Spaghetti is not the first thing that comes to mind when someone thinks of Portuguese food, and that’s because it’s not a traditional Portuguese dish at all. However, my Tia Gorette makes an amazingly delicious spaghetti that I grew up eating, and I just had to include it in this collection of recipes.
I grew up eating Tia Gorette’s spaghetti that she would have cooking in this large pot on the stove, whenever I would come over (which was often)! The nostalgia and memories are strong with this one.
My Tia Gorette, along with my Tia Elvira and their parents (my great-grandparents), lived on a dairy farm in Southern Idaho, with each of their houses right alongside one another. Tia Gorette and Tia Elvira married two brothers. The fourth house on this dairy was that of the third brother. I would spend a lot of time on this farm, playing with my cousins, and hopping from one house to the other when my mom would pull up in her car to take my sister and I home. On many of these visits to my Tia Gorette’s home, I very much remember that this spaghetti dish was served to me and my sister, and to her three children-Kathy, Kristine, and Kevin (some of the best cousins a girl could ask for).
I only hope that I can replicate this recipe and find that coziness and nostalgia once again with every bite!
Yields: 8 servings
Ingredients:
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 large yellow onion, chopped fine
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 24-ounce jar Ragu spaghetti sauce; and
1 14-ounce jar Ragu spaghetti sauce
12 ounces spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
1) In a large saucepan, add ground beef. Cook over medium heat and stir until the meat is browned separated. Drain the grease. Stir in onion, tomatoes, and garlic and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
2) Next, stir in grated cheese and spaghetti sauce, and mix until all is well-incorporated.
3) While the meat is cooking, bring water to a boil in a large-sized pot, and cook spaghetti. Add salt to taste. Add olive oil to the spaghetti, mixing well. Adding olive oil will help keep the spaghetti from sticking to one another. Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain water.
4) Add spaghetti to meat sauce and mix well. Cook over medium heat for a bit longer, approximately 10 minutes.
EAT!
The Five Marias 