Taco Spaghetti – A fun, new way to enjoy Taco Tuesday! Taco spaghetti is an easy weeknight meal that is perfect for the whole family!
My weeknight meals are usually thrown together in a hurry. I have a crazy schedule (as I’m sure most of you do too!) so I never known when I’ll be home from work. So I tend to just throw things together for dinner.
Today’s post is a recipe that spawned from one of those nights: taco spaghetti!
One night, I came home with the intention of making tacos for dinner. I made the taco meat, cut the tomatoes, and got the rest of my toppings ready. But my tortillas had gone bad. Womp womp.
I had already made the meat and toppings so I couldn’t let it go to waste. I looked around the pantry to see what could replace the tortillas…Rice? That could work. But is it too obvious?
And then I saw it: spaghetti! I had just seen a special on TV about a BBQ spot in Memphis that served BBQ spaghetti and it looked amazing! So why not make a version of that and call it taco spaghetti?! I had all the toppings for tacos so it would be perfect. And so super simple to make.
To make this taco spaghetti, all I did was cook 1 pound of ground beef with a packet of taco seasoning, cook 1/2 pound of spaghetti until it was al dente, and top the spaghetti with the cooked meat and my favorite taco toppings.
I love cheese, sour cream, lettuce, and tomato on my tacos so that’s exactly how I topped my spaghetti. But you can add whatever you like: avocados, jalapeños, cilantro, corn, you name it! My husband loves to add some chipotle pepper sauce on top to add some more smoky flavor. It is a game-changer!
That’s the great thing about this recipe: each person can make their dish however they like. So if you have picky eaters out there, not to worry! They can just have their taco spaghetti with meat and cheese and not force the rest of the family to keep it simple along with them.
If you have younger kids out there that will just make a mess when they’re trying to mix all the ingredients together, I have a tip that may make your life easier: mix the cooked spaghetti and meat and toppings together in a casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees and you have a taco spaghetti casserole! It’s much easier for the smaller kids because it’s already mixed together.
If you are looking for more easy weeknight meals you can make, you’ll love this easy chicken pasta with white wine sauce, these yummy meatball subs, or my favorite stuffed peppers with chicken and couscous.
Enjoy!
Taco Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- water (as directed on taco seasoning packet)
- 1 pound spaghetti
- your favorite toppings (diced tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, cheese, jalepenos, etc)
Instructions
- Cook ground beef according to taco seasoning packet.
- Split spaghetti into 4 plates or bowls. Top with beef.
- Let everyone top their spaghetti with their favorite toppings. I like to top with shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato and sour cream.
This post originally appeared on Julie’s Eats & Treats where I am a regular contributor.
More easy dinner ideas:
Easy Meatball Subs
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Chicken and Couscous Stuffed Peppers
Why have I never thought of this before?! Two of my favorite meals in one! Looks amazing!
Awesome idea! This looks like a great, hearty dinner. My son would love this, especially with some salsa or taco sauce.
YUM!! I love tacos AND pasta so this is a win/win for me 🙂
All my favorite flavors. Definitely going to try this at home.
This is a truly brilliant idea!! I absolutely love tacos, but sometimes get sick of eating the same thing over and over, so this will be a fun way for me to mix things up! 🙂
So different and so yummy!
What an interesting combo! This looks so good!
What a fun way to combine spaghetti and tacos! This looks incredibly good – I’d
eat it with some guacamole on top. 🙂
So my daughter is addicted to tacos, and asks for them Every. Single. Week. I’m so tired of tacos haha. This recipe sounds great for variation!
Haha exactly! Tell her it’s time for a little switch up
What a fun idea! I love tacos and spaghetti! So win win!
Yum! What a great idea when your original plan didn’t go as you hoped!
the title had me sold – spaghetti and tacos?! you legit mixed my two favorite foods!
This is an excellent twist to taco Tuesday! And that baked version sounds incredible too. On weeknights when we’re lazy we usually just eat a sad salad (haha) but this is wayyy better. Can’t wait to try (even if it’s not on a Tuesday!) 🙂
Haha I totally get lazy dinners. And you’re right – this is perfect for those nights since it’s ready in less than 20 minutes!
I’m definitely going to PT this into weekly rotation. Thanks for the great idea!
This is cool way to change up tacos! We have tacos once a week with various toppings and this would be a fun way to change up the tortilla. Thanks for sharing!
Exactly! Glad you like it 🙂
I loveeee taco spaghetti, I thought I was the only one who did that XD
Oh cool! Great minds think alike 🙂
Absolutely brilliant!!! Great idea
Specially when you are in a hurry
And hungry. Bravo !!!
My husband’s favorite dinner is spaghetti and mine is tacos – this would make us BOTH happy. I can’t wait to try this out, thanks for the idea!
Woah then this combo was made for you two! I hope you like it.