I had taken a pound of ground beef from the freezer and thawed it for a reason that wasn’t clear after thawing. Since it was completely thawed, I figured cooking it and making a new plan would be the best option.
There were some events coming up that would require a quick dinner, so it seemed like a good option over pasta or rice, or in tortillas. I had the beef seared with garlic, onions, salt, pepper and Penzey’s Pasta Sprinkle (essentially an Italian condiment).
When I came across this one pot spaghetti with meat sauce recipe, it offered a perfect use for my hastily cooked ground beef. I was a bit skeptical at first, but it worked out quite well. It wasn’t perfect, but I’ll give a TC as a good shortcut for an impromptu meal.
Since the meat was pre-cooked, most of the fat was drained. There was still some fat on the cooked meat, which was more than enough for the stew. I ended up adding just a small squirt of EVOO, about a quick pass over each plate.
While the liquid wasn’t fully absorbed when the spaghetti was served, it was already absorbed by the time the meal was over and it was time to put the leftovers away. If you don’t want excess liquid, a good way might be to let the whole thing sit for about five minutes before serving.
I only had a 1 liter box of vegetable broth so I added a cup of water which worked well. The amount of marinara needed was about 28 ounces. Glas Rao’s, good to know for next time so I don’t have to measure again!
We had a Caprese salad with it, which also had some sliced ​​homemade salami on it.