A Filipino Spaghetti has its own distinctive taste; it’s the sweetened tomato sauce and the presence of hot dogs or longaniza in the mix. That’s the type of spaghetti I love, even today. So, when I came to US, and my husband introduced me to his version of spaghetti recipe, what a difference it took!
Although I still miss that Filipino style, spaghetti taste I grew up with, over time, I learned to adopt the taste of many others styles that are served here, specially when they’re real Italian made. I recall one small, Italian fast food place my husband and I used to visit, while living in Illinois. Truly authentic! We won’t hesitate to pay another visit just to have them again, someday.
Everybody knows, where Spaghetti has originated from. This traditional Italian cuisine is one of the most popular pasta recipes that the world enjoys. As time goes, every pasta lover learns their own way in creating spaghetti meals. Thanks to my sister, Millie. She’s shown me a lot of inspired recipes that I learned to adapt. Her homemade, ground beef spaghetti recipe is just one of them.
Ingredients: 3-4 servings
1/2 pack(8 oz.) spaghetti pasta
1 large, sliced tomato
1/2 medium chopped onions
2 cloves, crushed garlic
2 tbsp. cooking oil
1 large can(29 0z) tomato sauce
1/2 lb. of ground pork(beef is optional)
1 cup of grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
- Boil 4-6 cups of water in a deep pot, drop a small amount of cooking oil, or olive oil in to prevent spaghetti pasta to stick together. Carefully drop the spaghetti pasta when water reaches its boiling point. Let it boil for 10-15 minutes or until pasta is for tender.
- Remove pasta from the boiling water and transfer it to a large strainer. Let a cold running water flush through the pasta to remove excess starch. Set it aside.
- Brown ground pork on a heated skillet. When done, place them on a strainer and allow excess oil to flow out. Set aside.
- Heat up cooking oil on a the same skillet, over medium to high temperature. Sautee chopped onions and garlic. Add the diced tomatoes to combine, season with salt and pepper and stir thoroughly.
- Bring back the browned ground pork to the mix. Follow it up with a large can of tomato sauce. Stir to thoroughly combine.
- Adjust the heat to medium. Cover the skillet with its lid. Let the sauce simmer for 5-8 minutes, while stirring occasionally, until the spaghetti sauce slightly thickens. Remove spaghetti pasta sauce from the heat, and transfer sauce to a large bowl.
- Serve this delicious spaghetti recipe individually, by grabbing a portion of the cooked pasta on a large plate, top it with the pasta sauce, and apply parmesan cheese on top. Serve hot with green salad and a slice of garlic bread. Delizioso!
Tip: One of the best ways to ensure if the pasta is rightly cooked, is to attempt to break the tip of one them. The center part of the pasta should not appear to look white in color, if already cooked. They should appear yellow in and out, or fork tender.
You can make your homemade garlic bread by simply using sliced breads or Italian bread. Spread some butter and sprinkle some garlic salt on top. Organize them on a greased baking sheet, place the baking sheet on the middle rack of a heated oven at 350F. Toast them for 5-8 minutes. You got your own homemade, garlic bread!
