Beef ragout with spaghetti

This post could also be titled "recipes that don't go quite as you planned". But that happens to me all the time! So here goes....

My plan was to use up some leftover seasoned ground beef I had in the freezer. I had mixed up a batch of Italian burgers a month or so ago, and had about 3/4 lb. of the mix left after making 4 burgers. I froze it with the intention of making meatballs! Here's what went in the mix...

• 3/4 lb. ground beef
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 egg
• 1/4 C. bread crumbs
• Parmesan cheese
• sprinkle of dried basil and oregano
• sprinkle of garlic powder
• salt & pepper

I topped the burgers with a slice of provolone, and they were super yummy! So I figured the meatballs would be good too.

I started with a can of tomato sauce over low heat, and made cutesy little meatballs and stuck in the sauce. I covered the sauce and let it simmer.


When I tried to move the meatballs around to stir, though, all the meat decided to fall out of its pretty ball shapes. I think I maybe should have added some more bread crumbs and maybe another egg, since the condensation from defrosting seemed to make the meat moister than it had been before. So I improvised and broke up all the meat with my spoon, and just made a yummy meat sauce! Since I just used tomato sauce, I added s & p, garlic powder, and basil & oregano to taste.

This post also turned into a review of.......


The Pasta Boat!!!!

I know.

I don't usually like gadgets like these, mostly because I feel like I'm cheating and Giada would not be proud of me for cooking pasta in the microwave. But I got it at a white elephant gift exchange, and I figured I should try it out!

I tried it once before, following the direction booklet exactly. I used the proper time and water for "al dente" pasta, and apparently my definition of "al dente" was very different from that of Mr. Pasta Boat. The pasta was super mushy and flimsy. So this time I was supposed to cook my spaghetti for 16 minutes - I cut it to 10 and it was perfectly chewy. (I added it directly to my sauce after draining, so it probably cooked for another minute there).

So though it wasn't what I planned, it was pretty tasty! Add a little fresh spinach sauteed in garlic-infused evoo, and we had a yummy dinner tonight!


Hopefully you guys learn from my mistakes!!