Can’t decide between taco night and pasta night? Make it a taco pasta night — vegan style! This cheesy vegan taco pasta is loaded with Tex-Mex spices, black beans, veggies, and rotini, all tossed in a rich, dairy-free cheese sauce. It’s delicious, comforting, and easy enough for a busy weeknight.

This taco pasta recipe was passed down to me by my very Italian great-great-grandmother. It’s a family classic.

KIDDING! Taco pasta is a totally inauthentic fusion of Mexican and Italian cuisine. I didn’t even come up with the idea — it’s all over Pinterest. But like so many meaty, cheesy dishes, I had to veganize it. This one’s joining the ranks of favorites like my vegan Hamburger Helper, beefy vegan burritos, and vegan Philly cheesesteaks.

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I’ll admit, I’m not the first to veganize this dish. There are tons of vegan taco pasta recipes out there. But most of them are basically standard taco pasta made with vegan meat and cheese. I’m sure you could have figured out how to do that on your own, which is why mine is a little different. Instead of dairy or store-bought vegan cheese, we’re whipping up a super creamy, incredibly decadent cashew cheese sauce — inspired by my vegan cashew queso. And for the protein? We’re using one of my favorite Tex-Mex standbys: black beans.

It’s still super easy to throw together, and it’s delicious. This is weeknight vegan comfort food at its finest!

Table of Contents

Ingredients You’ll Need

Below you’ll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.

Raw cashews. These will be blended up to make the base for our creamy cheese sauce. They need to be raw (no roasted cashews!) or your sauce will taste like nut butter rather than cheese.
Water.
Nutritional yeast flakes. Not to be confused with baker’s yeast. Nutritional yeast is a type of deactivated yeast that has a cheesy, savory flavor. Look for it in the natural foods aisle of your grocery store.
Hot sauce. This will make your sauce taste cheesy, so please don’t skip it. Try a very mild brand if you’re not into heat. Valentina is a good choice. Cholula has a touch more heat but is still on the mild side. Mild taco sauce could also be used, but you might need to use a bit extra.
Salt & pepper.
Olive oil. You can use another neutral high-heat oil if you’d like.
Onion.
Red bell pepper.
Garlic.
Spices. You’ll need ground cumin, chili powder, paprika, and ancho chile powder. Most grocery stores carry them all in the spice aisle.
Canned black beans.
Fire-roasted tomatoes. Regular canned diced tomatoes can be substituted, but the dish will have a less smoky flavor.
Dried pasta. I used rotini, but you can swap this out with your favorite or whatever you have on hand.
Frozen corn.
Accompaniments. Have fun here, and serve your pasta with all your taco night favorites! Try avocado, fresh cilantro, scallions, and/or lime wedges for squeezing over your pasta.

How It’s Made

The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!

Step 1: Heat the pasta water. Place it over high heat to bring it to a boil, but don’t add the pasta just yet. We’re trying to coordinate the timing so that the water and sauce are done at the same time.

Step 2: Make the cheese sauce. Place soaked raw cashews into a blender or food processor, along with water, nutritional yeast flakes, hot sauce, and salt. Blend everything until it’s nice and smooth.

Step 3: Sweat the onion and pepper. Heat your olive oil in a large pot, then add diced onion and bell pepper. Cook them for a few minutes to start softening up, stirring occasionally.

Step 4: Add garlic and spices. Cook them with the onion and pepper for a minute or so, stirring constantly.

Step 5: Add the tomatoes and beans. Then bring the mixture to a simmer and let it cook for about ten minutes.

Step 6: Cook the pasta. Now you can add it to your boiling water. Just cook it until it’s al dente, which means slightly underdone. Be sure to reserve about a half cup of the cooking water before draining it.

Step 7: Add pasta and cheese sauce to the pot. Stir it up and thin the mixture with some of that reserved pasta water, if it’s needed.

Step 8: Finish the dish. Remove the pot from heat, then add the corn and season your pasta with salt and pepper to taste. Make any other seasoning adjustments you see fit at this point.

Step 9: Serve. Your vegan taco pasta is done! Serve it with whatever accompaniments you like!

Variations

Meaty vegan taco pasta. You can add some vegan beef-style crumbles to the dish. Just heat them in a skillet with a bit of oil, then stir them into the finished dish.
Add veggies. Stir in roasted or sautéed vegetables, such as zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, or cabbage.
Add crunch. Top your taco pasta with some tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips.
Taco pasta fake bake. I don’t recommend actually baking the dish, because that tends to dry out cashew-based sauces. But what you can do is place it in a baking dish while it’s hot, sprinkle the top with panko breadcrumbs, then pop it under a broiler for a few minutes to crisp up the topping.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can this recipe be made gluten-free?

Yes! Just use your favorite gluten-free pasta.

How should I store leftovers of this dish?

Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. The sauce may thicken over time, so add a splash of water when you reheat them, if needed.

Is this recipe spicy?

Yes, but you have complete control over how spicy. To keep the dish mild, cut back on the hot sauce, stick with a very mild variety, or use mild taco sauce instead of hot sauce. For extra heat, use additional hot sauce or add some cayenne pepper.

Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!

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