One Pot Taco Spaghetti

One Pot Taco Spaghetti is all the flavors you love of tacos, with a delicious twist. Yes, everything cooks in one pot, so the spaghetti soaks up every bit of sauce. Delicious on its own, or finished with your favorite taco toppings

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I love tacos. They’re versatile, delicious, and one of my go-to lunch recipes when nothing else inspires me. I always have hard taco shells in the pantry, but sometimes I’ll do soft tacos or a taco salad. When I’m doing a quick lunch I’ll usually go for beef or chicken tacos because they’re ready in about 10 minutes. When I want to up the ante, I make Beer Battered Fish Tacos.

My newest pantry obsession is Gogo Quinoa Pasta Spaghetti. I discovered it on sample day at Costco a couple weeks ago, and immediately bought a box. It cooks and tastes just like pasta, but it’s made with quinoa! So it’s gluten free, vegan and healthy. I’m now on a mini mission to create as many recipes as possible using quinoa pasta spaghetti, and I just recently shared my first recipe Spicy Garlic Shrimp Pasta. I’ve seen several recipes online for taco spaghetti, but mainly in a casserole form so it’s kind of heavy. That kills the benefit of using healthy pasta, so I made One Pot Taco Spaghetti

This One Pot Taco Spaghetti has all of the delicious flavors of a taco, without the heaviness of a casserole. And because I use quinoa pasta spaghetti, the dish is gluten free!

As we’re heading into back-to-school, One Pot Taco Spaghetti is a great meal for busy families. It’s super easy to make, and on the table in under 30 minutes.

KEYS TO THE PERFECT ONE POT TACO SPAGHETTI

• I normally buy 93/7 ground beef, but I find that it’s a little too lean for this dish and the meat gets kind of chewy. So instead I use 85/15.
• Saute finely minced garlic and onion in Avocado Oil to start, to create a base of flavor
• I make my own taco seasoning. It’s simple, you can make a big batch, and you know exactly what’s in it
• I use Rotel Tomatoes & Chiles. I use the original, but you can kick up the heat with medium or even hot. Make sure to use the liquid, as it helps to cook the pasta
• A little Tomato Paste adds a lot of flavor to One Pot Taco Spaghetti
• Cook the pasta in the same pan! That way the pasta absorbs the sauce as you cook, and keeps with the one pot theme. Why dirty another pot if you don’t have to?
• Make sure to cover the pan once you add the pasta, as this helps the pasta cook faster. Also, check the mixture about halfway through: stir the mixture and, if needed, add a touch more water

FINISHING YOUR ONE POT TACO SPAGHETTI

I like to add a little bit of fresh to brighten up a dish, so I add chopped cilantro, as well as a few quartered grape or cherry tomatoes. The fresh tomato adds a nice burst of flavor. If you’re one who hates cilantro, you can omit it or use parsley.

One Pot Taco Spaghetti is fabulous just like this, but there are a couple of topping options that keep One Pot Taco Spaghetti in line with traditional tacos:

• Cheddar Cheese. When I use cheese, I add it at the very end and mix it into the entire dish before serving
• Diced avocado adds a nice cooling effect
• I rarely use sour cream, but when I tried a little dollop of light sour cream I was in heaven from the luxurious texture that the sour cream adds

SUBSTITUTION IDEAS FOR ONE POT TACO SPAGHETTI

• Use ground turkey, chicken or venison instead of beef
• Make it vegetarian by using veggie “meat” crumbles
• Use regular spaghetti. Of course, then the dish will no longer be gluten free
• Mix it up and use a short cut pasta instead. It won’t officially be One Pot Taco Spaghetti anymore, but that’s not the point

SHOP THIS RECIPE

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Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Taco Spaghetti

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 8 ounces ground beef (I use 85/15)
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
• 1/2 can Rotel tomatoes & chiles, with liquid
• 3/4 cup water
• 4 ounces quinoa pasta spaghetti
• 12 cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
• minced cilantro, for garnish

TACO SEASONING

• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh-cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

1. Combine all taco seasoning ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside. NOTE: store extra taco seasoning in airtight container

2. Heat avocado oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 3 minutes

3. Add ground beef to pan. Break up beef with a spoon and cook for 3-4 minutes, until no longer pink. Season beef with 1 Tablespoon of taco seasoning and combine well

4. Add Rotel tomatoes & chiles plus tomato paste, and combine. Break quinoa pasta spaghetti in half, and add to pan.

5. Add water to pan, and stir to combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and then cover pan. 

6. After 8 minutes, uncover pan and stir ingredients. If the mixture is a little too thick or the pasta begins to stick, add a little more water. Continue cooking, covered, until pasta is done. Quinoa pasta spaghetti will cook in about 12 minutes

7. Add cherry/grape tomatoes and combine into mixture. Garnish with fresh cilantro

8. OPTIONAL TOPPINGS: cheddar cheese, sour cream, diced avocado

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