Listen, I love me some Taco Spaghetti. I like mixing up spiced taco beef with a saucy pasta. If you dig Mexican and Italian food, like my husband, this is a weeknight dinner win. The whole recipe comes together in 30 minutes or less and couldn’t be easier to make. Like for reals, why choose between tacos and spaghetti when you can have them both in one dish?
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Ingredient Notes
- Olive oil: You can also use canola oil, grapeseed oil, or avocado oil.
- Ground beef: Or ground turkey or chicken works.
- Taco Seasoning: Prepare your own taco seasoning without any fillers by using dark chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
- Rotel: For less heat, use regular or lightly seasoned canned tomatoes.
- Spaghetti: Use gluten-free spaghetti or any pasta for a wheat-free version. Or replace the spaghetti with short pasta like fusilli, farfalle, or penne.
How to make Taco Spaghetti
Cook the Taco Mixture
Step 1: Pour olive oil into a 12-inch nonstick skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add diced onion and bell pepper, cooking until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes.
Step 2: Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Step 3: Add ground beef to the skillet and brown until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.
Step 4: Add spices and salt, cooking an additional 2 minutes.
Step 5: Pour in drained Rotel tomatoes and stir together. Remove from heat.
Step 6: Toss with green onions and cilantro.
Add the Cooked Spaghetti
Step 7: Add in cooked spaghetti along with 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water.
Step 8: Toss until everything is mixed evenly. The taco mixture should coat and cling to pasta. If it looks dry, add a little more pasta water. Serve with your favorite taco bar toppings like shredded cheddar, chopped avocado, a dollop of sour cream, and raw onions.
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Taco Spaghetti Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Equipment
- Nonstick skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1/2 cup Onion diced small
- 1/2 cup Bell pepper diced small
- 2 Garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound Ground beef*
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Chili powder preferably dark
- 1 teaspoon Ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 10 oz can Rotel
- 8 ounces Spaghetti
- 1/4 cup Green onions sliced thinly
- 1/4 cup Cilantro chopped fine
Instructions
- Season a large stockpot of water generously with salt and bring to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 6-8 minutes. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Reserve and hold warm.
- Meanwhile, pour olive oil into a 12-inch nonstick skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add diced onion and bell pepper, cooking until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add ground beef to the skillet and brown until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Add spices and salt, cooking an additional 2 minutes.
- Pour in drained Rotel tomatoes and stir together. Remove from heat. Toss with green onions and cilantro.
- Add in cooked spaghetti along with 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water and ross until everything is mixed evenly. The taco mixture should coat and cling to pasta. If it looks dry, add a little more pasta water.
- Serve with your favorite taco bar toppings — Shredded cheddar, chopped avocado, a dollop of sour cream, raw onions.
Notes
How to store & reheat Taco Spaghetti
Once you’ve finished your meal, let the taco spaghetti cool down a bit before transferring it to an airtight container. Pop it in the fridge, and it’ll be good to go whenever you’re ready for round two. To reheat it on the stove, add a splash of water or broth to keep it from drying out, and warm it up over medium heat, stirring occasionally. If you’re using the microwave, pop it in a microwave-safe dish, cover it loosely, and heat in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between until it’s warmed thru.How long will Taco Spaghetti last in the fridge?
Your taco spaghetti will stay good for about 3 to 4 days as long as it’s sealed up tight so it doesn’t dry out.Can I freeze taco spaghetti pasta?
You bet! Just transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag, and it’ll stay fresh for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy it again, just thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat.Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Cook Pasta until Al Dente: Remember, it’s gonna keep cooking when it meets the sauce, so you don’t want it getting mushy on you.
- Save That Pasta Water: The starch helps your sauce thicken up and cling to the noodles. But if you do forget, just mix in a cornstarch slurry.
- Drain the Fat: Once you brown the beef, feel free to drain the excess fat to reduce the greasiness of your sauce. Or, use a lower fat ground beef like 85/15 or 90/10.
Serving Suggestions
- Bread It Up: You’ll wanna soak up every bit of that taco-flavored sauce, so keep some bread close by. Think garlic bread or buttery cornbread.
- Get Dippin’: You can’t have taco-inspired anything without some chips and dip! Whip up some homemade guacamole to scoop up with tortilla chips.
- Sippin’ Options: Wash it all down with a cold sweet peach tea or a glass of old-school iced sweet tea.
- Sweet Finish: After all that savory goodness, you’ll wanna end on a sweet note. Try warm cinnamon rolls or keep it simple with banana fritters.
Recipe Help
You absolutely can boo! Just substitute the beef with plant-based meat, chopped mushrooms, walnuts, or lentils for a meat-free option.
If you want to, go for it! Try adding cream cheese or sour cream to the tomato sauce, that’ll make it creamy.
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What can I use instead of Rotel I don’t think we got that here in the uk
Canned petite diced tomatoes will work!
I made this for dinner tonight. Winner! Winner! Taco dinner! Even my husband, who is so picky I wanna scream, said, “This is pretty good.”
O_O
I couldn’t believe it.
This will definitely be a keeper!
Thank you so much, Rickie!!
ha, this is fun, and like taking a break from tomato sauce, sometimes too acidic for me, so thank you!
Omg I am obsessed with this spaghetti! Thanks so much for sharing, it is a hit in my kitchen 🙂
Thank you so much!
This taco spaghetti combines 2 of my favorite things – tacos and pasta makes for a delicious and unique meal the whole family will gobble up!
Such a fun dinner packed with flavor and easy to make. The whole family loved it!
This was the ideal recipe to make for taco nights at our household. The taco spaghetti was a hit and everyone loved the pasta version instead of the tortillas. My son saved himself a bowl to pack for his lunch the next day.
Love this Taco Spaghetti recipe, we like pasta dishes in my family and definitely will make it soon. Looks delicious. Thanks for sharing 🙂