Aunt Betty’s Comfort Kitchen · Beef

Sally's
Lots of Spaghetti

Name: Sally's Lots of Spaghetti
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 450 g ground chuck; 30 ml oil; 1 large onion; 1 garlic clove; 50 g celery; 1 green pepper; 2 tsp salt; ½ tsp curry powder; 1 tsp chili powder; ⅛ tsp cayenne; 1 can tomato paste; 180 ml tomato juice; 225 g spaghetti; 225 g grated parmesan

Not your usual spaghetti — a midcentury meat sauce spiced with curry, chili powder, and cayenne, tossed with the pasta and a generous shower of parmesan. Quirky, warming, and a little addictive.

~40 min total 15 min prep 20 min simmer

Effort ●●○○ Time ●○○○ Anytime

Servingsamounts scale to match

Units

Ingredients

The surprise is the spice blend — curry, chili powder, and cayenne. This isn't a classic Italian sauce; it's a midcentury American spaghetti with a warm, mildly spicy kick. Brown the meat and vegetables well, then let the sauce simmer until the flavors meld before it meets the pasta and a generous shower of parmesan.

Easier, if you like

Pre-diced onion, celery, and pepper (or a frozen mirepoix / pepper blend) cut all the chopping.
Pre-grated parmesan is fine here, melted into the hot sauce.

Method

Cook's notes

The twist is the seasoning — curry powder, chili powder, and cayenne give this an unusual, gently spicy warmth. It's an old-fashioned American spaghetti, not a marinara.

Tomato paste + tomato juice make a thick, concentrated sauce; add a splash more juice or pasta water if it gets too thick.

Betty's 8 oz of parmesan is generous — start with about a cup and add more to taste.

Toss the hot spaghetti with the sauce and cheese together so the parmesan melts in and coats everything.

Make it gluten-free

Gluten-free: use gluten-free spaghetti — the sauce is naturally gluten-free.