How to Make Spaghetti Tacos

Spaghetti tacos got their start on an episode of "iCarly," the Nickelodeon channel's hit children's show. The show's creator intended the dish to be a one-time gag, but it quickly became clear that spaghetti tacos had struck a chord. Now, the dish a running joke on "iCarly," and children in the real world are asking their parents to make the tacos for dinner. Making spaghetti tacos doesn't take much more than cooking up your favorite spaghetti and stuffing it into a hard shell.

Things You'll Need

• Large pot
• 1 lb. of spaghetti noodles
• Large skillet
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 jars spaghetti sauce
• One package hard taco shells
• Grated Parmesan or mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Noodles

1. Bring a pot filled with about 8 cups of water to a boil.

2. Add the spaghetti noodles to the pot and stir. Bring the water back to a boil and cook until the noodles are soft but not limp. Cooking time is typically about 10 minutes.

3. Drain the noodles in a colander. Rinse with hot water to avoid clumping.

Sauce

1. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet.

2. Drain any excess grease from the ground beef.

3. Add the spaghetti sauce to the ground beef and bring to a simmer.

Tacos

1. Warm the taco shells in the oven or microwave according to the instructions on the package.

2. Stuff the spaghetti into the taco shells.

3. Top with Parmesan or mozzarella cheese if desired.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have a favorite marinara recipe, you can use that instead of jarred sauce.

• Use thin spaghetti noodles or angel hair pasta for faster cooking time.

• You can fry your own corn tortillas to make hard shells if desired.

References

• "New York Times"; Spaghetti Tacos: Silly Enough for Young Eaters; Helene Stapinski; October 5, 2010
• AgriLife Extension Texas A&M Extention: Cooking with Dry Spaghetti; December, 2008
• AllRecipes.com: Spaghetti Tacos
• Food.com: Spaghetti Tacos

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish