Frugal Menu Mamas

Happy Friday!

At one of our first Freezer Cooking Co-op meetings, my friend, Jess, made the recipe I will share with you today.  It was delicious, but a tad bit spicy.  It does have hot sauce in it…  :)  When Jess was in the Co-op, she used recipes that she already enjoyed.  She made them, froze them, and then tried them to see if they would work for our Co-op.  You don’t always have to use a recipe that is labeled for freezer cooking.  However, I would suggest trying the recipe in the freezer and then reheating before sharing with friends in your group.  Hope you like it!

Rachael Ray’s Cowboy Spaghetti:

1 pound spaghetti
Salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
3 slices smoky bacon, chopped
1 pound ground sirloin
1 medium onion, chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped
Ground black pepper
2 teaspoons hot sauce, eyeball it
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
1/2 cup beer
1 (14-ounce) can, chopped or crushed fire roasted tomatoes
1 (8-ounces) can, tomato sauce
8 ounces sharp Cheddar
4 scallions, chopped

Heat a pot of water to a boil. Add spaghetti and salt the water. Cook to al dente or with a bite to it.

Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and bacon. Brown and crisp bacon, 5 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon. Drain off a little excess fat if necessary. Leave just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add beef and crumble it as it browns, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onions, garlic and stir into meat. Season the meat with salt and pepper, hot sauce and Worcestershire. Add 1/2 cup beer and deglaze the pan. Cook 5 to 6 minutes more then stir in tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Add hot spaghetti to meat and sauce and combine. Adjust seasonings and serve up pasta in shallow bowls. Grate some cheese over the pasta and sprinkle with scallions. Garnish with crisp bacon.

When Jess made this for us, she froze the meat & sauce in one bag, grated cheese in a separate bag, bacon in a separate bag, and she just gave us a box of spaghetti to cook up when we made it.

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