Mexican Spaghetti
Mexican Spaghetti is a delicious, one pot meal with a yummy fusion of Mexican and Italian flavors. Switch up your usual weeknight dinner for this and your whole family will love it!
Mexican Spaghetti Recipe
Have you heard of spaghetti tacos? This easy recipe lacks the hard taco shell but is filled with the same tasty flavors. Cheesy ground beef, taco seasoning, tomatoes, green chiles, peppers, and corn tossed with spaghetti.
It is perfect for busy weeknights and takes no time to put together. And, it is all made in one pot.
You do not have to cook the spaghetti separately…it cooks in the sauce. One less step and one less pot to clean. Win-win!
Love this? Try my Cheesy Taco Pasta, Rotel Pasta, or Baked Spaghetti Casserole.
Ingredients Needed
Ground beef – This recipe calls for lean ground beef, but for a lighter version you can use ground turkey or chicken.
Onion – Yellow onion or white onion is best. Substitute sweet onion if needed.
Green pepper – If you want a spicier version you could substitute jalapeno or poblano pepper.
Taco seasoning – You can use a packet of store bought or make your own homemade taco seasoning.
Green chilies – Chopped or sliced.
Corn – You can use frozen, canned, or fresh corn.
Tomato sauce – Use your favorite marinara sauce. Or substitute diced or crushed tomatoes.
Rotel tomatoes – Substitute a can of plain chopped tomatoes and add extra green chiles to 7 ounces.
Spaghetti – To make this truly a Mexican pasta dish you can use Fideo noodles which is similar to spaghetti, just shorter in length. Or substitute your favorite shape like angel hair pasta, vermicelli Pasta, fettuccine, or linguine.
Cheese – I like to use a mexican blend or monterey jack. Parmesan, cheddar cheese, or queso fresco would be good too.
Parsley or cilantro – Garnish your dish with fresh chopped parsley or cilantro, or both. Green onions or chives would also make a great garnish.
Looking for more leftover worthy dishes? Follow LTB on Pinterest and pin to a board!
How to Make Mexican Spaghetti
First: In a large pot or dutch oven, brown the ground beef, onions and green pepper over medium heat until the onions are soft. You can add a tablespoon of olive oil if needed. Drain excess fat if needed.
Second: Add the packet of taco seasoning, green chilies, corn, Rotel, and tomato sauce. Stir to combine and cook for a minute or two until combined.
Third: Add 3 cups of water and stir. Bring to a light boil. Break the spaghetti noodles in half or into thirds and add the noodles to the pot and stir to mix in. Make sure the noodles don’t stick together and are covered completely in the sauce.
Fourth: Turn heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked to al dente or to your liking.
Fifth: Remove lid and stir in 2 cups of the shredded cheese. Top with the remaining 1 cup of cheese and cover. Remove from the heat and let sit for 1-2 minutes to allow the cheese on top to melt.
Sixth: Uncover and garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley. Serve warm and enjoy!
How long does it last?
If you have leftovers you can keep them in an airtight container for up to 2 days in your fridge.
Can I make it ahead of time?
You could make this easy Mexican spaghetti recipe ahead of time and reheat the next day.
I recommend that you cook the sauce ahead of time (through step 3) and finish the rest right before you want to eat it.
Serving Suggestions
Crusty bread, Garlic Knots or Cornbread would be great to soak up and extra sauce.
A salad also goes well with it. Try my 1905 Salad or an Italian Chopped Salad.
Tips for No Leftovers
- You will need a large skillet, large stockpot or dutch oven that will hold at least 4 cups of liquid plus the meat and pasta.
- Try any kind of pasta such as rigatoni, farfalle, or penne.
- Remove the meat to make it a vegetarian meal. Add extra veggies like green onions, black beans, olives or fresh garlic.
- Add some red pepper flakes, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder or chili powder. Perhaps adobe sauce instead of tomato sauce for some added spice.
- Stirring in some Mexican Crema or topping with a dollop of sour cream would add some creaminess.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, please write a five-star review in the comment section below (or on Pinterest with the “tried it” button – you can now add pictures into reviews, too!), and be sure to help me share on facebook!
Can’t decide between tacos and spaghetti? You don’t have to! Whip up this simple and delicious dish and satisfy your craving for both.
Mexican Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion (diced
- 1 medium green pepper seeded, diced
- 1 ounce taco seasoning
- 4.5 ounces chopped green chilies undrained
- 1 cup corn frozen or canned
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 10 ounces Rotel undrained
- 3 cups water
- 8 ounces spaghetti uncooked
- 3 cups shredded cheese I used a mexican blend or monterey jack
- Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish.
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and soften the onions and green pepper over medium high heat.
- Once the meat is no longer pink, drain excess liquid (fat) if desired.
- To the skillet add the taco seasoning, green chilies, corn, Rotel, and tomato sauce. Stir to combine and cook for a minute or two to get the seasoning mixed in.
- Add the water and stir. Bring to a light boil.
- Break the spaghetti noodles in half or into thirds.
- Add the noodles to the skillet and stir to mix in. Make sure the noodles don’t stick together and are submerged in the sauce.
- Cover and turn the heat to low.
- Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the pasta noodles are cooked to your liking.
- Remove lid and stir in 2 cups of the shredded cheese.
- Top with the remaining 1 cup and cover.
- Remove from the heat and let sit for 1-2 minutes to allow the cheese on top to melt.
- Uncover and garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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