Taco Spaghetti Bake is a creamy baked pasta: spaghetti tossed with taco-seasoned ground beef in a sauce of sour cream, cream cheese, diced tomatoes and green chilies and cheddar, then baked in a 9×13-inch dish under more cheddar until bubbly. It takes about 5 minutes of prep and 40 minutes of cooking, plus a short rest, and serves 6.
How to make it: Boil the spaghetti just to al dente. Brown the beef, stir in the taco seasoning and water, and simmer a few minutes. Lower the heat and melt in the sour cream, tomatoes, cream cheese and some cheddar, toss it all with the spaghetti, spread it in the dish, top with the rest of the cheddar and bake at 350°F until bubbly and 165°F in the center.
Why You’ll Love It
- Taco night meets pasta night: taco-seasoned beef in a creamy, cheesy sauce.
- Short ingredient list: eight ingredients plus salt and pepper.
- One dish to serve: everything bakes together in a 9×13.
- Easy to top: green onion, sour cream, tomatoes or cilantro on the table.
Ingredient Notes
Spaghetti: 8 ounces, dry.
Lean ground beef: 1 pound. Drain the fat after browning if there’s a lot in the pan.
Taco seasoning and water: 1 packet or 2 tablespoons of seasoning with 3/4 cup of water.
Sour cream and cream cheese: 1 cup of sour cream and one 8-ounce package of cream cheese, cubed and softened so it melts smoothly.
Diced tomatoes and green chilies: one 10-ounce can, undrained.
Cheddar cheese: 2 cups, grated. Half a cup melts into the sauce and the rest goes on top.
Green onion: sliced, for serving, if you like.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dry spaghetti
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning (or 2 tablespoons)
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed and softened
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated and divided
- Green onion, sliced, for serving (optional)
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
How to Make Taco Spaghetti Bake
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F and get out a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. Cook the spaghetti. Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until just al dente, then drain and set aside.
3. Brown the beef. In a skillet, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat. Drain the fat if needed, then add the taco seasoning and water and stir to combine. Ground beef is cooked when a food thermometer reads 160°F.
4. Make the creamy sauce. Let the beef simmer 2 to 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the sour cream, diced tomatoes and green chilies, cubed cream cheese and 1/2 cup of the cheddar. Season with salt and pepper and stir until the cheese melts and everything is combined.
5. Toss with the spaghetti. Toss the meat mixture with the spaghetti, then transfer it to the 9×13-inch baking dish.
6. Top and bake. Top with the remaining cheddar and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 20 to 30 minutes. The center should reach 165°F on a food thermometer.
7. Rest and serve. Let the casserole stand 5 minutes, then serve with sliced green onion if you like.
What Makes a Good Sauce for Taco Spaghetti?
The sauce here is creamy rather than tomato-based, and it’s built right in the skillet with the beef:
- Simmer the seasoning first. Give the beef, taco seasoning and water 2 to 3 minutes so the seasoning coats the meat.
- Turn the heat down. Add the dairy over medium-low heat so the sour cream and cream cheese melt in gently.
- Soften the cream cheese. Cubed, room-temperature cream cheese melts smoothly into the sauce.
- Split the cheddar. Half a cup melts into the sauce for creaminess; the other 1 1/2 cups goes on top.
- Keep the pasta al dente. Drain it just before it’s fully tender, since it bakes for another 20 to 30 minutes.
- Toss well. Coat every strand before it goes in the dish.
Other Ways to Make It
- Tomato sauce version: cook the taco beef with an onion, a can of diced tomatoes and green chilies, 1/2 cup of water and a 15-ounce can of tomato sauce until thickened, toss with spaghetti and Monterey Jack, top with cheddar, then bake covered with foil for 20 minutes and uncovered for 5.
- Melty cheese pockets: push cubes of a melting cheese into the pasta before adding a shredded Mexican blend on top.
- White sauce version: make a butter, flour and milk sauce, whisk in tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, and use Colby Jack and Pepper Jack.
- Stovetop only: skip the oven and cook the spaghetti right in the sauce in one pot. See our one-pot taco spaghetti.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours (1 hour if it’s above 90°F) in shallow covered containers. They keep 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Leftovers can be frozen for 3 to 4 months. Cream-based sauces don’t always freeze well and can change texture after thawing. Thaw in the refrigerator, or reheat from frozen, allowing about one and a half times as long.
Reheating: Reheat covered in the oven or microwave until it reaches 165°F. Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Set out toppings like chopped tomatoes, sour cream, cilantro and extra cheese. For more taco-night dinners, try taco casserole, walking taco casserole or layered taco bake. Start the meal with quick and easy taco soup, or for a different baked spaghetti, make million dollar spaghetti casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the key ingredients in taco spaghetti bake?
Spaghetti, lean ground beef, taco seasoning, sour cream, diced tomatoes and green chilies, cream cheese and cheddar.
What is a good sauce for taco spaghetti?
A creamy sauce of sour cream, cream cheese, diced tomatoes with green chilies and cheddar melted into the taco beef. A tomato sauce base works too.
Do I have to boil the spaghetti first?
For this baked version, yes. Cook it just to al dente, drain it and toss it with the sauce before baking.
Can I freeze taco spaghetti bake?
You can freeze leftovers for 3 to 4 months, but cream sauces may change texture after thawing. Reheat until it reaches 165°F.
Final Notes
Make the sauce while the pasta boils and it’s in the oven in no time. If you try the tomato sauce version, tell me in the comments which one you liked better.
Taco Spaghetti Bake
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces dry spaghetti
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning or 2 tablespoons
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies 10 ounces, undrained
- 1 package cream cheese 8 ounces, cubed and softened
- 2 cups cheddar cheese grated; 1/2 cup goes into the sauce, the rest on top
- green onion sliced, for serving; optional
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F and get out a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until just al dente, then drain and set aside.
- In a skillet, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat. Drain the fat if needed, then add the taco seasoning and water and stir to combine. Ground beef is cooked when a food thermometer reads 160°F.
- Let the beef simmer 2 to 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the sour cream, diced tomatoes and green chilies, cubed cream cheese and 1/2 cup of the cheddar. Season with salt and pepper and stir until the cheese melts and everything is combined.
- Toss the meat mixture with the spaghetti, then transfer it to the 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Top with the remaining cheddar and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 20 to 30 minutes. The center should reach 165°F on a food thermometer.
- Let the casserole stand 5 minutes, then serve with sliced green onion if you like.
