These spaghetti tacos are an easy, super fun dinner, your family will love. The recipe starts with yummy, homemade spaghetti.
It’s loaded with ground beef, taco, and Italian seasoning, and lotsa cheese then stuffed into convenient, premade hard tortilla shells.
Bake them up to heat everything through, melt the cheese on top, then top with your favorite taco topping. Trust me, this easy weeknight meal will have the kids rushing to the dinner table!
My family adores spaghetti so I make it often. If yours does as well, I hope you’ll try my spaghetti with ground beef, baked spaghetti (is there anything better??), chicken spaghetti, Mexican spaghetti next!
Where Did Spaghetti Tacos Come From?
This crazy mash-up spaghetti tacos recipe was created by the television writer, Daniel James Schneider, of the Nickelodeon show “iCarly”. Over the years, these tacos became popular in real life.
Spaghetti Tacos Ingredient
- Spaghetti Noodles: You’ll want to cook your pasta al dente so it doesn’t come out of the oven mushy. For a super bangin’ flavor boost to your taco spaghetti recipe, salt your pasta water. Between 1-2 tablespoons per gallon of water may seem heavy-handed but it’s just right.
- Ground Beef: I like to use 80/20 for this recipe but use whatever you’re used to. You could even use ground turkey to save some calories. Break up your beef as you brown it just as you would for tacos. It typically takes around 8-10 minutes for ground beef to reach the USDA-recommended temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Oil: Use any neutral flavor oil.
- Onion: Use yellow or white onion.
- Taco Seasoning: I like mild to keep the flavor kid friendly.
- Italian Seasoning: I like the McCormick Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning.
- Parmesan: Buy it from the deli department. Don’t use the stuff in the green canister….it’s too salty.
- Spaghetti Sauce: For convenience, grab your favorite jar sauce, or if you have time, try my easy-peasy, homemade marinara sauce. Remember, you’ll only use 1/2 the jar!!!
- Jack Cheese: You can use any type of cheese you like. I like Monterey Jack or cheddar.
- Taco Shells: My favorite type is the shells with the flat bottom. They’re so much better with little ones.
Storing + Freezing
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? If you have leftovers, store the spaghetti separately from the shells if possible. The spaghetti will last in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Can You Freeze This? This spaghetti with taco seasoning is best made and served on the same day.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
How to Make Spaghetti Tacos
- Cook the ground beef
- Add the pasta sauce, seasonings, and water. Simmer until it thickens.
- Mix the cooked spaghetti
- Arrange the taco shells in a baking dish.
- Add spaghetti mixture to the taco shells.
- Add cheese and bake.
- Add toppings.
***See the full instructions below
More Taco Recipes
- Taco Meat Recipe (for the absolute best, homemade, ground beef tacos EVAH!!)
- Walking Tacos
- Bisquick Taco Bake
- Turkey Tacos
- Steak Tacos
- Taco Rice
- Walking Tacos
- Taco Casserole
- Taco Soup
- Taco Mac and Cheese
Spaghetti Tacos
These spaghetti tacos are an easy, super fun dinner, your family will love. It is made with homemade spaghetti, loads of ground beef, taco, and lotsa cheese.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti, broken in half before cooking
- vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 1 (1-ounce) envelope taco seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup Parmesan
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 (24-ounce) jar or 1 1/3 cup prepared spaghetti sauce
- 2 1/2 cups pepper jack cheese
- 12 hard taco shells
Garnish
- chopped tomato
- chopped red onion
- chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions and drain.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Drizzle a little oil in a 12-inch skillet. Cook ground beef (1 pound) and onion (1/2 cup) over medium heat until there is no longer any pink in the beef. Drain off any excess fat.
- Add taco seasoning (1 envelope), Italian seasoning (2 teaspoons), Parmesan (1/2 cup), spaghetti sauce (1/2 jar), and water (1/2 cup). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes, or until sauce thickens.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in 1 1/2 cup pepper jack and cooked spaghetti (8 ounces).
- Place the taco shells (12) in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Add the spaghetti mixture into the taco shells.
- Top each taco with about 1 tablespoon of pepper jack cheese.
- Place the dish in the oven and bake the tacos until the cheese on top is completely melted or for 4-6 minutes.
- Top with chopped tomatoes and cilantro.
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My teenage daughter said this is so cute and yummy!
That’s so great!! 🙂