Fried spaghetti puts a new twist on traditional spaghetti. This pasta dish delivers tender noodles with a little crispness, drowned in a deliciously seasoned spaghetti sauce, and finally covered in melted cheeses. This is a meal the entire family is sure to enjoy! Serve it up with some pickles or olives, side salad, cottage cheese, or a slice or garlic bread for a great meal choice.
Quick and easy this recipe only requires a few basic ingredients and some spices and seasonings. This combination makes this meal perfect for those busy weekdays or lazy weekends.
DO YOU HAVE TO BOIL THE SPAGHETTI NOODLES FIRST? WHICH NOODLES ARE BEST? Yes, you need to boil the noodles for this recipe. You can use spaghetti noodles or angel hair pasta. Regular spaghetti noodles are fine, or you could swap them with whole wheat, or vegetable noodles.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR FRIED SPAGHETTI
The ingredients for this recipe are pantry staples that we all typically have on hand. Only taking half an hour to make from start to finish and a few basic ingredients, plus a few seasonings, this is an easy meal to whip up any day.
OIL I used olive oil, but you could even use vegetable oil. It is simply needed for sauteing the onions and garlic.
ONION Yellow onion diced is my preference but you could use your favorite onion. This paired with the garlic are flavor enhancers for this meal.
GARLIC Garlic is one of those ingredients that people seem to love or hate. I typically add more garlic then most recipes call for so add as little or much as you like. Plus garlic is healthy and helps lower cholesterol.
GROUND BEEF I used ground beef today but sometimes I will use 1/2 a pound and mix it with a 1/2 pound of sausage. You could even omit it completely if you would prefer a vegetarian pasta dish.
BASIL, PARSELY, & OREGANO These seasonings help to create the spaghetti sauce. If you don’t have Oregano you could replace it with Italian seasoning.
RED PEPPER FLAKES The amount of red pepper flakes is also based on personal preference. This gives the sauce a little kick.
SALT & PEPPER Add to taste
TOMATO SAUCE AND CRUSHED TOMATOES This is the basis of the sauce used in our Fried Spaghetti recipe.
SPAGHETTI NOODLES Plain spaghetti noodles are what I chose for this recipe. You could also get away with using angel hair pasta.
MOZZARELLA CHEESE Melted mozzarella cheese is used to top off this meal giving it a creamy, cheesy topping.
PARMESAN CHEESE Can you even have spaghetti without parmesan? This is added on top with the mozzarella cheese before the brief stent in the oven.
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HOW TO MAKE FRIED SPAGHETTI
1. Lets get started by adding water to the pot and getting it heating up so it will be at a boil when we are ready to add the noodles.
2. Heat the oil up in your cast-iron skillet over medium heat and add in your onions and garlic and sauté until transparent and aromatic.
3. Add your ground beef into the skillet and start browning the beef.
4. Now check to see if the water is boiling yet. Once it is boiling add in your spaghetti noodles. I snap mine in half. Cook according to the instructions on the package.
5. Your ground beef is now starting to brown and it’s time to add in the basil, parsley oregano, and red pepper flakes.
6. Preheat 350 degrees F.
7. Stir your ground beef until completely browned, then pour in both the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce.
8. Stir for another 15 minutes or so until it starts to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste.
9. When the noodles are done, drain them and add them to the skillet. Mix thoroughly.
10. Sprinkle both cheeses over the top of the spaghetti and place the entire skillet in the oven for 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.
11. Remove from the oven and serve up with your choice of sides.
ALTERNATIVES For a healthier option you can use whole wheat or vegetable noodles. Adding a mixture of half pork sausage and half ground beef also a great option. There are also reduced fat cheeses that can be used. This could even be a vegetarian dish by omitting the beef and adding in more vegetables like diced bell peppers, mushrooms, and more. Instead of making your own sauce you could use canned spaghetti cause. Just make sure its not to dry before going in the oven and don't use as much basil, parsley, oregano, and red pepper flakes since it will already be seasoned. Serve it up with some garlic bread. My favorite are garlic sticks made from left over hotdog buns. They are crisp on the outside but thick and soft on the inside. I slather them with butter and garlic salt for a great addition to this meal.
HOW DO YOU STORE LEFTOVERS? You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to four days or in the freezer for three months. Add a little oil to the leftovers to help it from sticking together. If placing in the fridge, keep them in an airtight container. If you are freezing them place them in a freezer bag. To reheat, simply preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and bake for around 10 minutes until its heated throughout.
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HERE ARE SOME OTHER MEAL IDEAS YOU MAY ENJOY Tater tot casserole Dutch oven pork loin roast Creamy lemon chicken
Fried Spaghetti
This quick and easy fried spaghetti recipe puts a new twist on traditional spaghetti creating tender noodles with a crispy touch. Add on some melted cheese to the top and a rich, flavorful sauce this is a meal the family is sure to love.
Equipment
- 1 cast iron skillet
- 1 large pot (to boil the spaghetti noodles)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion (diced)
- 4 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 tsp basil
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or to your preference)
- salt & pepper to taste
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 28 oz crushed tomato
- 1 lb spaghetti noodles
- 3/4 c Mozzarella cheese (grated)
- 1/2 c Parmesan cheese (grated)
Instructions
- Add water to a pot and start heating it up. This way it can be at a boil and ready for the noodles as you are preparing the beef and tomato mixture.
- Heat the oil in your cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add in your onions and garlic and sauté until they are translucent and aromatic.
- Now add in your ground beef and start the browning process.
- While the beef is browning, check to see if the water is boiling yet. Once the water is boiling add in your spaghetti noodles and cook according to the instructions on the package.
- Go back to your ground beef that should be starting to brown and add in the basil, parsley, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F
- When the ground beef is completely browned pour in your tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes. Continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes until it thickens a bit and add your salt and pepper to taste.
- When the noodles are done, drain them and add them to the skillet. Carefully mix together.
- Sprinkle the cheeses over top of the spaghetti and transfer to the oven for an additional 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from the oven, serve and enjoy.
Notes
*You can always substitute regular spaghetti noodles for whole wheat noodles or vegetable noodles if you prefer.
* You can also opt for reduced fat cheeses if you like
*You could make a vegetarian edition as well by omitting the beef and adding in more vegetables like diced bell peppers.
*Serve it up with pickles or olives and some garlic toast. I like to use left over hotdog buns and creating garlic toast sticks. No throwing away leftover buns and they are amazing because they are thick and soft as well as crispy and covered in buttery garlic!
**NUTRITIONAL DISCLAIMER The nutritional information shown is an estimate, and is determined from online calculators.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 657kcalCarbohydrates: 73gProtein: 32gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 789mgPotassium: 1024mgFiber: 7gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 791IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 271mgIron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!