Spaghetti Tacos
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Posted: 08/19/24
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Cheesy, beefy, and fun to eat, do your tacos differently! Spaghetti Tacos combine tacos and pasta in a delish meal everyone will love. A fun twist that combines two of your favorite meals, spaghetti and tacos!
Is it pasta night? Is it taco night? With these spaghetti tacos, it’s the best of both worlds! This super fun recipe originated on the popular Nickelodeon TV show, iCarly. What was intended to be a funny joke has now become an incredibly popular recipe because it’s actually SO tasty! I mean, what’s not to love about delicious taco flavored pasta stuffed into a crunchy corn shell — so much fun!
This quick recipe is sure to be a family favorite! If you need solid recipes that the family won’t complain about, then this is just the thing. And if you love this recipe, then you have to try my taco pizza and million dollar spaghetti too. No more wondering what to cook for dinner, I’ve got you covered!
Why You’ll Love Spaghetti Tacos
- Spaghetti tacos are a wonderful quick dinner recipe. It only takes a half hour to throw this meal together!
- This is a super kid-friendly and family-friendly meal. So much fun and it also tastes delicious.
- If you’re on a budget, then you’ll love this spaghetti taco recipe. It’s affordable, easy and makes so much food.
Ingredients for Spaghetti Tacos
- Lean ground beef – It is important to use lean ground beef so that your taco meat isn’t too greasy!
- Spaghetti noodles – Grab a box of your favorite spaghetti noodles at the grocery store to make these delicious spaghetti tacos.
- Mild taco seasoning – You can use a store-bought packet of taco seasoning or even homemade taco seasoning, whatever is your favorite!
- Shredded Mexican cheese – Feel free to use a different type of cheese if you want! Some shredded cheddar cheese or Colby jack would be tasty.
- Spaghetti sauce – Jarred spaghetti sauce and homemade spaghetti sauce will both be great.
- Diced tomatoes and green chiles – This is the perfect touch to bring together the flavors of taco seasoning and spaghetti sauce.
- Water – Add some water to help incorporate the taco seasoning into the ground beef.
- Stand and stuff taco shells – The stand and stuff taco shells have a flat bottom so that it’s easier to fill them with the spaghetti goodness. However, feel free to use regular taco shells if that is all that you can find!
Helpful Tools
How to Make Spaghetti Tacos
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit before you start prepping the spaghetti taco fillings.
Then cook the spaghetti noodles according to the directions on the package and drain the water off.
Put the ground beef into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground beef while it cooks and once it is fully cooked, drain the grease from the pan.
Add the water and taco seasoning to the pan and stir until all of the ground beef is coated in the seasoning.
Reduce the heat to low and add the spaghetti sauce and rotel to the pan. Stir to combine.
Add the cooked spaghetti noodles to the sauce and stir well again. Then remove the pan from the heat and add 1 ½ cups of the shredded cheese to the pan and stir.
Place taco shells into 9 x 13 inch baking dish and scoop the spaghetti mixture into each shell.
Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of cheese on top. Then place the dish in the preheated oven and bake the tacos until the cheese melts.
Remove the dish from the oven and serve the tacos immediately.
How to Store Leftover Spaghetti Tacos
For best results, store the spaghetti separately from the taco shells. If you have leftover tacos that are already built, you can store them as well. Just keep in mind that the taco shell will likely be soggy once reheated.
Transfer pasta to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-5 days or freezer for up to 3 months. Leftover taco shells can be stored in a plastic zip top bag or airtight container for about a week.
What to serve with spaghetti tacos?
As for side dishes, you could go the Italian side dish route or serve up your favorite Mexican-inspired sides too. Some cheesy garlic bread or fresh breadsticks would be fabulous. But chips and salsa or Spanish rice would be tasty too.
You could also simply serve it with some quick roasted vegetables or roasted broccoli. Don’t be afraid to get creative! Oh, and a dessert of churros finishes off the meal perfectly.
Toppings for Spaghetti tacos
Toppings are a MUST for tacos, even if that taco is filled with delicious spaghetti goodness. Here’s a few of our favorite taco options:
- diced onion
- jalapeño
- parmesan cheese
- fresh cilantro
- parsley
- fresh basil
- pico de gallo
- shredded lettuce
- fresh guacamole
Pro Tips for the best spaghetti tacos
- Don’t overcook the spaghetti! Just cook to al dente so that they’re the perfect texture once the tacos are done.
- It’s really important to use LEAN ground beef in this recipe. Otherwise, your taco shells could get pretty soggy from excess grease.
- Feel free to kick up the spice level with spicy taco seasoning, spicy spaghetti sauce, or just adding some red pepper flakes into the mix.
And there you have it! Pasta night and taco Tuesday, all rolled into one amazing dish.
More Fun Taco and Spaghetti Recipes!
- Taco Spaghetti will never get old and is also so easy to make. With delicious taco flavor and yummy noodles, it’s another family favorite meal.
- Looking for more fun pasta recipes? Then try out these amazing Taco Stuffed Shells.
- Some amazing Chicken Spaghetti is a classic that everyone will enjoy!
- Need a super easy dinner? Then check out Instant Pot Spaghetti for a quick weeknight meal.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
Spaghetti Tacos
Crunchy tacos shells filled with taco spaghetti will have everyone digging in!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces uncooked spaghetti noodles broken in half
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ cup water
- 1 ounce mild taco seasoning (1 package)
- 24 ounces jar spaghetti sauce
- 10 ounces Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies drained
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend divided
- 10 Old El Paso stand and stuff taco shells
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cook spaghetti according to the directions on the package and then drain.
- Put the ground beef into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground beef while it cooks. Once the ground beef is fully cooked, drain the grease from the pan.
- Add the water and taco seasoning to the pan and stir until all of the ground beef is coated in the seasoning.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the spaghetti sauce and rotel to the pan. Stir to combine.
- Add the cooked spaghetti noodles to the pan and stir well again.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add 1 ½ cups of the shredded cheese to the pan.
- Stir the cheese into the spaghetti.
- Place the taco shells in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
- Scoop the spaghetti mixture into the taco shells.
- Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of cheese on top.
- Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake the tacos until the cheese on top is completely melted. 4-6 minutes.
- Remove the dish from the oven and serve the tacos immediately.
Tips
For best results, store the spaghetti separately from the taco shells. If you have leftover tacos that are already built, you can store them as well. Just keep in mind that the taco shell will likely be soggy once reheated.
Transfer pasta to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-5 days or freezer for up to 3 months. Leftover taco shells can be stored in a plastic zip top bag or airtight container for about a week.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 2tacos, Calories: 788kcal (39%), Carbohydrates: 96g (32%), Protein: 45g (90%), Fat: 24g (37%), Saturated Fat: 12g (75%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 99mg (33%), Sodium: 1524mg (66%), Potassium: 1120mg (32%), Fiber: 8g (33%), Sugar: 11g (12%), Vitamin A: 1487IU (30%), Vitamin C: 17mg (21%), Calcium: 384mg (38%), Iron: 6mg (33%)
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