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This Taco Spaghetti recipe combines the love for tacos and pasta in one easy to make dish! Everything comes together in one pot and makes the most flavorful and hearty spaghetti! You won’t have to choose whether you want taco night or pasta night — you get both with taco spaghetti!
I love a good mashup of classic foods. Taco + spaghetti go and have a baby and taco spaghetti is born! To be frank, this is a delicious combo and I couldn’t be more thrilled about this recipe. It takes less than 30 minutes to make this and your family will be begging you to add it to your weekly dinner menu. You’ll be glad to because of how quick it is to make and it does not skimp on flavor!
Also, if you love taco flavors like I do, definitely check out this taco casserole! It comes together in a snap and is a flavor-packed, crowd-pleasing dinner idea.
Why You’ll Love Taco Spaghetti
This one pot taco spaghetti will become a household favorite. Here are a few reasons why!
- Two for one. You won’t have to choose whether you want taco night or pasta night. You can get both those in this one pot dish!
- Easy, all in one pot. If you love a quick and easy meal that is family friendly, this taco spaghetti is definitely going on your weekly dinner menu! It’s all made in one pot so less dishes means more time to be a couch potato!
- Flavorful and hearty. The ingredients in this taco spaghetti yield so much flavor! You’ve got your classic taco seasoning and the hearty ground beef bulks up this one pot meal.
What You’ll Need
Here is a list of ingredients you will need to make taco spaghetti. Make sure to scroll down to view the full recipe for more details.
- Ground beef – I prefer to use 80/20 here as the 20% fat gives it a little more flavor!
- Onion
- Garlic
- Taco seasoning – I used a low-sodium packet. If you have a homemade one or a favorite taco seasoning, you can use that here.
- Diced tomatoes
- Water or beef stock
- Spaghetti – there are so many kinds of spaghetti on the market now. There’s regular spaghetti, thin spaghetti, thick spaghetti, angel hair. For this recipe, stick to thin spaghetti.
- Cheese
- Fresh parsley
How To Make One Pot Taco Spaghetti
Take a look at the recipe card below for detailed instructions on how to make taco spaghetti. For now, here are the basics.
- Brown the meat. In a large skillet, break apart and brown the ground beef.
- Add aromatics and seasonings. Add the onion, garlic, and taco seasoning to the ground beef and stir to incorporate. Cook until the onion is translucent.
- Add tomatoes and liquid. Add the tomatoes on top then water or beef stock. Stir to incorporate.
- Break the pasta and add to skillet. Break the pasta in half then add it to the skillet, making sure that the pasta is submerged in liquid.
- Cover and cook. Bring mixture to a boil then gentle simmer. Cover and let pasta cook through. Add more liquid if needed.
- Top with cheese and fresh parsley. Top with shredded cheese and fresh parsley!
Substitutions and Variations
- Can I use another kind of meat? If you prefer to use something other than ground beef, ground chicken or ground turkey would work well in this recipe.
- What can I use instead of taco seasoning? If you don’t have taco seasoning on hand, fajita seasoning has almost the same ingredients and is a great substitution if you’re in a pinch.
- Can I add more heat? If you prefer spicier, add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper or use a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies.
Tips for the Best Taco Spaghetti
I always enjoy reading tips and tricks for a successful recipe creation. Here are some of mine for one pot taco spaghetti.
- Use thin, long pasta. You’ll want to save the tube pasta shapes (penne, rigatoni, etc.) for another day. Thin, long pasta cooks faster in these one pot pasta dishes!
- Fully submerge the pasta in liquid. Just as if you’re cooking dried pasta in a regular pot of water, you’ll want to make sure all the pasta is submerged in the liquid when making this taco spaghetti, otherwise you may get some uncooked pieces.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
If you happen to have a little extra, here’s what to do with the leftovers.
- Storing: allow the spaghetti to cool then put into an airtight container and into the refrigerator for up to five days.
- Reheating: to reheat, you may reheat on the stovetop or pop it into the microwave and heat to your desired warmth.
What to Serve with Taco Spaghetti
Taco spaghetti is a great stand-alone dish but it’s always nice to serve a heavier dish like this with something lighter. Here are some ideas.
More Easy Taco-Inspired Recipes
- Vegan Cauliflower Tacos
- Tofu Street Tacos
- Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili
- Grilled Cumin Lime Shrimp Tacos
One Pot Taco Spaghetti
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 pound (454 g) 80/20 ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 ounce (28 g) low sodium taco seasoning packet
- 15 ounce (425 g) can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups (473 ml) beef broth or water
- 10 ounces (284 g) dried thin spaghetti pasta
- 1 cup (113 g) freshly shredded cheddar cheese
- Fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large rimmed skillet or heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and brown ground beef and break apart with meat chopper or wooden spoon.
- Add the garlic and onion and cook mixture until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle taco seasoning on top then mix. Pour in the diced tomatoes with liquid and the beef broth. Bring to a boil.
- Break the spaghetti pasta in half then add it to the skillet or pot. Make sure the pasta is submerged in fully in the liquid.
- Reduce heat to medium then cover and let cook until pasta is cooked and most the liquid has been absorbed. If it looks like your pasta needs more liquid, add more water or beef broth.
- Stir to mix together everything then remove from heat.
- Sprinkle cheese on top and place lid back onto the skillet or pot. Let the cheese melt for 2-3 minutes then remove the lid and sprinkle fresh parsley on top for garnish.
