by Texas Homesteader ~ 

This one-pot taco spaghetti gets supper on the table fast. It’s a delicious taco-inspired pasta meal that’s ready in only about 30 minutes!

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Taco Spaghetti: A Fusion of Flavors!

Taco Spaghetti is a must-try recipe for food enthusiasts looking to spice up their meals. It combines the flavor of traditional tacos with the appeal of Italian spaghetti. And it’s an easy one-pot meal.

Give plain ole spaghetti a facelift and blending it with a taco theme for a little Mexican flair. It’s a simple dish that the kids will love too. I mean – spaghetti AND tacos? What’s not to love??

If you’re after the one-pot preparation simplicity of a spaghetti supper but want to try something different, this taco spaghetti is an easy, cheesy, delicious option for your family!

Simple 30-Minute Suppertime Recipe

I’m a big fan of simple one-pot recipes. Less to dirty up (and less to CLEAN up) in the kitchen is always a homerun in my book!

Plus sometimes the day is long and you just can’t stand the thought of being tied to the kitchen for a long time. Oh believe me, I get it. Getting supper on the table and in front of your hungry family in 30 minutes is a beautiful thing!

Family Friendly Easy Recipe

This Taco Spaghetti takes about the same amount of time as plain ole spaghetti. So you’re still in & out of the kitchen fast.

And it’s a fun flavor combination too. Just a little sumpin’ different than plain spaghetti to keep them excited about suppertime.

What Size Pan Do I Need?

Dutch Oven. I like to use my cast-iron dutch oven. It’s big enough to allow the spaghetti to simmer without anything boiling over. And it has a lid.

Skillet. If you’re using a skillet you’ll need something that’s 12″ or bigger to keep everything contained.

Deep Pot. If you don’t have a dutch oven or large enough skillet, just use a larger pan or stock pot if that’s what you have.

Shortcuts For Faster Meals

Y’all know I’m aaaaall about the Shortcuts In The Kitchen.

Pre-Sauteed Onions. To streamline things I’ll sometimes opt for this simple kitchen hack of using previously-sautéed & frozen onions.

Cook Onions With Meat. Otherwise I chop my fresh onions first and drop them in the skillet along with my ground meat. That way the meat & onions both cook at the same time. Life’s busy y’all – I don’t have time to add  unnecessary steps!

Taco Spaghetti: Step-by-Step Recipe

Cooking Meat & Onions. I turn on the heat and cook the meat & onions until the meat is fully cooked. Sometimes I’ll leave the cooked ground meat pretty chunky so it adds a more hearty feel to the dish.

Then I’ll drain any grease away. I never drain grease into the sink – that’s just a future clog in your pipes waiting to happen. (ask me how I know. Eh hemmmm…)

I always use this Homestead Hack for Dealing With Cooking Grease in a safer way. 

Assembling Taco Spaghetti

After the meat & onions are cooked & drained, it’s showtime!

Sprinkle taco seasoning on the cooked meat. I use ¼ cup of my own Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix, but you can use a regular 1-oz packet of the commercial stuff here if you prefer.

Add a can of Rotel-type tomatoes – juice and all.

Add 3 cups of water and stir everything to combine.

Stir in 8 ounces of dry spaghetti noodles. 8 ounces will result in about 5 cups of cooked spaghetti.

Long Or Short Length Pasta?

I like my cooked spaghetti noodles to be shorter. It’s just easier to eat in my opinion. So I snap the fistful of uncooked pasta into 1/3^rds before dropping them into my cooking vessel.

But c’mon, if slurping up those long spaghetti noodles is half the fun for your kiddos (or for YOU!) then by all means leave ‘em longer!

How Long To Cook Spaghetti Pasta?

To cook the spaghetti I turn down the heat and add a cover to the dutch oven to keep it at a simmer. Cook the spaghetti until it’s as tender as you like. For me that’s about 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes I’ll check my spaghetti. Are the noodles now as thick as I like? Yep.

How about tenderness, are the noodles as tender as we like? If not I’ll  turn the heat off and let the noodles sit beneath that lid in the hot dutch oven a few minutes longer. The residual steam makes the noodles more tender.

When my Taco Spaghetti is ready I’ll add about half of my shredded cheese into the batch of hot spaghetti and stir it to incorporate everything and allow that cheese to turn all melty. YUM!

Topping Options

This taco spaghetti is good just like it is. But it’s also fun to top with our favorite taco toppings.

Another Sprinkle of Shredded Cheese on top

Chopped Cilantro

Diced Tomato 

Dollop of Sour Cream

It’s such a flexible recipe – just add whatever fun taco toppings your family loves!

What Goes With Taco Spaghetti?

Wondering what goes with taco spaghetti? Here’s what I like to serve:

A Fresh Crisp Salad. And I mix up my favorite homemade Healthy & Creamy Salad Dressing in about a minute or less. 

Grilled Corn on the Cob. Bonus points if you get those delightful grill marks on the corn.

Pico de Gallo. A flavorful blend of fresh tomatoes, garlic, onion and lime juice.

Jalapeno Cheese Bread. Lightly spicy and cheesy. You can also opt for Homemade Beer Bread or garlic bread.

So there ya go. A meal that’s just as easy as plain ole spaghetti, but with a fun taco twist for a little sumpin’ different.

And with one-pot meal preparation convivence too!

Give it a try!

Did you make this One-Dish Taco Spaghetti? Please rate the recipe in your comment below!

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Taco Spaghetti

This one-pot taco spaghetti gets supper on the table fast. A delicious meal that's ready in only about 30 minutes! #TexasHomesteader

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword fast meal, ground beef, one dish meal, one pot meal, pasta, spaghetti, taco

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Servings 6 people

Author www.TexasHomesteader.com

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• ½ yellow onion, chopped (about ¼ cup)
• 1 1-oz Pkt Taco seasoning (or ¼cup homemade taco seasoning)
• 1 10-oz Can Rotel-style tomatoes, undrained
• 1 8-oz Pkg Spaghetti noodle pasta, uncooked
• 3 cups Water
• 1 cup Shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• ½ cup Chopped cilantro

Instructions

Instructions:

1. Brown ground meat and onion in dutch oven or 12” skillet until meat is no longer pink and onions are soft and translucent. Drain away grease.

2. Add taco seasoning, water, an undrained can of Rotel-type tomatoes and uncooked spaghetti (snapped into 1/3rds if desired).

3. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then stir and place cover on skillet. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer for about 15 minutes or until spaghetti is tender.
4. Remove from heat. Sprinkle half of the cheese into the pan and give a quick stir to evenly distribute all ingredients.
5. Serve in wide-mouth bowls, top with a sprinkling of the remaining cheese and cilantro (and if desired add optional dollop of sour cream and/or chopped tomatoes for garnish.)

Recipe Notes

Recipe Notes

Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.

~TxH~

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Our Favorite Tex-Mex Recipes

Tacos & Tortillas

• Carnitas Tacos
• (Taco Seasoning Mix)
• MYO Crispy Taco Shells
• Easy Corn Tortillas
• Mix-n-Pour Tortilla Recipe – No Kneading, No Rolling

Tex-Mex Main Dishes

• Homemade Pork Tamales (w/Instant Pot Shortcut Option)
• Pulled-Pork Enchiladas

Casseroles

• Cheesy Enchilada Casserole
• Lazy Cook’s Chile Relleno Cups
• Cheesy Chile-Chicken Casserole

Soups

• Quick & Easy Taco Soup
• Chicken Tortilla Soup

Side Dishes

• SW Chicken w/Herbed Rice
• Instant Pot Pinto Beans
• (Pinto Bean Seasoning Mix)
• Ranch-Style Beans

Other

• Spicy Jalapeno Cornbread
• Fresh Pico de Gallo
• Zesty Pico Deviled Eggs
• Creamy Hatch Chile Sauce

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