Crockpot Taco Spaghetti

close up shot of a bowl of taco spaghetti garnished with parsley

Crockpot taco spaghetti is a delightful fusion of Mexican and Italian flavors, offering flavorful ground beef, zesty taco seasoning, and tender spaghetti, all cooked to perfection in a crockpot.

Prep Time15

Cook Time2

Total Time2 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Keyword: Crockpot Taco Spaghetti Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 585kcal

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1½ pounds ground beef
¾ cups diced yellow onion
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 ounce taco seasoning
20 ounces Rotel original diced tomatoes with green chilis (two 10-ounce cans)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided into 2 tablespoons and 1 tablespoon
1 pound dried spaghetti noodles, broken in half to fit inside the crockpot
2 cups beef broth
3 cups water
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

In a skillet on medium-high heat, add the olive oil, ground beef, diced yellow onion, salt, and black pepper. Cook and brown the meat for 5-6 minutes or until no pink remains in the ground beef and the onions are translucent. Drain off all the excess fat from the skillet.
Transfer the cooked ground beef mixture to the insert of a 6-quart crockpot. Add the taco seasoning, Rotel diced tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro, spaghetti noodles, beef broth, and water. Give all the ingredients a stir, and be sure that all the spaghetti noodles are submerged in the liquid.
Place the lid on the crockpot and cook on HIGH for 2 hours. You can check for doneness at 1½ hours to be sure that you do not overcook your noodles.
Once the noodles are cooked, turn the crock pot off and remove the lid. Using a pair of tongs or a pasta spoon, give the spaghetti a stir to combine all the ingredients evenly. Add the shredded cheddar cheese to the spaghetti and stir again to combine. Top with the remaining 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro and serve.

Notes

You can buy the “pot-sized” spaghetti noodles (Mueller’s brand) for this recipe for ease of use. You do not need to break your noodles in half as they are already a shorter length straight from the box.
If you use thin spaghetti, you may want to check your spaghetti for doneness at the 1-hour mark to ensure that you do not overcook your pasta.
This crock pot spaghetti should be served immediately. The longer the spaghetti noodles cook, the softer they will get as they will continue to absorb the liquid from the sauce.

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