Mexican Spaghetti Recipe (Taco Spaghetti)

This Mexican Spaghetti Recipe (AKA: Taco Spaghetti) is a great way to spice up your taco night! It has all the flavors of both tacos and spaghetti combined in this perfectly easy weeknight dinner that’s ready in less than 30 minutes! If your family loves Mexican cuisine and comfort food, they will totally LOVE this pasta recipe!

Looking for more easy recipes with spaghetti? Try my Easy Cheesy Baked Spaghetti, Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Ground Beef, One Pot Spaghetti and Sausage, or this 5 Ingredient Spaghetti with Bacon!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this delicious Mexican Spaghetti Recipe:

INGREDIENT NOTES

Ground Beef: I like using lean ground beef for this dish, so you don’t have to drain any grease! I look for 90% lean or more.

Taco seasoning: For the best taco pasta, you need good quality taco seasoning. I recommend using homemade taco seasoning for a fresh and aromatic blend. But your favorite brand from the grocery store will also work in a pinch.

Chipotles in Adobo: These can be found in the Mexican or Latin section. They are just smoked jalapeños that are canned in tomato sauce and spices. This recipe calls for one jalapeño plus some of the delicious adobo sauce that they’re canned in. The adobo sauce is what gives the Mexican spaghetti sauce that smoky flavor.

HOW TO MAKE MEXICAN SPAGHETTI (TACO SPAGHETTI): STEP-BY-STEP

Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with exact ingredients will be in the recipe card below!

Step 1: Add olive oil over medium-high heat to a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add onion and saute for about 2-3 minutes until soft and translucent. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up. Add taco seasoning and cook until the ground beef is browned.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti noodles in a large pot of water according to package directions.

Step 2: To the ground beef mixture, add tomato sauce, diced green chiles, chipotle chili, adobo sauce, sugar and oregano. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer until all flavors are combined.

Step 3: Reduce heat to low and stir in sour cream.

Step 4: Finally, add cooked spaghetti and half of the cheese and toss with a pair of tongs to combine.

To serve, top with remaining cheese and garnish with green onions or cilantro, if you like!

RECIPE TIPS & TRICKS

• Don’t overcook the pasta. To get al dente pasta, cook it in a large pot of generously salted boiling water and drain it when cooked Until barely tender!
• Use a potato masher when the meat is about halfway cooked to break it up nice and fine.
• Simmer gently for depth. Allow the meat sauce to simmer gently after adding all the ingredients. This gives time for all the taco flavors to intensify.
• Make sure the heat is turned down to LOW when you add the sour cream; otherwise it has a tendency to curdle or separate.

STORAGE & REHEATING

• Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also transfer this easy Mexican spaghetti into individual-size servings and store it in the fridge or freezer for an easy grab-and-go meal.
  
• Reheating: Leftovers are great reheated in a large pan or Dutch oven along with a splash of beef stock (or water). Heat over medium until heated through, stirring occasionally.
  
• Freezing: This cooked pasta dish can be frozen! If possible, leave out the cheese if you are freezing this dish. Be sure to cool it completely, then add the pasta to a large zip-top bag and seal it, removing as much air as possible to avoid freezer burn. Store it flat in the freezer for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat per instructions. Add additional cheese if desired towards the end.

ADDITIONS & SUBSTITUTIONS

ADDITIONS:

• Veggies: Consider adding diced red or green bell peppers for an extra boost in veggies.
• Corn & Beans: Add a can of drained sweet corn and black beans to give this one-pot taco spaghetti recipe extra Mexican-inspired textures.
• Give it spice: Add a teaspoon or two of chili powder for a little more heat.
• Make it extra creamy: Stir in velveeta cheese or plain cream cheese at the end to make it super cheesy and luxuriously creamy.

SUBSTITUTIONS:

• Noodles: Sub the traditional spaghetti with other shape pasta like angel hair pasta or a short pasta.
• Cheese: I love sharp cheddar cheese but feel free to use Mexican blend, mild cheddar, Monterey Jack cheese, or even Parmesan cheese.
• Sour cream: Swap the sour cream with full-fat Greek yogurt instead for a boost of protein.
• Tame the spice: Remove the seeds from the adobo chipotles or omit the chili peppers completely and just use the adobo sauce. The sauce is much milder but still gives you that amazing smoky flavor.

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Mexican Spaghetti (Taco Spaghetti)

This Mexican Spaghetti Recipe (AKA: Taco Spaghetti) is a great way to spice up your taco night! All the flavors of both tacos and spaghetti are combined into this perfectly easy weeknight dinner, that even your picky eaters will love!

4.97 from 27 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine American, Italian, Mexican, Tex-Mex

Servings 4

Calories 889 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb. spaghetti noodles
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small or medium onion (about 1 cup), diced white or yellow onions
• 1 lb. lean ground beef 90% lean or more
• 1 1/2 tbsp low sodium taco seasoning or one packet
• 2 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 chipotle in adobo + 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or your favorite shredded cheese!
• 1/2 cup sour cream low fat or full fat
• green onions, cilantro, sliced black olives for garnish optional

Instructions

 

• Boil Pasta: In a large pot, boil spaghetti noodles to al dente, according to package directions.
• Cook Onion: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil. When oil is hot, add onion and cook 2-3 minutes until soft.
• Brown Ground Beef: Add ground beef and season with taco seasoning. Cook beef 2-3 minutes (until browned), breaking the meat up as it cooks. Pro Tip: Using a potato masher when the meat is about halfway cooked works great at getting the meat broken up nice and fine 🙂
• Add & Simmer: To the "taco meat", add tomato sauce, diced green chilis, chipotle chilis + adobo sauce, sugar and oregano. Stir to combine. Bring sauce to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer sauce 5-10 minutes until all flavors are combined.
• Add Sour Cream: Turn heat down to LOW and stir in sour cream (make sure the heat is LOW otherwise the sour cream has a tendency to separate).
• Finish: Last, add your cooked pasta and half of the shredded cheese (save the other half for sprinkling on top!). With tongs, toss everything until spaghetti is well combined with the sauce and cheese is melted.
• Serve immediately and top with remaining cheese + green onions/cilantro/sliced black olives if you like!

Notes

Nutrition information is only an estimate. Info is based on the Very Well Fit Nutrition Calculator.

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Nutrition

Calories: 889kcalCarbohydrates: 83gProtein: 61gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 17.4gCholesterol: 167mgSodium: 2020mgPotassium: 1885mgFiber: 16.1gSugar: 25.2gVitamin D: 7µgCalcium: 493mgIron: 11mg

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