One Pot Taco Spaghetti

You know you've been a terrible blogger when people start calling you out for your lack of posts. Ooops! A friend asked me to post some a new recipes and since today is her birthday, I figured I'd oblige (hi, Tara!) Unfortunately, the only recipe I photographed recently was this One Pot Taco Spaghetti, so I didn't have much of a choice. The good news is, this was delicious. And a one-pot meal, which is always a good thing to have in your repertoire.



The recipe might look long, but it's mostly spices. See, the original recipe calls for a packet of store-bought taco seasoning, but I prefer to make my own. I always have all these spices on my spice rack and, this way, I control the sodium content. Otherwise this is basically meat and pasta, with a little cheese and tomato on top. Delish!

One Pot Taco Spaghetti
As seen on Damn Delicious

1 pound ground beef*
1 medium/large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 (10-ounce can) Ro*Tel® Mild Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
1 tablespoon tomato paste
8 ounces spaghetti
3 cups water
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Roma tomato, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until the beef just starts to brown. Add the onion and cook for another 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks, until the beef is completely cooked.

If there's excess fat in the pot, turn off the heat and move the beef/onion mixture over to one side. Tilt the pot so all the fat is at the other end. Use crumpled up paper towels to soak up the excess fat. I like to keep the trash can right by the stove when I do this so I can easily throw the paper towels away. Make sure to leave a little bit of fat in the pan. Turn the heat back on and add the dried spices (chili powder through ground pepper). Stir to combine.

Stir in the Ro*Tel®, tomato paste, spaghetti and water. Bring to a boil, then cover. Reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 13-16 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the pot from the heat. Add both the cheeses. Put the cover back on so the cheeses can melt. To serve, place some of the pasta and meat on a plate and top with chopped tomato and cilantro.

*You can also use ground chicken, turkey or pork. If you do, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan before browning the meat.