Easy Cheesy Taco Spaghetti

Taco spaghetti is ground beef cooked with taco seasoning, a can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles, and tomato sauce, then tossed with spaghetti and finished with melted cheddar and Monterey Jack. This version boils the pasta separately and simmers the beef sauce down while the water heats, so the noodles go into a sauce that’s already thick. They pick up the last of it in the skillet, and the finished pasta comes out saucy and cohesive rather than soupy. Plan on about 35 minutes for 6 servings.

Jump to Recipe

Ingredient Notes

Full quantities are in the recipe card. These are the ingredients that change how the dish turns out.

• Lean ground beef: Use 90% lean. It still renders some fat, which you’ll drain after browning, but it won’t leave an orange film on the noodles the way 80/20 can. If you only have 80/20, drain it well and blot the skillet with a paper towel.
• Taco seasoning: A standard 1-ounce packet is about 3 tablespoons. Packets are salty, and so are the canned tomatoes and tomato sauce. That’s why the recipe uses low-sodium broth, adds no salt to the sauce, and salts the pasta water lightly. Taste at the end before adding any salt. If you make your own seasoning, use 3 tablespoons and add 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles: The 10-ounce can goes in with all its juice, which counts toward the sauce liquid. The original version is mildly spicy. A hot version is sold too. Any brand of diced tomatoes with green chiles works the same way, and so do regular diced tomatoes plus a 4-ounce can of diced green chiles.
• Tomato sauce: Plain canned tomato sauce, not marinara or pasta sauce, which bring Italian herbs.
• Beef broth: One cup is enough. The pasta is already cooked when it meets the sauce, so it doesn’t need a lot of liquid to soften. Too much broth is the main reason taco spaghetti turns watery.
• Cheddar and Monterey Jack: Sharp cheddar brings the flavor, and Monterey Jack melts smoothly and keeps the sauce creamy. Shred both from blocks if you can. Bagged shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking starch and can melt into clumps. Two cups total for 6 servings coats the pasta without turning it into a heavy mass.
• Ground cumin: Taco seasoning already contains some. The extra half teaspoon makes the beef taste more toasted and earthy. Leave it out if your blend is cumin-heavy.

How to Make Taco Spaghetti

1. Put the water on before the beef

Four quarts of water takes about 10 minutes to boil. That’s roughly how long it takes to brown the beef and start the sauce, so everything is ready at the same time.

2. Brown the beef, then drain it

Cook the beef and onion together over medium-high heat, breaking the meat into small crumbles, until no pink remains and the onion is soft. Ground beef is safe at 160°F, and color alone isn’t a reliable test. Then tip the skillet and spoon off the fat, leaving about a tablespoon. Fat left in the pan ends up as grease on the finished spaghetti.

3. Simmer the sauce until it’s thick

After the garlic and spices toast for a minute, the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and broth go in and simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 minutes. This is the step that keeps the dish from being soupy. The sauce is ready when it has reduced to about 2 1/2 cups and a spoon dragged across the bottom of the skillet leaves a path that fills in slowly. It should look like a thick, loose chili, with very little thin liquid at the edges.

4. Cook the spaghetti a minute short

Cook the pasta 1 minute less than the package’s al dente time. It finishes in the sauce, where it absorbs some of the liquid. Scoop out a cup of the starchy cooking water before you drain it. You may need only part of it, or none.

5. Toss until the sauce clings

Add the drained spaghetti to the skillet and toss with tongs over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes. The sauce should coat every strand, with beef caught between the noodles and almost nothing pooling in the pan. If the pasta looks dry or tight, add pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time. Most batches take 1/4 to 1/2 cup.

6. Melt the cheese off the heat

Take the skillet off the burner before the cheese goes in. Stir in half of it so it melts into the sauce, then scatter the rest over the top and cover for 2 to 3 minutes. That gives you a creamy sauce plus a melted layer on top. Cheese that boils over high heat can separate and turn oily.

Saucy, Not Soupy or Greasy: Troubleshooting

• Watery at the bottom of the pan? The sauce wasn’t reduced enough before the pasta went in. Return the skillet to medium heat and toss for another minute or two. The pasta absorbs the extra liquid quickly. Add the cheese once it’s off the heat.
• Dry and sticky? Thin spaghetti keeps absorbing sauce as it sits. Loosen it with hot pasta water, a few tablespoons at a time, just before serving.
• Greasy? Either the beef fat wasn’t drained or the cheese got too hot. Drain well, and add the cheese off the heat.
• Too salty? Next time, use a reduced-sodium taco seasoning or 2 tablespoons of a regular packet, and keep the broth low-sodium.
• Too spicy? Use mild Rotel and a mild seasoning blend. For more heat, use hot Rotel or add a pinch of cayenne with the spices.

Serving Taco Spaghetti

Serve it straight from the skillet with cilantro on top. A portion is about 1 1/3 cups. A crisp green salad, a simple corn side, or warm tortillas on the side round it out. For another skillet spaghetti with a spicier, smoky profile, try our dirty spaghetti with beef and andouille. If you’d rather bake a ground beef dinner, our cornbread cowboy casserole uses a similar seasoned beef base under cornbread. You’ll find more ideas in our dinner recipes.

Substitutions

• Ground turkey: Use 93% lean ground turkey and cook it to 165°F. It’s leaner, so you may not need to drain it, and it may need a splash more pasta water.
• Other pasta: Thin spaghetti or linguine work the same way. With a short shape like rotini or penne, use the same 12 ounces and the same method.
• Cheese: Pepper Jack in place of the Monterey Jack adds heat. A pre-mixed Mexican-style blend works, but it melts less smoothly.

Storage and Reheating

• Refrigerate: Cool and refrigerate leftovers in airtight containers within 2 hours. They keep for 3 to 4 days.
• Reheat: The spaghetti absorbs the sauce in the fridge and looks drier the next day. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water per portion, cover, and microwave or warm in a skillet over medium-low heat, stirring, until it’s 165°F throughout.
• Freeze: Freeze portions for up to 2 months. The spaghetti will be softer after thawing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat with a splash of water.

Taco Spaghetti FAQ

Can I make taco spaghetti in one pot?

Yes, but it’s a different recipe. One-pot versions cook raw spaghetti in about 3 cups of water or broth, so the liquid amounts here won’t work. This recipe boils the pasta separately so you can control how saucy it gets.

Is taco spaghetti the same as taco pasta?

They’re close relatives. “Taco pasta” usually means a short shape, often with cream cheese or sour cream stirred in. Taco spaghetti uses long noodles and a tomato-based sauce, with the cheese melted in at the end.

Recipe Card