Spaghetti Tacos

Yes, I'll admit it right off the bat.

My kids sometimes watch iCarly.  Which, if you haven't heard of this show, is where the idea for these tacos came from.  Carly's older brother, Spencer, came up with the idea, apparently.

Anyway, Alex and Julia had been requesting spaghetti tacos for some time, and so I finally made some.

Only, I didn't just make regular spaghetti and meatballs and put them in taco shells.

No, ma'am.  (Or sir.)

I cooked up a pound of spaghetti, and rather than tossing that with spaghetti sauce, I took a 28 oz can of tomato puree and the "taco sauce" packet from a box of the Ortega hard and soft shell taco dinner kit thingy and mixed them together.  I added a little salt and pepper and cumin and coriander and that was it for that component.

I made turkey meatballs - a pound of ground turkey, salt and pepper, cumin, coriander, and garlic powder to taste (I just sprinkled some into the bowl.) - all mixed together and shaped into darling little meatballs, smaller in circumference than a quarter.  I browned them and then took the "taco seasoning" packet from my taco dinner kit, added that to a cup of water and finished cooking the meatballs in that.  I may have added a bit more water.  Use your judgement.

I made some guacamole, and we had shredded monterey jack cheese and salsa on hand as well.

Once the meatballs were cooked through, it was time to assemble the tacos.  I prefer the hard taco shells - I like the flavor and the crunch.

So here we go:

First, I had to tell Alex to move his arm out of the way. 

 
He likes to do that when I'm trying to take pictures.  I could publish a whole book of food photos blocked by Alex's arm.  But I digress.

I put some spaghetti in the bottom of the taco shell, and then sprinkled some cheese on top.

Next, three meatballs in each shell.  I like to put the cheese in between warm components so it melts.  But that's just me.

Next, some salsa.  This is one of our favorites - Mrs. Renfro's Jalapeno Salsa.  It's hot and delicious.  The kids leave this off.

And then some gauacamole.  Mmmmm.  Is there anything yummier than freshly made guac?  I think not.

And here they are.  Two of MY version of Spaghetti Tacos.  The kids loved them, though Julia prefers hers on the soft taco shells rather than the hard ones.

 
Oh, and if you reeeeeeeeeeeeally want yours cheesy, you can add a half a slice of meunster to each and microwave for a few seconds.  I might have done that.  Possibly.
 
And that's my little story of the spaghetti tacos.

Comments

[Karla]

Did the kids like them? Well enough that you will make them again? signed, Grandma of iCarly fans.

[Jayne]

Yes! The kids (and my husband and I) liked them very much. Ill make them again. I might even make normal spaghetti and meatballs and try the tacos that way instead of the way I did in this post. Good luck!

[Apartmentkitchen.wordpress.com]

Why is it that I always come across something that looks REALLY yummy when I read your blog on my lunch break on days when I opt to eat lunch AFTER I get home from work? That looks really tasty!

[Mom]

I just saw this episode of icarly. My daughter loves this show and so I had to google spaghetti tacos and here I find you. So, I will try to make this one day. I was thinking to myself, hmmm.... does someone really make this? lol. So i will try it.

[susan]

I am so glad someone else has heard about the spegetti taco's. I had to Google them myself to make sure my kids weren't pulling my leg with this one. Having them tonight. We will see.

[Kelly]

You stopped by my blog to comment on my gougeres (thank you, and yours look fantastic!), and now I find your blog linked through the NY Times. Congrats!

These are very intriguing, and no, there really isn't much that is tastier than freshly made guac!

[Chef E]

I can see the appeal- I would like the taste of the meat and sauce, just like regular tacos, and add the crunch- Voila! Yumm, I am making them with my green pesto recipes!

[Alex@amoderatelife]

Wanted to send you congratulations on your NYT mention! My kids also watch Icarly and one day I was sitting on the couch and they were eating these tacos and for a moment, I thought...well? why not? Now following your blog and tweets :) Alex@amoderatelife

[John]

We have made plain spaghetti tacos many times...and they're fun, but not (to me) satisfying. What a great trick to make the spaghetti & sauce with taco seasoning! Now they're something my wife and I enjoy!
We actually double-deckered a hard shell inside a flour tortilla. Keeps the breakage/spillage down. I'll be making fried flour shells for the next batch.
Thanks for reinventing this meal...I was getting sick of Spaghetti-O's on a tostada shell!
And great pictures...they spelled everything out.

[Shae]

My kids have been wanting Spaghetti tacos for dinner for quite some time now. I actually put them on the dinner menu for tonight. I read the NYT article and saw your page pull up when I googled spaghetti tacos. Sounds interesting. My kids won't eat guacamole, But I love the stuff. I asked someone at church what it was and they said it was spaghetti with taco toppings on it... I asked if they used the taco shell and they said no, because of the carbs. :( bummer. So, once I read your blog, I think I will have to try this whole taco shell with spaghetti in it. I like the meatball idea. I'll see what I can come up with. Thanks for posting. Great ideas:)

[Rebecca Orchant]

Hi Jayne!

My name is Rebecca and I'm one of the Editors at HuffPost Taste. I'm working on a roundup of some of our favorite crazy National Taco Day recipes, and would love to feature a photo from this awesome post, pending your permission. We'll link back to your original post for the recipe.

Would you mind just letting me know whether you'd like us to credit the photo to your name or your blog's name?

Thanks very much!

- Rebecca