If you’ve never had Taco Spaghetti, you’re in for a treat! Two of the best dishes combined to form this rich and hearty pasta dish. A Mexican Italian fusion that will so become a staple dinner your family will love. We love to make this taco spaghetti recipe as a dish to pass. Get creative with the toppings too!
Recipe by Lindsay Autry
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One of the things my family loves so much about taco spaghetti is, like with tacos, you can create a spaghetti taco bar and everyone can add what they like. Make it creamy with sour cream, add more heat, beans, or salsa.
Prepare taco spaghetti as a quick weeknight dinner. With very budget friendly ingredients, you could easily add this recipe to your weekly dinner rotation. We hope you love this dish just as much as my family does!
Perks and Highlights of this Taco Spaghetti Recipe
Cuisine Inspiration: Mexican-Italian Fusion
Primary Cooking Method: Sautéing
Dietary Info: High in Protein, Gluten options available
Key Flavor: Bold, Spicy, and Savory
Skill Level: Easy Peasy
Special Perks:
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Fusion Fun: Combining the zest of tacos and the comfort of spaghetti, this dish brings a fiesta to your taste buds, merging two beloved cuisines into one dynamite dish!
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Family-Friendly: A surefire hit with kids and adults alike, this meal is perfect for a family dinner, gatherings, or satisfying picky eaters who can’t decide between Mexican or Italian.
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Flexibility is Key: Vegetarian, want more veggies, or need to skip the cheese? No problemo! This recipe is easy to tweak without losing its yum factor.
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One-Pot Wonder: Less mess, less stress! This taco spaghetti simplifies cooking and cleaning by using just one pot. Because who needs a sink full of dishes?
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Make Ahead Magic: In a rush? Prep your meat in advance! Just store in the fridge, then heat and complete the rest of the steps when you’re ready for hassle-free cooking magic.
What is Taco Spaghetti?
When taco night meets spaghetti night. Delicious pasta with meat and tomatoes but with the flavor of tacos. A Mexican Italian infusion dish that can be easily customizable to your preferences. A southern comfort food that is becoming increasingly popular.
Ingredients
Olive oil – For sauteing the veggies. You can also use canola oil, grapeseed oil, or avocado oil.
Vegetables – Were getting color and flavor from diced white onion and bell peppers.
Ground beef – Regular ground beef or any of the leaner varieties works. Feel free to swap beef out with ground turkey or ground chicken.
Taco Seasonings – Prepare your own taco seasonings without any fillers by using dark chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
Rotel – A blend of tomatoes, green chilies, and spices. For less heat, use regular or lightly seasoned canned tomatoes.
Spaghetti – There are so many different types of spaghetti, I recommend just using one you’re used to and that your family loves.
Aromatics – Season taco spaghetti with thinly sliced green onions, garlic cloves, and chopped cilantro.
Garnishes – Garnish your taco spaghetti with lime wedges, diced or sliced avocados, sour cream, or shredded cheese.
How to make taco spaghetti
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 like shredded cheddar, chopped avocado, a dollop of sour cream, and raw onions.
Storing Taco Spaghetti
Store your cooled taco spaghetti in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheat: Warm gently on the stove top, or quickly in the microwave.
Tips and Tricks
- Al dente pasta: BE sure to cook the pasta just until al dente since it will continue to cook once it’s mixed with the sauce.
- Reserve the pasta water: The starch in the water helps the sauce thicken and stick to the pasta. If you forget just mix in a cornstarch slurry.
- Drain excess 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.
- Freshly grate: For the best texture and melt and freshly grate your cheese.
Taco Spaghetti Recipe Variations
- More Fiber: Add black beans, pinto beans, or corn for extra fiber and texture.
- Gluten Free: Use gluten-free spaghetti or any pasta for a wheat-free version.
- Spicy: Add freshly diced jalapenos or red pepper flakes for a little extra heat.
- Short Pasta: Replace the spaghetti with short pasta like fusilli, farfalle, or penne.
- Cheese: Top your taco spaghetti with queso fresco or cotija cheese instead of cheddar for more Mexican-inspired flavors.
Expert Tips And FAQs
Yes, you can absolutely make this dish vegetarian! Just substitute the beef with plant-based meat, chopped mushrooms, walnuts, or lentils for a meat-free option.
Yes, if you don’t have all the spices or want something more convenient, you can use a store-bought taco seasoning blend as a substitute for the individual spices.
Yes, you can make this dish creamy. Try adding cream cheese or sour cream to the tomato sauce.
More delicious recipes
- The Best Carne Asada Recipe
- Andouille Sausage and Chicken Creole Pot Pie
- Butternut Squash Ravioli with Homemade Pasta!
- Coke Braised Beef Short Ribs
- Baked Spaghetti Recipe with Layers
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Birria Tacos (With How To Video!)
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
Taco Spaghetti
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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.
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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 🙂