Maybe you’re obsessed with the top secret ones you’ve bribed restaurant owners for, or the old, stained, hand-written family recipes uncovered in dusty attics or the complicated additions to your bulging recipe box of show-stopping sweets (for that bakery you’re determined to open someday).
Me, I love them all, but I’m particularly fond of ones that make me a weeknight warrior, the recipes that miraculously create a spectacular meal in one – count ‘em ONE – pot, and in under 30 minutes.
This Mexican Spaghetti recipe, also called fideo, is one that gets pulled out of the recipe box pretty frequently at my house (though I really don’t need the recipe anymore at this point, LOL), and you’ll definitely want to add it to your one-pot repertoire!
WHAT IS MEXICAN FIDEO?
Fideo means “noodle” in Spanish, and authentic Mexican spaghetti is cooked using the pilaf method, similar to Mexican rice, where the noodles are toasted, sautéed a bit with aromatics, then cooked in a mixture of tomatoes, water or broth, and Mexican spices.
There’s also a version that’s a tomato-free Mexican spaghetti with sour cream and ham – espagueti a la crema con jamón.
My version adds green chilies, corn, hearty ground beef, all with a generous sprinkling of cheese melting on top.
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef*
1 (1.25-ounce) package taco seasoning
1 (10-ounce can) Ro*Tel® Mild Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
1 tablespoon tomato paste
8 ounces spaghetti
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Roma tomato, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
DIRECTIONS:
1: Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until beef has browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; stir in taco seasoning. Drain excess fat.
2: Stir in Ro*Tel®, tomato paste, spaghetti and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 13-16 minutes.
3: Remove from heat and top with cheeses. Cover until melted, about 2 minutes.
4: Serve immediately, garnished with tomato and cilantro, if desired.