Mexican Spaghetti

Mexican Spaghetti is a one-pot wonder and a fusion of Mexican and Italian flavors. Spice up your life and make this twist on a traditional spaghetti recipe. 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 of cheesy ground beef, taco seasoning, tomatoes, green chiles, peppers, corn and tender pasta.

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 is always a win 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. If chopping onions makes you cry (literally) you can buy pre-chopped onions in the produce section or frozen vegetables – one of my favorite time savers!

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 – Instead of tomato sauce you can use diluted tomato paste or stewed tomatoes.

Rotel tomatoes – Rotel tomatoes are diced tomatoes with green chiles. You can substitute a can of plain chopped tomatoes and increase the 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. You can also experiment with different types of noodles such as 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. For extra creaminess, you could replace half of the cheese with cream cheese.  

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 or medium high heat until the onions are soft. You can add a tablespoon of olive oil if desired.

Second: Once the meat is thoroughly browned, drain excess grease if desired. To the skillet add the packet of 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.

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 submerge 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!

Is Fideo a type of pasta?

Fideo is a Mexican thin noodle that is similar to angel hair or thin spaghetti. It is cut shorter than spaghetti before packaging, so using fideo would save you a step in this recipe.

Can you make it ahead of time?

You could make this easy Mexican spaghetti recipe ahead of time and reheat the next day, however the pasta might get a little mushy.

I recommend that you cook the sauce ahead of time (through step 3) and complete the rest of the cooking before you plan to serve it.

How To Store Leftovers

If you have leftovers you can keep it in an airtight container for up to 2 days in your fridge. Leftover pasta is best consumed within 48 hours.

What should I serve with Mexican spaghetti?

Crusty bread, Garlic Knots or Cornbread would be great to sop up that delicious Mexican spaghetti sauce.

A salad would also pair well with this dish. 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.
• There are so many pasta noodles that are similar to spaghetti, however you could try any kind of pasta such as rigatoni, farfalle, or penne.
• This is a very versatile recipe as you can add or delete ingredients. Remove the meat to make it a vegetarian meal. Other tasty additions would be green onions, black beans, olives or fresh garlic.
• Play with the spices: 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. Let me know how you modified this recipe with different ingredients!

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.

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