This fun recipe for spaghetti tacos is a guaranteed kid-pleaser, and the combo of spaghetti and tiny meatballs wrapped in a soft taco works for all ages!
So this all started with two things. First was this show that I have only a dim awareness of…it is called iCarly, and it is usually playing somewhere in the background when the teenager is home, and when she isn’t watching House or Glee (two shows that I actually have heard of and like and watch.)
Until last week, I hadn’t given more than a split seconds-worth of thought to the fact that iCarly even existed in the world.
Then I read this article in the New York Times.
And it got my competitive juices flowing. Apparently spaghetti tacos are enough of a phenomenon on this show that kids across the country are asking for them for dinner, thanks to whomever this guy is on the show.
Made the traditional way, I could see why parents are scratching their heads. But just to be totally fair, I did put one of the classic versions together.
Classic – did I just say that? Anyway, the “recipe” on the iCarly site called for spaghetti, meat sauce and a taco shell. And a spoon. Creative, but not as tasty as it could be.
I pondered this a while, and then it came to me. Way back before iCarly was even a twinkle in anyone’s eye, the New York Times printed a recipe for something called Spaghetti on a Stick.
It called for making an complex rich tomato sauce, some gorgeous meatballs, and cooking up a mess of spaghetti. You douse the spaghetti with the fabulous sauce, swirl a pile of the spaghetti around a chopstick, stick a meatball on the top of the stick to hold the spaghetti in place, wrap the whole thing in a piece of soft flatbread for easier handling, and there you have it – Spaghetti on a Stick.
I made it once, and it was scrumptious thanks to the whole sauce and meatball wonderfulness…but the whole stick thing just seemed like more trouble than it was worth. But then this whole spaghetti taco business rolled around and a lightbulb went off in my head. Because who can resist any kind of taco recipe?
What if I used my favorite tomato sauce? What if I made the meatballs tiny? What if I used soft tacos instead of hard ones? With no stick?
NOW we’re talking.
Maybe I need to watch more Nickelodeon.
Maybe not.
Spaghetti Tacos!
This fun recipe for spaghetti tacos is a guaranteed kid-pleaser, and the combo of spaghetti and tiny meatballs wrapped in a soft taco works for all ages!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 tacos
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh bread crumbs
- 1 1/4 pounds ground beef
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups of your favorite spaghetti sauce
- 1 packet taco seasoning (we recommend mild)
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 12 flour tortillas
Instructions
- Combine the bread crumbs, beef, eggs, garlic, parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper and mix with wet hands. Form the mixture into one inch meatballs.
- In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the meatballs and, working in batches to avoid crowding, cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and taco seasoning, cover and simmer all the meatballs for 30 minutes. Let them cool while you cook the pasta.
- Cook the the pasta according to the package directions in heavily salted water and drain.
- Add the pasta to the sauce in the pan and toss until completely coated and pour into large serving dish.
- Warm tortillas in microwave and serve with pasta, allowing folks to scoop out their own spaghetti and meatballs into tortillas.
Katie says
I love iCarly! I think I am slightly older than the intended audience, but I still watch it under the guise of "market research" :-)
These look delicious – I'll have to try them soon!
Shelly says
As long as they don't try Spaghetti Enchiladas!!!
Viv says
hahaha… That's fun!
daphne says
what a lovely presentation! this dish looks deliscious . . .perfect timing, I am going to cook spaghetti later mmmmm i'll try this=)
Kate @ The Gaines Gang says
Love It! My daughter watched iCarley and we too had to make these tacos. Too fun!
Nutmeg Nanny says
These look awesome! I'm making these for the little one I watch :) I know I already told you she is a huge iCarly fan but she will go crazy over this!
Natalie says
I have a feeling you made a lot of iCarly fans very happy when you posted this! :) love it!
FOODalogue says
crazy…fun…and probably tasty!
Joanne says
I like to think I've got my ear to the ground when it comes to stuff like this but apparently not as I've never in my life heard of iCarly. Sigh.
These look super awesome though! Even for something without kids. But who is surrounded by 20-something year old guys who like to think they are.
Posti4 says
LOL!!! we love i Carly here and I have been asked to make spaghetti tacos. You my dear are the best mom ever!!
Mel says
My kids two favortie foods. I'll for sure have to try this.
Vicki says
Just when I got the whole Hannah Montana thing…..
PoetessWug says
Looks like a winner…but frankly, because of the meatballs, sauce, and cheese…not the spaghetti! But…to each his own! Go forth young people and…..eat what you want!! ^_^
Jhonny walker says
I read that article too. Amazing I had no idea. these look almost as good :)
dizzy_izzy says
Just came in to say I LOVE iCarly! I find it hilarious that the NYT did an article on this, but this show gets tons of viewers so of course kids would want their own at home version of spaghetti tacos!