My Dads Spaghetti Recipes

DAD'S SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef with onion until meat is brown. Drain. Return meat mixture to pan with tomato paste, tomato soup and water. Cook, stirring, until heated through and thickened, 5 to 15 minutes. Serve over cooked pasta.

DAD'S SPAGHETTI WESTERN

Steps:

• Crumble beef into a large microwave-safe bowl. Cook for 3 minutes on high; drain fat and stir in onion, chili powder, basil, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, tomatoes and tomato paste. Fill the paste can with water and add. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 10 minutes.
• Stir broken spaghetti into meat mixture; re-cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 6 minutes. Stir, re-cover and microwave on high for 3 to 4 minutes, or until spaghetti is tender. Stir in beans, re-cover and let stand 5 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, combine cheese, sour cream and remaining 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. Microwave on medium-high for 2 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve over spaghetti mixture.

MY DAD'S FAMOUS MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Place the ground beef ( 7% fat is best ) in a large mixing bowl.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Then place eggs and bread crumbs in and mix well with your hands.
• Then put in all spices. The best thing to do is sprinkle them over the mixture evenly. I made the measurements the best I could, but I have never really measured before. I only went by my own judgment.
• Using a broiling pan so that the grease drips down inside of it, roll your meatballs according to size.
• Bake for about 20 minutes, turning the meatballs half way through.

MY DAD'S PASTA AND CAULIFLOWER

Steps:

• Boil cauliflower in salted water until tender, but not mushy. Meanwhile, cook pasta separately until al dente. (If you can get the timing right, it's easier to put it in one pot and add the cauliflower a few minutes after the pasta.)
• Mix pasta and cauliflower together after draining, and add all remaining ingredients, mixing well, seasoning to taste.
• If you like, you can mash up some of the cauliflower and mix in a little reserved cooking water to make a bit of a sauce! My family likes this dish with lots of cheese and lots of black pepper, especially.

SPAGHETTI LIMONE PARMEGGIANO

Steps:

• Boil the spaghetti in salted boiling water, according to the package directions.
• Meanwhile, using a Microplane, grate the zest from the lemon into a large mixing bowl. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl (I like to use the grater as a strainer-one less thing to clean). Add the 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, pepper, and a pinch of salt, and mix in the olive oil to form a wet paste.
• When the spaghetti is perfectly cooked, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the cooking water to the lemon and cheese mixture. Add the spaghetti to the bowl and toss thoroughly, adding another tablespoon or 2 of pasta water if necessary so that the sauce coats each strand. Roughly tear in the basil leaves.
• Serve each portion with a sprinkle of coarse salt, a fresh grind of black pepper, and a few gratings of extra Parmesan.

DAD'S PASTA

Steps:

• Fill a large sauce pan about 2/3 full with water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and simmer for about 10 min, or until cooked. Drain.
• Meanwhile, brown ground beef in frying pan over medium heat until no longer pink. Pour off fat.
• Transfer cooked beef to the pot with pasta. Add tomato sauce and brown sugar. Stir well and serve.