Mexican Spaghetti (Easy One Pot Recipe) + Video
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Mexican spaghetti is a one-pot meal of sausage and noodles in a zippy, salsa-inspired sauce. This spicy spaghetti with sausage is perfect for nights when you can’t spend a lot of time prepping dinner. Make this 20-minute recipe for dinner tonight!
If you need a quick 30-minute meal idea for dinner and your family loves the spicy kick of Mexican food, this one-pot Mexican pasta dinner is a must-make!
When it comes to Mexican cuisine, I’m all about this recipe for busy weeknights.
I love delicious recipes like this where I can feed the whole family! It’s literally a one-pot wonder that creates the best recipe – ever.
The steps on the recipe card below show that you can create easy recipes with a tasty twist without having to reinvent the wheel.
It’s one of my favorite comfort food recipes, which is why I always fill a large bowl full.
Don’t forget to let everyone add their favorite taco toppings – as that’s part of the fun!
I always have a blend of Mexican cheeses, along with pepper Jack cheese and Colby jack, as well as fresh cilantro to put right on top!
Table of Contents
Mexican Spaghetti
Your favorite salsa ingredients come together with tender pasta and spicy sausage for a knock-your-socks-off meal. It’s so easy, it practically cooks itself!
This Mexican spaghetti recipe is a busy family’s dream meal, because everything cooks together in a large pot on the stovetop. One-pot pasta dinners are the best!
It’s made the same way as our Greek chicken pasta and Italian one pot spaghetti recipe.
If you like Mexican foods with a mild spicy heat, then definitely check out our recipe for Mexican corn skillet as well.
It’s ready in 25 minutes with just a handful of ingredients.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Sausage – Feel free to use your favorite variety. I like hot Italian sausage, but chorizo would taste just as great. If you don’t like spicy dishes, use a mild link sausage instead.
- Jalapeno – Replace this with canned diced green chiles or leave it out entirely. You can also remove the seeds to make your Mexican spaghetti less spicy.
If you use fresh chili peppers, be sure to wear gloves to protect your skin from the irritating oils found in all chiles. - Water – For more flavor, use an equal amount of vegetable or chicken stock instead of water.
You can also use ground turkey, lean ground beef, rotisserie chicken, or even make this a vegetarian option as well.
The only thing that you need to worry about is creating a dish that the family will love.
The versatility of this one-pot taco spaghetti recipe is what keeps me coming back for more.
The next time that you make this easy Mexican spaghetti, add all the fun Mexican flavors that you want. It’s a great option to get dinner on the table quickly!
Vary the spice level as well by adding chili powder or some cayenne pepper.
There are even some spicy taco seasoning options as well that can take the dish from medium heat to spicy hot! Great recipes like this put a fun spin on Taco night!
How to Make Mexican Pasta
This one-pot Mexican pasta recipe couldn’t be any easier to make.
Just combine everything in a deep, wide pot, so there is plenty of room for the spaghetti noodles.
Then, bring it to a boil, cover, and simmer until the pasta is cooked!
Mexican Pasta Recipe Variations
Want a creamy sauce?
Add 4 ounces of cream cheese at the end and stir until melted and well incorporated.
This is also a great way to tone down the spiciness of your Mexican spaghetti without losing any flavor.
Try a different type of pasta.
This Mexican pasta recipe is extremely flexible and will work with nearly any shape of noodles.
Just keep in mind that using a larger or thicker variety of pasta may affect the cooking time, so make adjustments accordingly.
Sturdier long pasta like fettuccine and linguine can support the sausage and sauce better than more delicate varieties like angel hair.
For short pasta, choose a medium-sized variety like rotini, penne, cavatappi pasta, or even cavatelli.
Avoid smaller shapes like macaroni or shells, which are more likely to overcook.
Add toppings or seasonings. You can add other flavors to this dish and sauce. Adding extra flavor with garlic powder, black pepper, garlic cloves, ground cumin, or other seasonings is simple to do.
You can also add spicy flavor with just the right amount of heat with cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or hot sauce. For toppings, diced jalapeño peppers, chopped onion, a dollop of sour cream, parmesan cheese, Monterey jack cheese or any other pre-shedded cheese, so have fun!
Serving Suggestions
While Mexican pasta is a complete meal on its own, you can’t go wrong with a fresh salad on the side. If you don’t feel like greens, try my Street Corn Salad instead.
You could even use this Mexican spaghetti recipe to make spaghetti tacos!
Load spaghetti with sausage into your taco shells, then top with sour cream, guacamole, extra cheese, or salsa.
Mexican Spaghetti Recipe FAQ
It sure is! Transfer any leftover spaghetti with sausage to a sealed container and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove, adding a splash of water or broth as needed for moisture.
This step isn’t necessary, but you certainly can! Brown the sausage in the bottom of your pot, then toss in the onion for a few minutes while you’re at it. It’s an easy way to deepen the flavor of your Mexican spaghetti even further.
You can leave out the cilantro altogether or even replace it with a teaspoon of dried ground coriander if you want to add a little seasoning.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Mexican Spaghetti (Easy One Pot Recipe) + Video
Ingredients
- 3 cups halved grape tomatoes, divided
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 pound smoked hot sausage links, precooked (sliced into coins)
- 2 jalapenos, sliced (to taste)
- 4 cloves garlic , sliced
- 1 pound dry spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 5 cups water
Instructions
- Reserve (set aside) 1 cup halved tomatoes and 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro.
- Combine remaining ingredients in a large (12″) braising pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, remove the lid and cook 7-9 minutes until pasta is al dente (with a bite to it). Toss pasta with tongs occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking. The liquid will be mostly absorbed when the pasta is finished cooking.
- Add remaining tomatoes and cilantro and toss to combine.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Donna’s Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published August 2015, updated and republished April 2025
Disclosure: Posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link your price will remain the same and The Slow Roasted Italian will automatically receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting us, it helps us keep creating new recipes.
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We’re Donna and Chad, the dream team behind The Slow Roasted Italian. Our focus is on taking complicated OUT of the kitchen. Life is busy enough, making meals should be fast and easy, to help make your life as simple as possible. Read More >>
This was delicious!! Whipped it up for my husband tonight and he was quite impressed. So glad it appeared in my email feed today.
Made this tonight. I used chicken broth. When I taste tested the flavor for the spices it was a bit bland. So I put in some chili garlic sauce and boom that hit the spice/heat flavor for my liking. Will make AGAIN!
I love the savory of the sausage with the freshness of the tomato. Will be making this weekly since it’s so fast and easy! I love your one-pot recipes!
The spaghetti sausage was really good ! one pot even better, and the alternative ingredients to make this dish even better. 30 minutes meals for the Family even better Thank you.
It was good, for some reason our noodles came out a bit gloopy. Overall I think it has potential…
Hi Tarah!
The gloopy texture can happen if the pasta is added to the water too early, when the water isn’t hot enough yet. Hope this helps!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
This Mexican Spaghetti is a hit! Easy to make and packed with flavor. My family loved it!
Hi Heather!
We’re so glad that you enjoyed the recipe!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
I just made this tonight, I used Andouille sausage because that’s what I had on hand, I also minced 1 clove of garlic and sliced the other 3, After it was all cooked I added Black olives to my plate and it was fantastic.
All in All this is a keeper of a recipe.
Hi Brad!
The changes sound delicious! I love black olives in spaghetti.
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn