• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
    • Meats
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Pork
      • Turkey
    • Seafood
      • Shellfish Recipes
        • Calamari
        • Clams
        • Crab
        • Lobster
        • Mussels
        • Oysters
        • Scallops
        • Shrimp
      • Fish
    • Salsas and Dips
      • Salsas
      • Dips
    • Soups
    • Side Dishes and Drinks
      • Side Dishes
      • Drinks
    • Breads and Grains
    • Vegetarian Dishes
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • and More!
  • Recipes by Type
    • Puerto Rican Recipes
    • Mexican Recipes
    • Recipes
  • Beyond the Kitchen
    • and More!
    • My Best Blogging Tools
  • Library

Mexican Appetizers and More!

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Puerto Rican Recipes
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Puerto Rican Recipes
    • Recipes
    • About Me
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Beef » Espagueti con Carne Molida

    Published: Jul 8, 2023 Modified: Jul 8, 2023 by Catherine Arena Leave a Comment

    Espagueti con Carne Molida

    Share on Social!

    354 shares
    • Facebook
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Espagueti con Carne Molida (Puerto Rican Spaghetti) recipe is a delicious, popular dish made often for lunch or dinner. It’s inexpensive, making it perfect when feeding a large family and cooks in 30 minutes!

    Espagueti con carne molida (Puerto Rican Spaghetti) served in a white bowl with a side of bread, tossed salad and grated parmesan cheese.

    Weeknight meals can be especially challenging due to time and sometimes even creativity. You know, that daunting thought “what do I cooked for dinner tonight?” This recipe takes care of both dilemmas for you!

    This is not your typical bowl of spaghetti. The ground beef is flavored with Puerto Rican staples like sofrito, sazon, oregano, and garlic.

    Add chopped onions, peppers and tomato sauce for a bold and savory sauce. The meat is very comparable to Puerto Rican carne molida (Puerto Rican Picadillo).

    Once your meat sauce is cooked, this recipe is a breeze! Cook up a pot of spaghetti, mix in the meat sauce and you’re done!

    Note: If you’re wondering about other easy one pot meals, consider these other delicious meals too: Tallarín Saltado (Peruvian Stir fry), Sudado de Pollo (Colombian Chicken Stew) and Sopa de Salchichon (Puerto Rican Salami Soup).

    Jump to:
    • Reasons to Love this Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • SUBSTITUTIONS AND VARIATIONS
    • Instructions (¿Cómo Preparar Espagueti?)
    • What to Serve with Espaguetis con Carne
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Other Beef Dishes You Will Love
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Other Pasta Dishes You Will Love

    Reasons to Love this Recipe

    • Affordable – when money is tight but you still have to feed a large family, coming up with a delicious filling dinner that everyone will love can be daunting.
    • Quick and Easy to Put Together – quickly cook the ground beef, cook the spaghetti, combine everything together and your dinner is ready!
    • Pasta – don’t have spaghetti in your pantry or prefer different pasta? Penne, rigatoni, and ziti are also great in this dish.
    • Leftovers – if you have any leftovers, try reheating this recipe in a skillet. For some reason, heating this dish in a skillet is so much better than reheating it in the microwave.

    Ingredients

    List of ingredients for recipe.
    • Ground Beef – use 80/20 or 73/27 lean meat to fat ratio ground beef. These blends are right in the sweet spot of having enough fat to keep the meat moist but yet flavorful.
    • Sofrito – is a key ingredient in Puerto Rican spaghetti and adds a ton of flavor.
    • Sazon – this dish would not be a complete without sazon con annatto. The combination of spices in sazon, elevates this spaghetti dish.
    • Peppers and Onions – not only add incredible flavor to the meat sauce but excellent delicious texture.
    • Garlic – no other ingredient adds such savoriness to a dish as garlic does. Do not skip out on this ingredient!
    • Tomato Sauce – although you can use regular tomato sauce, using a sauce like “Hunts Garlic and Herb” works even better.
    • Pasta – use your favorite spaghetti brand or whatever other pasta you prefer.

    See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.

    Espagueti con carne molida (Puerto Rican Spaghetti) served in a white bowl with a side of bread, tossed salad, grated parmesan cheese and the pot of spaghetti beside it all.

    SUBSTITUTIONS AND VARIATIONS

    Can I Use Ground Chicken or Pork Instead?

    • Use whatever ground meat you prefer and follow the same instructions as you would for ground beef.

    What Other Pasta Other than Spaghetti Do You Recommend?

    • If you do not like spaghetti or prefer a different pasta, try penne, macaroni or ziti.

    Like Spaghetti Spicy?

    • Add in some chili pepper flakes when preparing the ground meat.

    Instructions (¿Cómo Preparar Espagueti?)

    Ground beef about to be cooked in a caldero (cast aluminum pot).

    Step 1: Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large pot and heat over medium heat. Add the ground beef and using a spatula or potato masher, break up the beef to cook evenly. Add ½ a cup of water and break apart again. Cook for a few minutes until beef has browned.

    Chopped onions and peppers added to the browned beef.

    Step 2: Add the onions and peppers, stir into the meat. Cook until the onions are translucent. (Lower the heat if the beef starts to burn and add a few tablespoons of water if needed)

    Sofrito, sazon, garlic and oregano added to the pot.

    Step 3: Once the onions have cooked, add the sofrito, garlic, oregano and sazon. Stir well to combine into the meat.

    The tomato sauce added to the pot.

    Step 4: Add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper to taste and stir. Lower the heat if needed to medium low. Cook for 20-25 minutes semi-covered with a lid.

    Spaghetti drained in a colander.

    Step 5: While the sauce is cooking, cook the spaghetti per the box instructions and then drain in a colander.

    Meat sauce fully cooked in the pot.

    Step 6: Once the sauce is done, taste for salt and pepper and add more if needed.

    The meat sauce being added to the pasta.

    Step 7: Add the meat sauce a little at a time to the spaghetti and incorporate well. Continue adding more of the sauce until the spaghetti is combined well with the sauce.

    The meat sauce fully incorporated into the spaghetti.

    Step 8: Once enough of the meat sauce has been added to the spaghetti, you can reserve the rest for serving on top of individual servings. Or you simply add all of the sauce now to the pasta if you prefer.

    Espagueti con carne molida (Puerto Rican Spaghetti) served in a white bowl with a side of bread, tossed salad and grated parmesan cheese.

    What to Serve with Espaguetis con Carne

    Traditionally, we like to serve this dish with a tossed salad on the side and a few slices of toasty bread.

    However, you do not need to go for the extras, this dish is delicious and filling all on its own.

    Recipe FAQs

    Is this Pasta Dish Anything Like What I May Be Used to?

    Unless you’re used to having Puerto Rican Spaghetti, probably not. Puerto Rican Espaguetis uses Puerto Rican staples such as sofrito and sazon, changing the flavor completely from what you may be used to, however, non the less delicious!

    Can I Make this Dish Ahead of Time?

    Absolutely! This is a great make-ahead dish. Prep and cook the day before to get a step ahead of cooking for your family.

    Can I Freeze this Dish?

    I wouldn’t recommend it as the pasta will become mushy. You can, however, make the meat sauce ahead of time and freeze it in a freezer safe container or bag. Defrost it in your refrigerator the night before you’re ready to have it. Cook the pasta, reheat sauce, combine, and serve.

    How to Reheat?

    If you have a few minutes to spare, reheat in a pan or skillet for the best flavor, tossing in between heating. You can also heat in the microwave for a few minutes or until heated through.

    How Long Can I Keep Leftovers in the Refrigerator?

    Eat this dish within 4 days of cooking.

    Other Beef Dishes You Will Love

    • Jibarito Sandwich (Sandwich de Toston) served on a white platter with a side of cilantro garlic aioli.
      Jibarito Sandwich (Sandwich de Toston)
    • Bistec con Papas (Cube Steak and Potatoes) served in a white casserole dish and half of a avocado and handful of fresh cilantro.
      Bistec con Papas
    • Empanadas de Platano served on a white platter with a side of mayoketchup and a side of veggie salsa.
      Empanadas de Plátano
    • Carne Guisada (Puerto Rican Beef Stew) cooked in a caldero.
      Carne Guisada (Puerto Rican Beef Stew)

    Did you try this recipe? Please leave a ⭐ review below!

    Click any of the images in the post to PIN this Recipe and don’t forget to follow along on Pinterest and Facebook.

    📖 Recipe

    Espagueti con carne molida (Puerto Rican Spaghetti) served in a white bowl with a side of bread, tossed salad and grated parmesan cheese.

    Espagueti con Carne Molida (Puerto Rican Spaghetti)

    This Espagueti con Carne Molida (Puerto Rican Spaghetti) is a delicious, popular dish made often for lunch or dinner. It's inexpensive, making it perfect when feeding a large family and cooks in 30 minutes!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Lunch
    Cuisine: Puerto Rican
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 5
    Calories: 558kcal
    Author: Catherine Arena

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb ground beef
    • ¾-1 lb spaghetti
    • 1 onion chopped
    • 1 red or green bell pepper chopped
    • 2 tablespoon sofrito
    • 5 cloves garlic peeled and minced or use 5 teaspoons pureed
    • 1 packet Sazon with Annatto found in the Latin section of grocery store
    • ½-1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 24 ounces tomato sauce I prefer to use a flavored tomato sauce
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • parmesan cheese for serving, optional

    Instructions

    • Add the oil to a large pot and heat over medium heat. Add the ground beef and using a spatula or potato masher, break up the beef to cook evenly. Add ½ a cup of water and break apart again. Cook for a few minutes until the beef has browned.
    • Add the onions and peppers, stir into the meat. Cook until the onions are translucent. (Lower the heat if the beef starts to burn and add a few tablespoons of water if needed)
    • Once the onions have cooked, add the sofrito, garlic, oregano and sazon. Stir well to combine into the meat.
    • Add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper to taste and stir. Lower the heat if needed to medium low. Cook for 20-25 minutes semi-covered with a lid.
    • While the sauce is cooking, cook the spaghetti per the box instructions.
    • Once the sauce is done, taste for salt and pepper and add more if needed.
    • Add the meat sauce a little at a time to the spaghetti and incorporate well. Continue adding more of the sauce until the spaghetti is combined well with the sauce.
    • Once enough of the meat sauce has been added to the spaghetti, you can reserve the rest for serving on top of individual servings. Or you simply add all of the sauce now to the pasta if you prefer.

    Notes

    Variations: 
    You can also choose to use ground pork or chicken in place of ground beef.
    Recipe Notes: 
    If you would like to use different pasta, penne, ziti, or macaroni work well for this dish. 
    For Serving:
    Serve this dish on its own or with a side of crusty bread and a tossed salad.
    Leftovers:
    Try reheating this recipe in a skillet. For some reason, heating this dish in a skillet is so much better than reheating it in the microwave.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 5 | Calories: 558kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 802mg | Potassium: 889mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 681IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 4mg
    Tried this recipe?Click the stars above or below to rate or leave a comment down below!

    Other Pasta Dishes You Will Love

    • Ensalada de Coditos con Jamon (Macaroni Salad with Ham) served in a white salad bowl and a glass salad bowl.
      Ensalada de Coditos con Jamón
    • Sopa de Salchichon (Salami Soup) cooked in a large caldero (dutch oven pot) with a side of white rice and avocado halves.
      Sopa de Salchichon
    • Sopa de Conchas served in a bowl with a side of white rice.
      Sopa de Conchas
    • Ensalada de Coditos in a white bowl topped with chopped scallions.
      Ensalada de Coditos

    More Mexican & Puerto Rican Beef Recipes

    • Alcapurrias de Yuca (Cassava Fritters) sitting on top of plantain leaves with a side of hot sauce.
      Authentic Alcapurrias de Yuca
    • Alcapurrias (alcapurrias puertorriqueñas) served on a white platter with hot sauce.
      Homemade Alcapurrias
    • Alambres de Res (Beef Kabobs) served on a white platter with a side of corn on the cob.
      Alambres de Res
    • Tallarin Saltado served in two white bowls.
      Tallarín Saltado

    Subscribe

     
     

    Reader Interactions

    5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

    Join the Discussion Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Profile Picture of founder of Mexican Appetizers and More

    HOLA! WELCOME!

    I'm Cathy! Here we like to talk about food, especially Latin food and appetizers. Love Mexican, Puerto Rican and other Latin food? Come and indulge with me in some of the tastiest Latin appetizers and dishes. 

    More about me →

    Recipes We're Loving this Month

    • Puerto Rican Chicken Soup (Sopa de Pollo) in a white bowl with white rice on the side.
      Puerto Rican Chicken Soup

    • Carne Molida (Puerto Rican Picadillo) cooked in a black skillet.
      Easy Delicious Carne Molida (Puerto Rican Picadillo)

    • Carne frita served in a white platter with a side of garlic dipping sauce.
      Carne Frita (Fried Pork Chunks)

    • Sopa de Salchichon (Salami Soup) cooked in a large caldero (dutch oven pot) with a side of white rice and avocado halves.
      Sopa de Salchichon

    • Pollo Chuco (Pollo con Tajadas) assembled on a white plate and pickled red onions on the side.
      Pollo Chuco (Pollo con Tajadas)

    • Puerto Rican Fried Pork Chops served on a white platter.
      Puerto Rican Fried Pork Chops

    • Espagueti con carne molida (Puerto Rican Spaghetti) served in a white bowl with a side of bread, tossed salad and grated parmesan cheese.
      Espagueti con Carne Molida

    • Ensalada de Coditos con Jamon (Macaroni Salad with Ham) served in a white salad bowl and a glass salad bowl.
      Ensalada de Coditos con Jamón

    Dinner Recipes

    • Costillas Fritas (Fried Ribs) served on a white platter with lime wedges and a side of garlic aioli and garlic vinaigrette.
      Costillas Fritas (Fried Ribs)

    • Mojarra frita laying on top of a bed of white rice surrounding by slices of red onions and avocado slices.
      Mojarra Frita

    • Espagueti con carne molida (Puerto Rican Spaghetti) served in a white bowl with a side of bread, tossed salad and grated parmesan cheese.
      Espagueti con Carne Molida

    • Fully cooked Sudado de Pollo (Colombian Chicken Stew) in pot.
      Sudado de Pollo

    Yummy Desserts

    • Flan de Calabaza served on a white and black patterned plate with caramel sauce around.
      Flan de Calabaza

    • Flan de Café (Coffee Flan) on a white platter and a smaller flan on another white plate topped with coffee granules.
      Flan de Café (Coffee Flan)

    • A slice of Budin de Pan on a small white plate with the rum sauce beside it in a gravy bowl.
      Budín de Pan

    • Arroz con Dulce Puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican Rice Pudding) served in a white casserole topped with ground cinnamon.
      Arroz con Dulce Puertorriqueño

    • Tembleque de Coco served in a rimmed mold, topped with coconut flakes.
      Tembleque de Coco

    • Flan de coco served on a large platter and two individual side servings with whipped cream.
      Flan de Coco (Coconut Flan)

    • Limber de Coco (Coconut Limber) prepared and frozen in plastic cups, topped with shredded coconut and ground cinnamon.
      Limber de Coco

    • Limber de Leche (Limber de Crema) served in plastic cups, topped with cinnamon and one flipped over inside cup. Cinnamon sticks laying beside limbers.
      Limber de Leche

    Popular Recipes

    • Puerto Rican Chicken Soup (Sopa de Pollo) in a white bowl with white rice on the side.
      Puerto Rican Chicken Soup

    • A batch of arroz blanco cooked in a caldero (dutch oven pot). Beside it is a white plate with a serving of rice and avocado slices and a small bowl of habichuelas guisadas (stewed beans).
      Arroz Blanco (Puerto Rican White Rice)

    • Chicharrones de Puerco (Pork Cracklings) served on a white plate with cilantro garlic aioli and lime wedges.
      Chicharrones de Cerdo

    • Carne frita served in a white platter with a side of garlic dipping sauce.
      Carne Frita (Fried Pork Chunks)

    • Refreshing Agua de Platano (Banana Agua Fresca) served in Mason Jars and topped with fresh banana slices and cinnamon.
      Agua de Plátano (Banana Agua Fresca)

    • Authentic Mexican Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce served on a green and white platter.
      Authentic Mexican Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2025 Mexican Appetizers and More

    Unauthorized use and/or duplication of material without express and written permission from this site's owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mexican Appetizers and More with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.