Taco spaghetti is a super easy and quick weeknight dinner you can make in just ONE POT in less than 30 minutes! A meal the whole family will love.
When you’re having one of those nights where you can’t come up with anything quick and easy for dinner, try out this one pot taco spaghetti recipe. If you keep your pantry stocked, the only thing you’ll need to pick up is the meat and cheese. The best part is you only need one pot, the uncooked pasta cooks with the sauce.
This is great for a busy night or for folks with limited cooking facilities. You can have dinner in 30 minutes.
While I love complicated recipes with lots of steps, I don’t want to tackle one on a weeknight. Weeknights are for easy dinners that don’t require any thought, are versatile in using any protein you have on hand and this pasta dish fits the bill.
A delicious under 30 minute meal. Another dish that’s just as easy in the Tex-Mex family is Queso Chicken.
If you want more of an Italian flare, try making a baked chicken spaghetti to change things up.
What you’ll need
- Ground turkey, chicken or beef – all three make a great taco spaghetti casserole.
- Taco Seasoning – one packet of your favorite or make your own.
- Chipotle chili pepper – this is optional but it will give it a little kick.
- Ro-Tel Tomatoes and chilies – I love this brand for the convenience of both ingredients in one can. You will need all the liquid in the can.
- Tomato paste – keep a tube in the refrigerator, it has a pretty long shelf life.
- Pasta– any type of spaghetti will work, I like the thicker bucatini pasta.
- Cheese – try a mixture of cheddar and pepper jack or you don’t want it spicy use Monterey Jack instead.
How do you make Taco Spaghetti in just one pot
Step 1: Start by browning the hamburger/ground turkey.
Step 2: Dump everything but the cheese in the pot, including the uncooked pasta.
Bring it to a boil, cover and let it cool for 15 minutes. Take off the lid, sprinkle with cheese and you’re done.
I use spicy taco seasoning and it adds just enough heat to get your attention. However, I’ve also used regular taco seasoning and added chipotle powder, just a little better. Then I stumbled upon this recipe for making your own and it’s the best. The combination from Foodology Geek is the one I use now with just the perfect proportion of seasonings.
FAQs and tips
A dutch oven works great for this, if not, any large pot will work.(affiliate)
Use all the liquid from the canned tomatoes, the pasta needs the liquid.
Beef is great in this dish, however, you may need to drain the grease before adding the other ingredients.
A mixture of cheeses adds more flavor, so use a cheddar and a pepper jack.
Yes, to reheat, let it come to room temperature and microwave or cover and reheat in the oven at 350º for about 10 minutes.
What else can you make with taco seasoning
If you’re looking for some additional quick and easy dinner ideas, take a look at these:
- Ranch Chicken with Carrots and Potatoes for a sheet pan dinner.
- For an easy pasta dish, try Lemon Chicken Penne.
- You can’t go wrong with crispy Parmeson Crusted Chicken Fingers.
- Or Sriracha Mango Quesadilla with rotisserie chicken.
- Crispy nut crusted chicken is a favorite.
If you want more simple and delicious meals check out these pantry dinners.
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Taco Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef/chicken/turkey
- 1 1.25 ounce package taco seasoning 4 tablespoons
- ½ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
- 10 ounces Diced tomatoes and green chilies Ro Tel
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 2 ounces cheddar cheese grated
- 2 ounces pepper jack cheese grated
- fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Cook ground meat of choice in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat until browned, 3-5 minutes. Stir in taco seasoning and ground chipotle.
- Add tomatoes, tomato paste, uncooked spaghetti and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer until pasta has cooked, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and sprinkle with cheese and cilantro.
Video
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- Do not drain the liquid from the canned tomatoes, you will need it for the pasta to cook in.
- You can use ground beef but ground chicken/turkey are great options also. If using ground beef, you may need to drain the grease before adding the rest of the ingredients.
- This is even better with homemade taco seasoning, for a recipe check out Foodology Geek, her’s is my favorite.
Nutrition
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This recipe was so delicious, my kids loved it too! its so easy and quick because you only need one pot. definitely making this again.
Jody,
So glad you liked it, I love having a few easy recipes for quick weeknight dinners.
Absolutely delicious, easy to make and best of all cooks in ONE PAN!!!@
Anything to minimize cleanup! Glad you liked it.
Taco spaghetti was a huge hit for our family of 7! It blended two of their favorites and was easy to make and clean up!! The smell of tacos filled the home and they couldn’t believe we were having spaghetti! Definitely adding this entree to our regular rotation!!
Amy,I’m so glad this was a hit, it’s so hard to find something that everyone likes!
Hmmm – I might make this tonight! Thanks so much for sharing this delicious post at the What’s for Dinner party!! I so appreciate your support AND your great recipes!