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one ordinary shallow bowl of long spaghetti coated in a lightly creamy reddish-orange tomato sauce with small ground-beef crumbles throughout, with no pasta shells, beans, corn, tortilla chips, cheese mound, herbs or garnish
Rachel Kim

Taco Spaghetti

Roast the tomatoes until their edges darken a little, then blend them with chipotle for a sauce that coats long spaghetti without needing a jar of salsa. The beef stays in small crumbles, and a little sour cream softens the chile after the sauce has stopped boiling. Cook the pasta separately so you can drain it while it still has a firm center. It finishes during the short toss with the beef. This is a stovetop pasta dinner with a light creamy coating, not a bake that needs to hold a neat square when it comes out of the pan.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 lbs plum tomatoes halved lengthwise
  • 2 tbsp olive oil divided
  • 3/4 tsp fine salt divided
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo
  • 1 tsp adobo sauce
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
  • 8 oz dry spaghetti
  • 4 quarts water for pasta
  • 1 tbsp fine salt for pasta water
  • 1 lb 90% lean ground beef
  • 1 small yellow onion finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 2 oz sharp white cheddar finely grated

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 450°F. Place tomatoes cut-side up on a rimmed sheet, brush with 1 tablespoon oil and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes until tender with browned edges.
  2. Let tomatoes cool for 5 minutes, then blend them and their juices with chipotle, adobo sauce and broth in a vented countertop blender following its warm-liquid instructions.
  3. Meanwhile, bring pasta water and its tablespoon salt to a boil. Cook spaghetti for 1 minute less than the package time, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water before draining.
  4. Heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown beef and onion for 8 minutes until beef reaches 160°F, then drain excess fat. Stir in garlic, cumin, oregano and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt for 30 seconds.
  5. Add blended tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Fold in spaghetti and toss over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, adding reserved pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time only if needed for a loose coating.
  6. Remove from the heat and wait 1 minute for bubbling to stop. Stir in sour cream and white cheddar until evenly coated, then divide among 4 bowls.