For your next Taco Tuesday give this new combination of family favorites a try and make one-pan Taco Spaghetti! There are never leftovers!
I was menu planning for the week one day I had Taco Salad and Spaghetti listed for Tuesday and Wednesday and thought, it would be fun to combine them and try that out, and it worked and Taco Spaghetti was born! You get a large amount of food to feed everyone, and it only uses one pan, so fewer dishes, and a quick and easy taco spaghetti dinner.
TACO SPAGHETTI
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I loved this recipe so much that I decided to try it as a taco spaghetti casserole too, and it worked beautifully. All you need to do is cook the spaghetti first, then make the rest of the recipe the same. (You won’t need all the water, since you are cooking the pasta separately, so only use 1/2 cup water in the meat mixture.)
Once everything has been cooked, pour it into a large casserole dish that has been sprayed lightly with a non-stick cooking spray and mix together the spaghetti with the meat mixture. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the pasta and meat mixture and cover it with aluminum foil to bake for about 10-15 minutes at 375 degrees F, or until cheese is all melted.
Ingredients
- Spaghetti: I used 8 ounces of spaghetti, you can easily double or triple this recipe if you need to feed a larger crowd. Feel free to use chickpea or gluten-free pasta as well.
- Protein: you will need one point of ground beef, chicken, or turkey. You could even use pork or chorizo mixed in with the beef.
- Seasoning: this recipe calls for one packet of Taco Seasoning, so choose your favorite or use 1/4 cup of homemade seasoning.
- Vegetables: you will need a yellow bell pepper and Rotel tomatoes with green chiles, and some grape tomatoes, jalapeno, and cilantro to garnish the top if you want.
- Dairy: I use sour cream and shredded Mexican cheese blend, but you can substitute if you need to as discussed above.
Variations to Taco Spaghetti
There are a couple of variations you can make to your own taco spaghetti meal if you prefer.
- Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream.
- You can add more cheese if you prefer. I also like to change up the cheeses and mix it up, sometimes. It’s good to have a taco blend, some pepper jack shredded up, sharp cheddar cheese, or even add a little cotija on top after it’s done.
- Another switch you can make is the type of ground protein you use, ground turkey or chicken would be a very good lean option to change out.
- If you want to add more fiber to your meal, add 1 can of black beans that have been drained and rinsed. They’ll go in when you add the bell pepper and Rotel.
With all the options you can substitute and try, Taco Spaghetti can be made in different ways until you decide on the perfect combination your family loves. Adding other veggies, different meat and cheese combos… the possibilities are endless! You can also top your spaghetti with some salsa and avocado slices (YUM!), or set out different toppings and let everyone decide for themselves and have a taco spaghetti to die for!
How to Make Taco Spaghetti
- Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it browned, being sure to break it up as the beef cooks.
- Add the taco seasoning, bell pepper, and Rotel tomatoes and green chilies with the juices to the beef. Then stir everything together.
- Pour in the water and add the spaghetti. You want to spread the spaghetti noodles out over the top of the skillet. Then cover, turn the heat to medium-low, and cook until spaghetti is al dente, stirring frequently.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add the cheese and sour cream. Stir until the cheese is melted and your taco spaghetti is nice and creamy.
- Then all you have to do is garnish with some tomatoes, jalapeno, and cilantro before serving warm.
My taco spaghetti recipe couldn’t be any easier and it is a quick dish full of flavors and textures that everyone will enjoy. Even the leftovers are awesome, you just might need to add a little bit more liquid when you reheat in the microwave.
Make sure you come back and review this recipe and let me know how you made this recipe your own and what your family thought of Taco Spaghetti.
Try these other one pot meals!
- One Pot Alfredo Pasta
- One Pan Chicken Stroganoff
- One Pot Pad Thai
- One Pot Spinach and Artichoke Pasta
- One Pot Chicken Broccoli and Rice
- More MAIN DISH recipes…
Tools used to make Recipe Name
Large Skillet: I love this large deep skillet for one-pot meals like this one, everything fits nicely and cooks evenly
Cheese Grater: This is the easiest cheese grater I have found and I love to use freshly shredded cheese instead of the bagged variety whenever possible.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 4 tablespoons taco seasoning (1 ounce packet)
- 1 yellow bell pepper diced
- 10 ounces Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
- 3 cups water
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 cup Mexican cheese blend shredded
- Grape tomatoes sliced, for garnish
- Jalapenos sliced, for garnish
- Cilantro chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large deep pan (or pot) over medium-high heat and add ground beef. Cook until browned being sure to break up the meat as it cooks. Drain any excess fat.
- Add the taco seasoning, diced bell pepper, and Rotel tomatoes with juices to the pan. Stir to combine.
- Add water and spaghetti to the pan. Spread the spaghetti out slightly on the top so it’s somewhat submerged, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until al dente, about 15 minutes. Stir frequently.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sour cream and shredded Mexican cheese until melted.
- Top with sliced tomatoes, jalapenos, and cilantro before serving, if desired.
Notes
- Plain Greek yogurt can be substituted in place of sour cream.
- This recipe would also work with ground chicken or turkey.
- This recipe was only tested with spaghetti so I cannot speak to the cooking time of other pasta or if they will work.
Cheryl says
Hi Aubrey,
I’m a mother of 3 and a grandmother of 9, 8 boys and 1 girl. They love tacos and they love spaghetti. One of their favorite meals (which is really easy and fast) is spaghetti Tacos! You just cook spaghetti and sometimes just plain tomato sauce and sometimes taco seasoned tomato sauce or salsa. Spoon into heated taco shells and eat!