Go Back
One-pot taco spaghetti with ground beef, melted cheddar, green onions and sour cream in a white bowl

Taco Spaghetti

One-pot taco spaghetti: dry spaghetti cooks right in a taco-seasoned sauce of ground beef, tomatoes with green chiles and beef broth, finished under melted cheddar and Monterey Jack.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 630
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the pot
  • 1 lb lean ground beef 90% lean; ground turkey works too
  • 1 small yellow onion finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 packet taco seasoning 1 oz, or about 3 tablespoons homemade
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles 10 oz, such as Ro*Tel, undrained
  • 3 cups low-sodium beef broth or water
  • 8 oz dry spaghetti broken in half
To finish
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar grated from a block
  • 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or pepper Jack
  • 2 green onions sliced
  • chopped cilantro and sour cream for serving

Equipment

  • - Large skillet or Dutch oven
  • - Wooden spoon or spatula
  • - Medium pot (if cooking pasta separately)
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • - Colander

Method
 

  1. Set a Dutch oven or wide, deep pot over medium-high heat. Cook the beef and onion for 7 to 8 minutes, breaking the meat into small crumbles, until no pink remains and the beef reaches 160°F. Spoon off any fat.
  2. Stir in the garlic, taco seasoning and tomato paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot.
  3. Pour in the tomatoes with their juices and the broth, scrape up any browned bits, and bring to a full rolling boil over high heat.
  4. Add the broken spaghetti and press it under the liquid. Lower the heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring from the bottom two or three times, until the pasta is tender and the sauce has thickened.
  5. Turn off the heat, scatter the cheddar and Monterey Jack over the top, cover and let stand for about 5 minutes, until melted.
  6. Season with salt if needed and serve topped with green onions, cilantro and sour cream.

Notes

Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in a shallow airtight container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days. Reheat with 2 to 3 tablespoons of broth or water until it reaches 165°F. Freezing is not recommended, as the spaghetti turns mushy once thawed.
Make ahead: The dish thickens as it sits, so it is best served right away; loosen leftovers with a splash of hot broth.
Substitutions: Use water instead of broth and season with salt at the end. Swap the beef for ground turkey. Use pepper Jack or hot tomatoes with chiles for more heat.
Nutrition is an estimate, not a laboratory analysis.