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Taco Spaghetti is fast, easy, and comes together in 30 minutes or less – all in one pot!
The juice from the tomatoes and the added liquid cooks the spaghetti to perfection and creates its own taco-seasoned sauce.
Tasty, satisfying, and delicious, you can even make baked spaghetti pie with the leftovers. That is, if you have any!
How long do I cook spaghetti?
You want to cook the pasta to al dente, or “to the tooth.” Basically, this means cooking the pasta so that it is cooked all the way through with a chewy texture. Depending on the brand of pasta, cooking times may vary.
Our recipe recommends 13-16 minutes, but begin checking for doneness at the 11 minute mark as factors such as the power of your stovetop and cooking vessel can alter the cooking time.
How do I make Homemade Taco Seasoning?
Taco seasoning is made from chili powder, cumin, salt, paprika, ground coriander, and cayenne pepper. You can also add cornstarch as a thickening agent, but that is optional.
This will make 2 tablespoons taco seasoning or the equivalent of a 1.25 ounce store bought packet.
If you would like extra taco seasoning to have on hand, simply double or triple the recipe and store the remainder in an airtight container.
What can I do with the leftovers?
In the unlikely event that you have leftovers, you should make Baked Spaghetti Pie!
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Ia 9-inch pie pan coated with nonstick spray, add leftover taco spaghetti.
- Top with more cheese if desired (yes, add more cheese!)
- Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove foil, and bake an additional 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Let cool 10 minutes, cut into wedges, and enjoy!
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One Pot Taco Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth or water
- 2 (10 ounce) cans Ro*Tel diced tomatoes with green chiles undrained
- 1 pound spaghetti broken in halves
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning or 1 packet store bought
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups Mexican Cheese Blend shredded
- 2 roma tomato diced, for garnish
- 2 tablespoons scallions chopped, for garnish
- Sour cream for serving
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or stockpot over medium high heat, add ground beef and onion and cook until browned, about 3 to 5 minutes, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon. Drain well if desired.
- Stir in broth or water, diced tomatoes and juice, spaghetti, tomato sauce, and taco seasoning. Bring to boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 11-15 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure noodles are not clumping together.
- Remove from heat. Taste for seasonings and add more salt and pepper if desired. Top with cheese and cover until melted, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with tomato scallions, and sour cream, if desired.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Just made the Taco Spaghetti for my family. It was a hit!! My boys thought it sounded weird but after they tried it they loved it. I will be cooking this more often.
Delicious my family loved it ! Didn’t change a thing
Glad they loved it Christine! 😀
If you bake spaghetti pie with leftovers, can you put in baking dish and freeze for later date?
Hi Gina! Yes, you can absolutely freeze this and save for a later date! 😀