This Mexican Spaghetti is a delightful twist to the traditional flavors of Italy. If you love the flavors of Mexico, you will love this easy casserole recipe that is perfect to feed the family after a long day. Great ingredients like chilis and tomatoes, beef, and cheese make this dinner irresistible.
Want more easy spaghetti recipes? Then try our Easy Pasta Sauce, Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce, or our Spaghetti Olio with Walnuts. Or how about the same Mexican twist with a Taco Lasagna or a Mexican Casserole?
Helpful Items for This Recipe
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Casserole Dish, 9×13 Ceramic Baking Dish with Handles, 4.2 Quarts Baking Pan, White
It is just a play on a spaghetti casserole but with all the flavors of Mexico that so many like. It is not a spicy dish but just has a small amount of heat that anyone can enjoy.
What is Mexican spaghetti made of?
This may look like a laundry list of ingredients, but a lot are spices or canned ingredients, and all are very easy to find in any grocery store or a well-stocked pantry and spice drawer. They all add wonderful flavor to this dish.
Ingredients
Ground beef – I usually use lean ground beef for all my recipes. You can also use ground chicken or turkey in this recipe if you like.
Chili powder, Cumin, Paprika, Pinch of red pepper flakes, Garlic powder, Onion powder, Kosher salt, and Fresh ground pepper – This is where all the flavor is, so don’t skimp on the spices; nothing is really hot when it is all combined.
Green chilis – These little diced chilis come in a small can and are not spicy but flavorful.
Onion, finely diced – You can use a sweet onion in this case; they are less pungent than a yellow onion, but either works just fine.
Green bell pepper, finely diced – Adds some freshness to the sauce.
Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilis – This is a great product that is ready to add flavor to your meal, being already diced with added mild chilis.
Tomato sauce – This is needed to make the sauce well, saucier.
Spaghetti noodles – Spaghetti is easy to use; you just have to boil it per the package.
Sharp cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese – I recommend grating these cheeses after you buy them and don’t purchase pre-grated as much as it is tempting, as it won’t melt as well.
Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish – This is always a nice finishing touch, and we almost always have parsley in our fridge or have some growing. You can substitute cilantro for those of you who like it.
How to Make Mexican Spaghetti
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium heat. Break up the beef and continue to cook until the beef is no longer pink. You can drain off some of the excessive grease if you like.
Add the diced onion and green peppers to the beef and continue to cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are softened.
While the vegetables are cooking, boil the spaghetti as per the package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, Kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper. Stir to incorporate the seasonings.
Add the green chilis, the can of Rotel tomatoes, and the tomato sauce. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes until reduced slightly.
Place the cooked spaghetti in the bottom of the baking dish and spoon the meat sauce over the top of the spaghetti. Even out the sauce to the edge of the dish, making sure that the spaghetti is completely covered.
Sprinkle the grated sharp cheddar cheese and grated Monterey Jack cheese over the top of the meat sauce.
Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted.
Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.
Recipe Pro Tips!
Leftovers? How should I store leftovers?
This Mexican Spaghetti can be stored in your refrigerator covered for up to 3-4 days.
You can also freeze your spaghetti in an air-tight container. Let it thaw overnight and then reheat in the microwave.
Time-Saving Tips for Dinner
Think of mise en place or having everything you need for dinner at the ready. This can be done in the morning, along with some prep. You can have your cheese grated, vegetables washed and diced, and spices pulled together and measured out. I love cooking like this as then it is so fast and easy to pull together.
What to Serve with Mexican Spaghetti?
This is a very easy dish, so you don’t want to complicate things with a hard side to make. Here are some of our suggestions. Alternatively, you can serve the spaghetti all by itself, too.
Mexican Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 lbs. lean ground beef
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1 – 4 oz can green chilis
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 green bell pepper finely diced
- 1 – 8 oz can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilis
- 16 oz tomato sauce
- 16 oz cooked spaghetti noodles
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- Fresh parsley chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium heat. Break up the beef and continue to cook until the beef is no longer pink. You can drain off some of the excessive grease if you like.
- Add the diced onion and green peppers to the beef and continue to cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are softened.
- While the vegetables are cooking, boil the spaghetti as per the package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, Kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper. Stir to incorporate the seasonings.
- Add the green chilis, the can of Rotel tomatoes, and the tomato sauce. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes until reduced slightly.
- Place the cooked spaghetti in the bottom of the baking dish and spoon the meat sauce over the top of the spaghetti. Even out the sauce to the edge of the dish, making sure that the spaghetti is completely covered.
- Sprinkle the grated sharp cheddar cheese and grated Monterey Jack cheese over the top of the meat sauce.
- Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted.
- Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.
Comments & Reviews
Carla Kamp says
Made your Mexixan Spaghetti for dinner. My husband loved it. So easy and such a nice change from our usual Italian Spaghetti. This will definitely go into my easy meal rotation especially since I have surgery coming up very soon. My husband says he can even cook this! I can precook the meat sauce freeze it have my hubby thaw it and cook the Spaghetti. Put it all together then bake while a salad is being made. Thanks for this great recipe.
Tara Noland says
Sounds perfect! So glad you liked it!!