Million Dollar Taco Spaghetti - easy baked Mexican spaghetti casserole that tastes like a million bucks! Perfect for when you can't decide between tacos & spaghetti! Ground beef, taco seasoning, Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles, spaghetti sauce, cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, and Mexican cheese blend. Can make in advance and refrigerate or freeze for later. Great for potlucks! #mexican #pasta #spaghetti #freezermeal #groundbeef
Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet brown ground beef. Drain fat from skillet. Stir in taco seasoning, Rotel tomatoes, and spaghetti sauce. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, softened cream cheese, sour cream, parsley and garlic powder.
In a lightly sprayed 9×13-inch pan, place half of the cooked pasta in the bottom of the dish. Spread cream cheese mixture over noodles. Top with remaining noodles. Pour meat sauce over noodles and top with Mexican cheese.
Bake uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes:
You can assemble the casserole ahead of time and refrigerate overnight. You may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time if baking straight from the refrigerator.
You can assemble the casserole ahead of time and freeze it unbaked for later. When ready to bake, thaw completely and bake as directed above.
This makes a lot of baked spaghetti. You can make half a recipe in a 9-inch baking dish or split the casserole between two pans. Bake one now and freeze one for later.
This casserole is great with cottage cheese. I don't eat cottage cheese out of the container, but I love it in casseroles. If you just can't do it, you can try substituting ricotta cheese.
You can substitute ground turkey or ground pork for ground beef.
Here is our recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning made with chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-taco-seasoning/
I used a bag of Mexican cheese blend in this recipe. You can use any cheese that you prefer - Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, White Cheddar.
This recipe uses a can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles. You can use any heat level you prefer - Mild, Regular, Hot, or Mexican Rotel.
My favorite store-bought spaghetti sauces are Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic Marinara (green label), Rao's, La Famiglia DelGrosso, and Victoria.