Alright guys, this is seriously an interesting recipe we have on the blog today. I know they’ve been done before, but this is a first for me and I’m pretty excited about it. First off, I have an original spaghetti sauce recipe to share with you all, something I grew up on and is seriously to die for. And the best part about it, is how versatile it is. Today I am applying it to this delicious Crunchy Spaghetti Nest, but normally it’s my regular go to sauce for traditional spaghetti and I even use it to layer up the most incredible lasagna as well. I also may or may not eat it straight with a spoon, or layer it on my favorite toast, but that’s not weird at all right?

Food nerd alert! It’s Friday in the AM as I write this post, and i’m already planning what’s for dinner. Not calling up my girlfriends for a night out on the town, not hounding my husband for a date night, none of that normal young adult stuff. In some ways this food blog is so therapeutic, admitting this to a computer is way easier than doing it to someone’s face. So thanks for listening, and let’s chat more food.

I want to fill you in on my usual plan of action on how this spaghetti sauce get’s used in my household. With 1 lb of ground beef, 2 cans stewed tomatoes, 1 can tomato paste, and a jar of high-quality premade marinara sauce and spices; you can imagine how this recipe yields quite a lot of sauce. And that is exactly what you want, trust me. With the batch I made this time, it was dinner for two night for the hubby and I, made 6 Spaghetti Nest’s, and the rest was lunch for 2-3 days. To much spaghetti for you in a short amount of time? No worries, use however much you want and then freeze the rest for up 3 months.

So not only is it super tasty, it’s one of those super cost efficient meals everyone needs in there life. It’s not expensive to make, and lasts for days. In our last blog post featuring the oh so delicious Cheesy Mushroom Toast, I mentioned how I feel like a winner when a favorite recipe yields leftovers that are even better the next day. Well, this is for sure one of those recipes. Each day it has to sit, the more time the flavors have to absorb together to create perfection.

So as we wrap up this blog post, I must mention one last thing. While the spaghetti sauce recipe is mine, the idea to make it into a Crunchy Spaghetti Nest was not mine. We adapted this recipe from the “Joy of Cooking,” cookbook and mostly followed the cooking directions from the book. For more information on what we’re doing with the infamous cookbook, be sure to check out our other blog post detailing our Journey into the Joy of Cooking. That’s it for today, and we hope you have enjoyed your time with us. Hope everyone has a great weekend, and we’ll be back Monday with a much needed detox drink. Until then, happy cooking!

Quote of the Day: “We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.” – Vince Lombardi

Crunchy Spaghetti Nest

This Spaghetti Nest recipe takes a favorite traditional way to eat spaghetti and turns it into a bite sized crunchy bundle of goodness you never knew could be so addicting.

Servings

servings

Ingredients

For Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb ground beef
2 (15 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (23 oz) jar of high-quality marinara sauce, (I usually use a tomato/basil flavor)
2 tbs minced garlic
1 tbs dried basil
2 tbs olive oil (plus more for cooking ground meat)
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1 tsp pepper (or more to taste)

For Spaghetti Nest

1/2 pack angel hair pasta
a dash of olive oil

Servings

servings

Ingredients

For Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb ground beef
2 (15 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (23 oz) jar of high-quality marinara sauce, (I usually use a tomato/basil flavor)
2 tbs minced garlic
1 tbs dried basil
2 tbs olive oil (plus more for cooking ground meat)
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1 tsp pepper (or more to taste)

For Spaghetti Nest

1/2 pack angel hair pasta
a dash of olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375.
Cook angel hair pasta according to package, strain and toss with a dash olive oil so it doesn’t stick, and set aside.
In a blender combine stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, 1 tbs garlic, salt & pepper. Blend in short burst until it just combines into a smooth puree. Set aside
In a large skillet with high sides or even a dutch oven, add 1 tsp of olive oil and cook ground meat until thoroughly cooked, about 3-5 minutes. Strain beef and place back in your skillet or dutch oven.
Add your blended puree to meat and as much of the jar of premade marinara sauce as you desire. (I like a meaty sauce so i’ll add about ½ to ¾ of the jar).
Add chili flakes, 2 tbs of olive oil, remaining tbs of garlic, and simmer on low for at least 20-30 minutes (the more time the better). Keep in mind you might want to add more or less of all the spices depending on your preference, but the measurements I provided are a good place to start.
While your sauce is simmering, using a fork twirl your noodles into a shape of a nest with a divot in the center. Once your sauce is done, add 1 tbs of sauce to the center, and bake them for 25 minutes or until the noodles are crispy on the outside.
Serve immediately, and enjoy!