depth of flavor!
• Your favorite salsa – Gets stirred into the sauce to amp up the flavor and add a little kick of heat. Feel free to omit if you’d like to keep the pasta on the mild side.
• Pinto beans – Black beans work as well.
• Sweet corn – Frozen and thawed, or fresh cut off the cob.
• Cilantro – For extra flavor + a pop of green! Can be omitted if cilantro isn’t your thing.

What kinds of garnishes would be yummy on this pasta?

If there’s one thing I love to see, it’s a well garnished dish! It adds extra flavor, texture, and visual interest to get your mouth watering before you even dig in.

We love to serve this pasta with thinly sliced green onion, chopped cilantro, and jalapeño. Avocado, chili oil, and extra salsa would all be super tasty as well!

How to make

To keep this recipe easy I recommend reading it through and gathering / prepping all your ingredients before you begin.

Once you have everything prepped and measured you can turn on the stove top and get started!

Make spicy cheese sauce

• Cook the veggies. Add cut carrots and Yukon gold potatoes to a medium sized pot and cover with cold water. Simmer until carrots and potatoes are tender.
• Blend. Drain and transfer to a blender with remaining sauce ingredients. Blend on high until smooth and creamy and set aside.

Make the pasta

• Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package instructions, set aside.
• Sauté the veggies. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add diced onions and bell peppers and sauté until soft and starting to caramelize. Add diced tomatoes with the juice, salsa, drained and rinsed pinto beans, and chopped cilantro. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook until reduced slightly.
• Add pasta, corn, and sauce to the skillet. Reduce heat to low, pour in cheese sauce with cooked pasta and corn and stir to combine. Continue to cook until everything is warmed through and the sauce evenly coats the pasta.
• Season and serve. Season to taste with salt and serve topped with green onions, cilantro, and jalapeño if desired. Enjoy!

Serving suggestions

This pasta is a complete meal all on its own, but could also be served in a Mexican theme spread for a gathering or dinner party.

It would be delicious served alongside easy guacamole, vegan sour cream, and green sauce with corn chips!

Storage and reheating

Refrigerator: This pasta should keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Reheating: To reheat, warm the pasta on low in a skillet, and add water to the sauce a little bit at a time, stirring in between, until desired consistency is reached. Re-season with salt if needed. Alternatively, reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until warmed through.

Freezing: I would not recommend freezing this pasta. I haven’t tried but I think that the texture of the pasta and sauce would not hold up well when thawed.

Love this recipe? Try these other yummy pasta recipes!

• Easy Pesto Pasta
• Creamy Vegan Vodka Pasta Sauce
• Cashew Cream Mushroom and Kale Pasta
• Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
• Creamy Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
• Nut Free Vegan Mac and Cheese

If you enjoyed this recipe, we’d love it if you would take 5 seconds to rate and review it below! It’s also super helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe. 

Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!

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