Instant Pot Taco Spaghetti
Taco Tuesday takes on a whole new meaning with Taco Spaghetti! This easy one-pot meal is ready in 20 minutes in the Instant Pot — perfect for busy weeknights!
Taco Spaghetti
Taco Tuesdays are a thing in the Rodriguez house! We eat tacos all the time…I used to even have an Instagram account dedicated to all of the different tacos my husband makes!
Taco spaghetti is a fun spin taco night, with all the flavors of tacos in pasta form. It sounds like it would be kind of odd, but let me tell you…it works! And it is SO good!
It’s actually not that different than making regular spaghetti with meat sauce, except we used taco seasoning instead of Italian seasoning. For cheese, we swapped out parmesan with Rotel and cheddar cheese.
But honestly, the best thing about this recipe is that it is a one pot meal — we used an Instant Pot as our one pot. This is one of the fastest and easiest pasta recipes you’ll ever make! With only a few minutes of prep time and less than 15 minutes of total cook time, you can have dinner on the table in 20 minutes!
And there’s only one little pot to clean up afterwards!
Ingredients
For your convenience I’ve included shop-able ad links to some of the products used to make this recipe; disclosure policy available here.
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 TB olive oil (for cooking)
- 8 ounces Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1 can Rotel (with the juice)
- 1 packet taco seasoning (you can also use homemade taco seasoning)
- 8 ounces Spaghetti Noodles (about half of a typical box, uncooked)
- 3 Cups Chicken Broth or Beef Broth
Kitchen Tools Used
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to “Sauté” and add the oil to the pot when it’s hot. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, stirring occasionally, then drain the grease.
- Add taco seasoning, Rotel tomatoes (with the juice), and chicken broth. Stir to mix.
- Place the uncooked noodles in the pot and gently press them down until covered in liquid. Do this slowly so that they bend and don’t break. Secure the lid and pressure cook for 8 minutes on high. Use quick release.
- Stir in half of the cheese, then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top when serving.
TIP: A Mexican cheese blend would also taste fabulous! Mozzarella cheese is one of my favorite mild cheese variations that would be tasty too.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. This is one of those dishes that tastes just as good (or better) on day 2!
Our Favorite Taco Spaghetti Toppings
Make it your own by adding some of these flavorful toppings:
- Fresh cilantro
- Diced onions
- Black olives
- Sour cream
- Black beans
- Extra green chilies
- Red pepper flakes or chili powder (for a little spice)
- I love to add a side of veggies, such as sautéed onions and bell pepper
- A little guacamole could also be an interesting touch!
Frequently Asked Questions
What Can You Substitute for Rotel?
Ro-Tel is a specific brand of canned tomatoes mixed with green chiles. If you don’t have any on hand, canned diced tomatoes will work as a substitute. You’ll still get plenty of Tex-Mex flavor from the taco seasoning.
Can You Use a Different Type of Meat?
If you’re avoiding red meat or simply have something else in the fridge you want to use up, you can totally swap out the ground beef for ground turkey or ground chicken. The cook time will be similar, simply sauté the meat until browned and proceed with the recipe as written.
The only thing you’ll want to keep in mind is that chicken and turkey will be lighter in color than ground beef. But they will taste just as delicious!
Can You Make Taco Spaghetti on the Stovetop?
We used the Instant Pot to make this simple recipe even easier, however, if you don’t have an Instant Pot, the stovetop works too!
To do so, brown the meat in a large skillet (you’ll want to use one with a lid). A Dutch oven would also work. Add the Rotel (and juice), seasoning, and noodles to the pot over medium high heat. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until noodles are done.
The stovetop method will taste the same flavor-wise, it just might take a few extra minutes for the noodles to cook. Keep an eye on your pot so you’ll know when they’re done.
More of our Most Popular Instant Pot Dinner Recipes
- Instant Pot Meat Sauce
- Instant Pot Beef Pho
- Dr. Pepper Instant Pot Meatballs
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Firecracker Chicken
- Instant Pot Sweet & Sour Pork
Instant Pot Taco Spaghetti Recipe (Printable Copy)
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One Pot Taco Spaghetti (Instant Pot Recipe)
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef or ground turkey
- 10 oz Rotel 1 typical can
- 1 oz Taco Seasoning 1 typical packet
- 3 Cups Chicken Broth
- 8 oz Spaghetti Noodles
- 8 oz Cheddar Cheese shredded
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add oil and ground beef to the pot and cook until browned, stirring occasionally.
- Drain the grease, then add taco seasoning, Rotel (with juice), and chicken broth. Stir to mix.
- Place the uncooked spaghetti noodles in the pot and gently press them down until they are covered in liquid.
- Seal the lid and pressure cook for 8 minutes on HIGH. Use quick release.
- Stir in half the cheese, top with rest of cheese when serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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