Pan Fried Spaghetti

This is Tillie, back again with some weird college, or as one early 00’s cartoon show referred to it, Bachelor Chow! This meal is incredibly easy, especially if someone else already went to the trouble of making the main ingredient for you! I highly suggest this route if you are as cooking challenged as I am. This may not have been one of the meals I set fire to, but it’s one of many that I have burned while making myself a quick lunch.

You take leftover spaghetti, I prefer my mom or dad’s version of the dish, and you’re going to fry it. Why not microwave it, you ask? Well, because microwaving is for the weak or those obsessed with cleaning tomato splatter that’s practically been melted into every conceivable nook and cranny within the appliance.

Anyhow, getting back to business, you pull your leftover pasta out of your fridge and remove that weird plastic cling wrap that sticks to itself more than the dish you are trying to protect. My mother and stepmother both recommend some kind of storage containers, but we’re always losing the lids to those things at my place.

Next, you will fork out a big ole’ glob of the leftover s’ghetti into a suitably sized pan. Don’t forget to grab yourself some cheese if you’re feeling a little adventurous. My dad always does and I’m telling you, it actually does change the taste in the most salivating of ways.  First you’re gonna need to cook the Spaghetters on a burner at medium heat, once it starts to make that sizzling noise, fry it up with some of the cheese of your choice. Once it starts sticking to the pan you know it’s time turn it down or eat it up. I generally choose to eat it only once I’m sure it completely cooked, but I once dated a guy who ate his pizza cold on a sandwich. Eww.

Serve it up on a plate and enjoy!

Also, incase you’ve truly never cooked spaghetti or don’t have the luxury of dropping by and stealing mom or dad-made leftovers, I’ve gone ahead and left you with a recipe. I won’t say that it belongs to either of my folks, both make their own form of it, but it is definitely someone’s recipe.

1. Jar of your choice of sauce (again, I don’t advertise for free so no name brands here)
2. 1 lb. ground beef
3. Half of an onion, chopped up
4. Sliced mushrooms (either from a can or fresh, but I’d recommend fresh because the canned ones are slimy and have to be drained)
5. Can of slice or minced black olives (this one my aunt threw in and these don’t get slimy)
6. Pepper
7. Salt
8. Garlic (minced)
9. Onion Salt
10. 1 box of noodles of your choice. (Angel Hair should only be attempted if you aren’t going to cook it so long, otherwise it becomes Angel Mush)

• Keeping it simple, we’re going to cook our mushrooms, onions and hamburger at the same time in a big ole four to six quart frying pan (or whatever those really deep ones are). Make sure you do a leaner ground beef though or you’re gonna be draining that grease and I’ve been burned enough to know that it’s an awful experience. We’ll also be throwing in the seasoning, too which includes the pepper, salt, garlic, and onion salt. The picture below is what happens when you don’t drain the grease… yuck. No offense.

• Once the meat is fully cooked and all your onions are see through, go ahead and add your sauce and black olives. My mom think it’s blasphemy to use jarred or even canned premade sauce, so she makes her own, but that was too long and complicated to get into so you’re stuck with the jarred stuff. Let your meat sauce continued to cook and add some red pepper flakes to give it a small kick. We’re not Emeril, so don’t go crazy.
• Meanwhile, boil some water in a stock pot and toss in a few pinches of salt. Once the water is boiling drop your noodles in and wait until they are to your taste. My dad like al dente, my mom likes almost mush. (That’s probably why they divorced. Who would have thought… Noodle consistency destroying yet another marriage… When will it end?) Let your meat sauce simmer until you’re ready to take on the next big Spaghetti controversy.
• Carefully dump your noodles into a strainer. (Did I mention you should wash your dishes and get your sink clean? Oops. No biggie. I’m sure you’ll be fine)
• Now this next part is yet another great controversy that has ripped families apart for generations! Do you blend your sauce with your strained noodles? Or do you plate up some noodles and dump your sauce over them? Do it however you want, but I always mix them up into the stock pot. I’m gonna have to wash it anyhow, I might as well make sure my noodles are properly coated with the meat sauce.

Thanks for reading!