Maybe you’re obsessed with the top-secret ones you’ve bribed restaurant owners for, or the old, stained, handwritten family recipes discovered in dusty attics, or the complicated additions to your bulky box of display candy recipes (for that bakery you’re determined to open someday).
I love them all, but I especially like the ones that make me a warrior of the week, the recipes that miraculously create a spectacular meal in a -count them ONE- pot, and in less than 30 minutes.
This Mexican spaghetti recipe, also called fideo, is one that comes out of the recipe box quite often in my house (although I don’t really need the recipe right now, LOL), and you’ll definitely want to add it to your one-pot repertoire!
WHAT IS MEXICAN NOODLE?
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, and then cooked in a mixture of tomatoes, water or broth, and Mexican spices.
There is also a version that is a Mexican spaghetti without tomatoes with sour cream and ham – spaghetti in cream with ham.
My version adds green chilies, corn, ground beef, all with a generous sprinkling of cheese that melts on top.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 pound of ground beef
1 package (1.25 ounces) of taco seasoning
1 (10-ounce can) Ro*Tel® Mild Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
8 ounces of spaghetti
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 Roma tomato, diced
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped coriander leaves.
Instructions:
Heat olive oil in a large pot or in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook until meat is browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to shred meat while cooking; add taco seasoning. Drain off excess fat.
Add Ro*Tel®, tomato paste, spaghetti and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is well cooked about 13-16 minutes.
Remove from heat and cover with cheeses. Cover until melted, about 2 minutes.
Serve immediately, garnished with tomato and cilantro, if desired.