Last updated on June 29th, 2018 at 06:04 pm
One Pot Cheesy Taco Orzo – picture the yumminess with this quick and delicious pot of perfect comfort food, ready in 30 minutes! Enjoy a big bowl of cheesy gooey goodness!
You know, I really feel like a domestic diva when I cook dishes like this, and by dishes like this I mean cook with ingredients I have in my fridge and pantry. Now I know my pantry is probably stocked with a lot more crap than most people, and yes I say crap because I have some stuff in there that I still don’t know what to do with, but needless to say the ingredients for this dish should be pretty easy for everyone to find in their pantry and fridge. I probably have at least 2 dozen different pastas, but I have to admit that my favorite pasta is orzo, probably because it looks like rice and it cooks really fast.
MY LATEST VIDEOSThe thing is, I really dig this dish (do people still say dig?) because I’m a sucker for anything cheesy, especially cheesy pasta. And I even like to fool myself into thinking this dish is healthy because I did add some veggies to it, like the bell pepper and all those toppings like the tomatoes, green onions and olives.
At the very least, I think you should bookmark this recipe for a busy weeknight or when you’re in a pinch because you couldn’t get off any easier with making dinner. I even went ahead and made another video for you guys, which was another big struggle. After everything was said and done, I realized that for a lot of the video, I was actually in front of the camera and you couldn’t see much of what I was doing, thank God for cropping.
Another thing I love about this dish is how pretty and colorful it is, because as you all know we first eat with our eyes, and I’m all about colorful and pretty dishes. One last thing to mention here is the more cheese the better, although I only list one cup of shredded cheese in the ingredients list, go big or go home, especially if you’re looking for that super cheesy dish. Calories shmalories, forget about them, go for the cheese!
Do you love cheese as much as I do? Try these recipes!
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 2 cups dry orzo
- 2 cups taco skillet sauce
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
- 1 tbsp hot sauce such as Sriracha
- 1 cup shredded cheese I used a blend of Mozzarella and Cheddar
- tomatoes chopped
- olives chopped
- green onions chopped
- fresh cilantro chopped
- Add the ground beef to a large skillet and brown it over medium-high heat until it's no longer pink, breaking it up as you go along.
- Add the chopped onion and garlic to the skillet and let it cook for about a minute, then add the chopped bell pepper. Stir everything together and cook for about 3 minutes until the onion is translucent and the pepper is tender.
- Add the dry orzo to the skillet and turn the heat down to medium low. Stir in the taco skillet sauce and the chicken broth, season with salt and pepper then add the hot sauce. Cook for about 10 to 12 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the cheese and remove from heat.
- Top with tomatoes, olives, green onions and fresh cilantro before serving.
Recipe Video
If you cannot find taco skillet sauce, regular taco sauce or enchilada sauce can be used.
You can use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef.
If you can't find orzo, small pastas such as shells or farfalle will work as well.
If you use rice as a substitute, make sure to adjust the amount of chicken broth to suit the cooking instructions for the rice you're using.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Love this simple 30 minute recipe? Check out my cookbook, 30-Minute One-Pot Meals, 80 recipes in total!
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Did you use two packages of the taco skillet sauce?
Yes, we used 2 8oz packages. Your packages may be different so just make sure it’s 2 cups total.
Thanks for your quick reply. Of course I didn’t realize that when I bought groceries – I used one package of taco sauce and a can of enchilada sauce. We loved it! Definitely a keeper! Thanks for sharing.
Our pleasure 🙂 That sounds fantastic!
I have to tell you Jo that this is now a firm favorite and we eat this at least once a week. I subbed the orzo though for small shell pasta as I can’t for the life of me find orzo where I live. I had gastric bypass surgery 18 months ago and I have to say your recipes have been a huge help for me. Thank you….keep it up:)
Really any pasta will work with this. Oh that’s so great to hear, I hope you’re doing well after your surgery.
I am pretty new to your site but have tried several of your recipes and they all came out awesome. Just simple good cooking which is what I love. This recipe is great comfort food and was so so tasty. Thank you for sharing your gift of creating delicious dishes.
As for Thanksgiving I always look forward to eating turkey sandwiches after Thanksgiving…. the love just keeps going on and on! My Mom always made a very simple stuffing with bread, the giblets and Bell’s seasoning and butter. So Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, white bread and mayonnaise makes an awesome sandwich. Can’t beat bread on bread… but only once a year with all those calories!!!
Oh my goodness!! This is the most delicious recipe. I’ve already made it 4 times in the past month. The only thing I changed is I used hamburger made for vegetarians for my son. This is defiantly a keeper.
Thanks so much for posting your comment and sharing how much you like the One Pot Cheesy Taco Orzo recipe. Five stars!
I’m going to make this without the meat and use vegetable stock. My grandchildren are vegetarians so they will be able to eat it too.
this is a great recipe – very versatile. So easy to adjust to whatever you have on hand. I didn’t have enough orzo so i made it with basmati rice instead. i adjusted the quantity of liquid accordingly. i also didn’t have the taco skillet sauce so i used regular tomato sauce and added 4 Tablespoons of taco seasoning plus another one when adjusting the seasoning.
My family loved this and it was so quick & easy.
Thanks Jo!
My pleasure, glad you guys loved it!
Hi Jo,
This was OUTSTANDING. I am a bit of a cheeseaholic. Btw: The meatballs were a HUGE success. When asked for ‘my’ recipes, I sent them to your site.
Fyi: If people need supplies not found in markets….go to jet.com. They have everything and free shipping on $35 orders. Much cheaper than Amazon. If you buy cold items, there is a $4.99 charge to send 2 day shipping in dry ice. Doesn’t matter if you have 1 box or 4, same flat price. I have found soooo many international food on their site. I love the lack of wear on my body.
I am off to start on my Tres Leches cake. It looks divine. And I am NOT sharing this one. 🙂
Izzy
I don’t blame you for not wanting to share the cake! 🙂
Hi Jo! Can I substitute taco seasoning and salsa for the taco skillet sauce? I don’t really know what that is, I did look at your link to amazon but I’ve never seen/heard of it before. There is a taco sauce at the grocery store but that means I have to go to the store! Haha
Sure that will definitely work. Love it!
I just made this tonight and don’t even know what “taco skillet sauce” is — i guess we don’t have it in California. I always have taco seasoning by the jar on hand and used a can of tomato sauce with about 4 Tablespoons of the taco seasoning mixed in (added enough water to make 2 cups of sauce). I did add about another Tablespoon of the seasoning when i was adjusting the seasoning. I also served the salsa with the finished dish. It was really tasty.
I used this recipe the other night with a few substitutions. I used ground turkey (we had already had our fill of beef for the week) and quinoa instead of orzo, adjusting the cooking time/style slightly for the quinoa based on it’s package instructions. I also added green bell peppers, chopped jalapenos and black beans. Then served with avocado, cilantro and lime juice. It was delicious! Thank you for the great recipe and helpful video!
You’re welcome, so glad you like this. Love your substitutions!
Made this last night for dinner and it was absolutely delicious – as are all your recipes, thank you!
My pleasure!
Hi there! Love the new look of your site – I haven’t been on for a while, but the videos and layout all look amazing! I am wondering what brand of taco sauce you use? I live in Ottawa, Ontario and maybe I just haven’t seen it before -but thought I would ask so I can do a search next time I am in the grocery store. Thank you!
I use Frontera taco sauce, I was able to find it at Safeway. There’s a link to it on amazon below the recipe.
This is one of my absolute favorite recipes to cook and eat! It’s so easy and tastes just fantastic! Thanks for an amazing recipe!
My pleasure!
This is the first recipe of yours that I’ve tried and I have to say it was really good, allthough I replaced the taco sauce with regular tomato sauce and made a not so spicy version.
I will definetly try out more of your recipies in the future!
Thank you, so glad you liked it!
That cheese pull, tho! I am totally lovin on all of this. Such a great way to switch up the old taco/enchilada routine!
Hi Jo,
Thanks for the step by step photos with this recipe. I’m a visual learner and that helps me a lot. I’ve never tried orzo so I’m curious to try it in this dish.
Looking forward to receiving your cookbook.
You might want to watch the video too lol. 🙂
You made me laugh! I have a pantry much like yours. When I find a way to use up something I bought for some purpose (who knows?) I feel like I have accomplished a good deed. Then I go to the store and replace it with something else.
This sounds good. Thanks for sharing.
Wishes for tasty dishes,
Linda
No problem, glad to see I’m not the only one with pantry issues. 😀
Jo, I love your recipes. Because my husband has type 2 diabetes, I have purchased some whole wheat orzo and never found a recipe to try it with. Have you ever used whole wheat orzo and do you think it would work for this? Thanks for any help!
Honestly I haven’t, and that’s because I’ve never seen it in stores, but yeah it would totally work in this recipe. 🙂
Thanks for your answer, I found the whole wheat orzo on Amazon. I have been buying whole wheat pasta for some time and recently found the orzo.
Interesting, I’ll have to get some.
Jo – I look forward to trying this tonight. EVERY SINGLE ONE of the many recipes of yours that I have tried has been a hit with my family. The success rate is unprecedented. We have four children ages 14-20, three of them boys. When I am making dinner and it looks like something new, the 18 year-old always asks “Is that a Jo Cooks recipe?” If I say “yes” he gets really excited (this kid loves to eat). My husband can be a little picky and even he is on board with everything I’ve made from your blog. Thank you for bringing some fun back into the dinner routine which, after so many years, can get a little stale. I already have your cookbook pre-ordered and all of us are eagerly awaiting its arrival. You bring joy to many households. God bless and keep up the good work.
You just made my day, thank you so much for all your kind words!