Tender spaghetti noodles are tossed in a creamy cheese sauce along with seasoned ground beef, tomatoes, green chiles, black beans, and cilantro! The PERFECT family-friendly weeknight dinner recipe that's super EASY and ready in 30 minutes!
12ouncesuncooked dry spaghetti noodlesor the pasta of your choice
1poundlean ground beefabout 90% lean
1 to 2tablespoonolive oiloptional (but helps with noodle sticking in leftovers)
one 1-ounce packet taco seasoning
15ouncesno-salt added canned black beansdrained and rinsed (or pinto beans)
10-ouncecan Rotel
1cupsour cream
1cupAmerican cheeseor Velveeta, cubed into 1-inch pieces*
1cupMexican shredded cheese blend*divided
Saltto taste
Pepperto taste
⅓cupfresh cilantrofinely minced; optional but recommended for garnishing
Instructions
Cook the spaghetti (or other pasta) according to package directions. Tip - Make sure to only cook until al dente at this point because the pasta ends up cooking additionally as it's both stirred into the ground beef and cheese mixture and then baked. So don't overcook it now. After pasta has cooked, drain it, and set aside. But keep moving with the rest of the recipe while the pasta is boiling.
Preheat oven to 350F.
To a large oven-safe, high-sided skillet, saute pan, or Dutch oven, add the ground beef, optional olive oil, and cook over medium-high heat to brown the ground beef. Stir and crumble as the beef cooks to ensure even cooking. Do not drain any liquid/grease/natural cooking liquids.
After it has browned, reduce the heat to low or medium-low, and evenly sprinkle the taco seasoning, add the black beans, Rotel, sour cream, cubed cheese, half the shredded cheese, and stir to combine the ingredients and to encourage the cheese to melt.
After the cheeses have melted, taste the dish, and add salt and pepper, to taste. Tip - If you want to make the dish spicier, add about 1 tablespoon chili powder or a pinch of cayenne pepper now. As written, the dish is not spicy.
Add the cooked pasta into the cheese mixture and stir to combine and coat evenly.
Evenly sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese over the top, and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the top layer of cheese fully melts. Tip - If you want to save time, it's not necessary to bake it. I like a notable cheese layer on top, but if you don't care or are in a hurry, just stir the whole 1 cup of shredded cheese in with everything else and skip baking it.
Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately. Leftovers will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Reheat gently in the microwave.
Notes
*Cheeses - There are a few options to consider when it comes to what kind of cheese to use.My recommendations are as follows:
American Cheese OR Velveeta – You can use either one of these cheeses for the 1 cup of cubed cheese that’s stirred into the warm ground beef mixture. Make sure to cube it fairly small so it melts quickly. The benefit to Velveeta is that it will give you an ultra creamy cheese sauce compared to American or other cheeses. Another option here is Colby Jack cheese instead of American or Velveeta.
Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend – I call for 1 cup of this cheese as well, but it’s divided. I like to stir in 1/2 cup into the warm ground beef mixture. And then sprinkle 1/2 cup on top before baking to get that nice look and mouthfeel from a layer of melted cheese on top.
Alternatively, for the shredded cheese you can use pure shredded cheddar and not a blend. It doesn’t melt quite as creamy though which is why I like using a shredded Mexican blend of other shredded cheese blend.