Spicy Spaghetti Recipe ~

January 4th is National Spaghetti Day. So why not enjoy the dish that Arabs may have invented THOUSANDS of year ago! Bet you thought it was originally an Italian dish, eh? Regardless of who invented it, you know you snarf it down often. 😉 So, why not have it this evening? If you are like me, you might want to jazz it up a bit. Sauce and noodles are great, but it can get a little repetitive, so here is the recipe that my husband came up with to spice things up a bit. 🙂

Jay’s Spicy Spaghetti Recipe

You will need..

1 16oz package of spaghetti noodles {cooked per package directions}
1 45oz jar of pasta sauce
1 lb. ground beef (optional for vegetarians)
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper

*You can also add garlic or oregano if you like {we sometimes do, depending on the sauce we use}.

*We use homemade {canned} pasta sauce when we have some in our spicy spaghetti recipe.

Preparation… 

Pasta: Break pasta apart into cooking pot with water. Cook noodles according to package directions. After the noodles are completely cooked or just before, turn the temperature to low and don’t mess with them anymore until the sauce is finished.

Sauce: Break up the ground beef and brown it in a saucepan. Allow the beef to simmer on low for at least 10 minutes until it is completely brown. Cook longer than 10 minutes if you need to, to make certain it is browned all the way through. The picture shows the beef simmering about halfway through the process.

Drain the beef in a strainer and then put back into the pan. Add the pasta sauce and red pepper. Cook on medium/low for at least 20 minutes until thoroughly heated. Be sure to stir constantly as it can stick and/or burn if you don’t.

Drain the water from noodles. Some people put butter or oil in the water while the noodles boil to make sure they don’t stick. Jay does not. He just leaves the noodles in the water until the sauce is ready and then adds the sauce immediately to it. You can do it whichever way you prefer.

Top noodles with the sauce. Add parmesan cheese if you like, too! Enjoy your spicy spaghetti! Happy National Spaghetti Day!

Be sure to check out the rest of the holidays in January!