When Taco Tuesday needs more, this is what you make! Million Dollar Mexican Spaghetti takes everything you love about family taco night and bakes it up in a single, easy-to-make dish that feeds everyone. Potlucks, family reunions, guests? Yep, this easy Mexican spaghetti casserole handles that too!
Table of Contents
- Why This Makes Dinner Easy
- What To Know Before Getting Started
- How To Make Million Dollar Mexican Spaghetti
- Insider Tips For Making The Best
- Making Ahead of Time, Freezing & Leftovers
- What To Serve with Mexican Spaghetti
- More Classic Spaghetti Dinners
- If You're Craving More Tex Mex Casseroles
- Watch How It's Made
This is one of those recipes I pull out when my family’s been running in different directions for a while. As a mom, you know when it’s time to slow it down, bring everyone in and recharge.
And there’s nothing that offers that family reset like a home-cooked comfort meal and a little time around the table. This recipe? Well, it checks all the boxes: a little unexpected and just enough taco to feel like a party.
Why This Makes Dinner Easy
- Million Dollar Mexican Spaghetti combines two family favorites- my baked creamy tacos & Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti Casserole– to create an all-time spectacular dish!
- Layers of velvety pasta, a rich, savory taco meat sauce, black beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers and a “million dollar” melty cheesy center deliver loads of Tex Mex flavor.
- The dreamy sour cream/cream cheese center layer is what puts this taco spaghetti recipe in the “million dollar” category. It’s what makes this recipe standout!
- Mexican Spaghetti Casserole makes a lot– making it perfect for hungry families, get-togethers, potlucks or freezer meals.
- But it’s also very simple to half this recipe if you’re not feeding a crowd.
- You’ve got a new dish to add to your dinner rotation that’s everyone’s favorite!
What To Know Before Getting Started
I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in these next sections along with helpful tips!
Look for specifics at the end of the post in the recipe card.
- ground beef or ground turkey
- green bell pepper
- yellow or white onion
- minced garlic
- diced tomatoes with green chiles (like Ro tel)
- tomato paste
- taco seasoning
- whole kernel corn
- black beans
- sour cream
- cream cheese
- Colby Jack cheese (or a Mexican blend)
- spaghetti
- fresh cilantro (optional)
Substitutions/Variations
- For a little heat, add a diced jalapeño or two to your meat sauce.
- Canned diced chiles instead of bell pepper can also add extra flavor.
- Instead of canned tomatoes and green chiles, use your favorite salsa.
- We love this spaghetti casserole topped with pepper jack cheese instead of Colby or mixed with the Colby.
- If you don’t think your crew will go for the corn or beans, just leave one or both out. The same goes for the green bell pepper. All of these ingredients add the best flavor to make the dish what it is, but the casserole still works without them.
How To Make Million Dollar Mexican Spaghetti
Pasta. Cook spaghetti in a large pot according to package directions in generously salted water just to al dente. Drain the pasta and set aside.
Ultimate Cheese Layer. As the pasta cooks, mix together sour cream, cream cheese, 1 cup of Colby Jack cheese and 1 tablespoon of the taco seasoning to create the dreamy ultimate center layer.
Taco Meat Sauce. Brown the ground beef with diced bell pepper, onion and garlic to make your easy meat sauce. Drain any excess fat and return to stove top. Add canned tomatoes & green chiles (undrained) and tomato paste, along the rest of the taco seasoning. Mix together and fold in the beans and corn.
Assemble. To layer this casserole, spread a thin layer of meat sauce to the bottom of a casserole dish. Top with half of the cooked spaghetti, add the “ultimate cheese layer,” the rest of the spaghetti, all of the meat sauce and finish with grated Colby Jack.
Bake. Bake for 30 minutes in a preheated oven until the cheese begins to melt and lightly brown.
What Does It Mean?
Al dente- Literally means “to the tooth.” It’s used when cooking pasta & rice in reference to a tender, but firm texture that has a little “chew” to it. Never too soft or mushy.
Insider Tips For Making The Best
- Letting your cream cheese come to room temperature before mixing it is the easiest way to make the cream cheese layer. All you need is a whisk. No blender or mixer necessary!
- The spaghetti continues to cook as the casserole bakes in the oven, so it’s important not to over cook the spaghetti noodles in the beginning. Boil the pasta just to al dente to make sure it has the right texture when the casserole is cooked.
- Letting the casserole rest for 5-10 minutes after it comes out of the oven will help with slicing and serving if you want to serve it up in squares instead of scooping it.
- As always, shredding your own cheese for the topping will give you that smooth melt you crave.
- Lastly, don’t forget the toppings! A little chopped tomato, green onion, avocado and/or cilantro tops this Mexican spaghetti off like a proper taco.
Making Ahead of Time, Freezing & Leftovers
If your making this for a get-together, it’s ideal for assembling ahead of time, covering, refrigerating and baking the next day. An extra 5-10 minutes will be needed in the oven since the casserole will be cold when it goes into the oven. You can also freeze at this stage.
To freeze after baking, make sure the casserole is completely cooled before covering tightly and freezing. It can be frozen for up to 2 months.
To thaw, simply place in the fridge and let thaw overnight. Reheat, covered in a 350° oven. If the casserole hasn’t been baked yet, simply bake according to original instructions adding an extra 10 minutes or so to the bake time.
Leftovers will last in the refrigerator for 4-5 days if covered tightly.
What To Serve with Mexican Spaghetti
- Easy Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins
- Simple Green Salad with Creamy Mayo Vinaigrette
- Fresh Salsa with Cilantro & Lime
- Tex Mex Guacamole
More Classic Spaghetti Dinners
If You’re Craving More Tex Mex Casseroles
Watch How It’s Made
Million Dollar Mexican Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 16 ounces uncooked spaghetti
Ultimate Cheese Layer
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup grated Colby Jack cheese
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
Taco Meat Sauce
- 2 pounds lean ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 cans diced tomatoes & green chiles (14.5 ounce cans)
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 2 packets taco seasoning (less 1 tablespoon used in cheese layer) (1 ounce packets)
- 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed (15 ounce can)
- 1 can whole kernel yellow corn, drained & rinsed (15.25 ounce can)
Topping
- 2 cups grated Colby Jack cheese
- cilantro (optional)
Instructions
Ultimate Cheese Layer
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray 9×13 casserole dish with non stick cooking spray.
- Prepare spaghetti to al dente according to the instructions on the package. Don't over cook. Drain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the ultimate cheese layer by mixing all of the ingredients together. Set aside.
- In a large skillet on the stovetop over medium heat, begin to brown ground meat. As meat begins to brown, add diced bell pepper, yellow onion and minced garlic. Cook until meat is browned and onions and peppers are cooked through.
- Drain away any excess liquid and return meat to the skillet. Stir in diced tomatoes and green chiles and tomato paste. Add in taco seasoning. Mix well. Fold in black beans & corn.
- Assemble Mexican Spaghetti Casserole as follows:Layer 1- Spread a thin layer of meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Layer 2- Add ½ of spaghetti to bottom of dish. Use a fork or tongs to spread over the entire bottom of the dish.Layer 3- Spread all of the cheese mixture over the noodles.Layer 4- Use a fork or tongs to layer the rest of the noodles evenly over the "ultimate cheese layer," making sure that the noodles spread all the way out to the edges of the dish.Layer 5- Spread the rest of the meat sauce evenly over the last layer of noodles.Layer 6- Top with 2 cups grated Colby Jack cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro if desired.
Notes
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- The spaghetti continues to cook as the casserole bakes in the oven, so it’s important not to over cook the pasta in the beginning.
- Grating your own cheese yields the best results.
- Letting the casserole rest for 5-10 minutes after it comes out of the oven will help with slicing and serving if you want to serve it up in squares.
- Ideal for assembling ahead of time, refrigerating and baking the next day. See the post for specific instructions.
- Mexican Spaghetti can be frozen before or after baking. If freezing after baking, make sure the casserole is completely cooled before freezing. See the post for specific instructions.
Nutrition
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