One of my favorite foods as a kid was something my mom called "Spanish Spaghetti." I have no idea where she got the recipe. After I got married and started making it myself, Jeremy said that maybe it was never a real recipe, just spaghetti with a lot of yummy stuff in it.
Either way, Spanish Spaghetti is good. I've adapted it a few times over the years, and my version is a little different from the one my mom makes. It goes something like this (sorry for the informal measurements and directions. This is not a recipe blog):
One box pasta. My mom always literally used spaghetti to make Spanish Spaghetti, but when I started making this for my own little kids I used penne or rigatoni or, if you can find it, something smaller like radiatore or mini shells or even macaroni-sized pasta. It's easier for kids to eat. "Box" = 500g here, whatever that is in the US (I can't remember).
Some bacon. Here in the UAE I sometimes use Turkish sujuk sausage because the effect is the same without the hassle of finding/buying bacon. You could probably even use cut-up pepperoni or kielbasa.
One green pepper, chopped.
One onion, chopped.
One can of diced tomatoes, or the equivalent fresh.
Two cups-ish? Maybe one cup? of cheese, any kind. Colby jack is good if you can get it.
Black olives, sliced.
Cook the pasta. While it's cooking, prepare the rest of your ingredients. Cook the bacon however you want (on the stove or in the oven). Use a little bit of the grease to saute the onions and green peppers until they're nice and fragrant. When the pasta is done, combine it plus all the other ingredients in a 9x13 (or slightly larger, if you have one, or else leave out some of the pasta) dish and stir it all together until it's well mixed. Then cover the dish with foil and put it in the oven at 350 for 30-45 minutes. You just want it to be all hot and melty. And you can use the time it's in the oven to wash the dishes, set the table, and call everyone to dinner 3+ times until they actually come. That's my kind of recipe.
The reason I am telling you all this is because tonight, my housekeeper (she loves this dish) cooked up two big pans of Spanish Spaghetti (Bridget style) to take to her Filipina friend's wedding supper. It blows my mind that a recipe that possibly originated in my mom's kitchen years ago is now being served in the UAE to a bunch of Filipinas celebrating a wedding. Who knows where it will go from there?
Either way, Spanish Spaghetti is good. I've adapted it a few times over the years, and my version is a little different from the one my mom makes. It goes something like this (sorry for the informal measurements and directions. This is not a recipe blog):
One box pasta. My mom always literally used spaghetti to make Spanish Spaghetti, but when I started making this for my own little kids I used penne or rigatoni or, if you can find it, something smaller like radiatore or mini shells or even macaroni-sized pasta. It's easier for kids to eat. "Box" = 500g here, whatever that is in the US (I can't remember).
Some bacon. Here in the UAE I sometimes use Turkish sujuk sausage because the effect is the same without the hassle of finding/buying bacon. You could probably even use cut-up pepperoni or kielbasa.
One green pepper, chopped.
One onion, chopped.
One can of diced tomatoes, or the equivalent fresh.
Two cups-ish? Maybe one cup? of cheese, any kind. Colby jack is good if you can get it.
Black olives, sliced.
Cook the pasta. While it's cooking, prepare the rest of your ingredients. Cook the bacon however you want (on the stove or in the oven). Use a little bit of the grease to saute the onions and green peppers until they're nice and fragrant. When the pasta is done, combine it plus all the other ingredients in a 9x13 (or slightly larger, if you have one, or else leave out some of the pasta) dish and stir it all together until it's well mixed. Then cover the dish with foil and put it in the oven at 350 for 30-45 minutes. You just want it to be all hot and melty. And you can use the time it's in the oven to wash the dishes, set the table, and call everyone to dinner 3+ times until they actually come. That's my kind of recipe.
The reason I am telling you all this is because tonight, my housekeeper (she loves this dish) cooked up two big pans of Spanish Spaghetti (Bridget style) to take to her Filipina friend's wedding supper. It blows my mind that a recipe that possibly originated in my mom's kitchen years ago is now being served in the UAE to a bunch of Filipinas celebrating a wedding. Who knows where it will go from there?