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This is a dish that I thought up a while back, my wife improved on, and that I want to share. It's a hearty, nourishing meal in one pan, and as you can see from the timestamps in the picture below, it takes very little time to make (especially if you're not stopping to take pictures during the cooking, as I did).
The secret that makes this "spaghetti" special is that it doesn't use noodles. It uses cabbage, stir-fried with the meat to become tender and flavorful. The really neat thing about this recipe is that kids will eat it right up and ask for seconds, because they think it's just some kind of special noodles instead of veggies. In fact, once when I was making it, my 3-year-old came in and "busted" me, saying, "Daddy, you're making SALAD! Nooooo!" I told her that this dish was just for me and that she was going to get spaghetti, and when I served it up 15 minutes later, she thanked me for the "spaghetti" and scarfed it right down.
The key thing to the simplicity of this recipe is that it uses ground beef, either 80% or 85% lean, and a bag of coleslaw mix, already shredded and cleaned. The oil from the beef is used to stir-fry the cabbage, so if you use sausage or leaner beef (or no meat at all), you will need to add a tablespoon or two of oil to fry up the coleslaw. For the sake of the kids, I'd use vegetable oil rather than olive oil, since that can make it "taste weird" and turn off a finicky eater.
The original version of this recipe called for using spaghetti sauce, but I will be making the Mk II revision tonight that is a bit closer to this recipe's goulash/borscht roots, and use condensed tomato soup and water instead.
This will be just about enough for 4 servings.
The secret that makes this "spaghetti" special is that it doesn't use noodles. It uses cabbage, stir-fried with the meat to become tender and flavorful. The really neat thing about this recipe is that kids will eat it right up and ask for seconds, because they think it's just some kind of special noodles instead of veggies. In fact, once when I was making it, my 3-year-old came in and "busted" me, saying, "Daddy, you're making SALAD! Nooooo!" I told her that this dish was just for me and that she was going to get spaghetti, and when I served it up 15 minutes later, she thanked me for the "spaghetti" and scarfed it right down.
The key thing to the simplicity of this recipe is that it uses ground beef, either 80% or 85% lean, and a bag of coleslaw mix, already shredded and cleaned. The oil from the beef is used to stir-fry the cabbage, so if you use sausage or leaner beef (or no meat at all), you will need to add a tablespoon or two of oil to fry up the coleslaw. For the sake of the kids, I'd use vegetable oil rather than olive oil, since that can make it "taste weird" and turn off a finicky eater.
The original version of this recipe called for using spaghetti sauce, but I will be making the Mk II revision tonight that is a bit closer to this recipe's goulash/borscht roots, and use condensed tomato soup and water instead.
This will be just about enough for 4 servings.
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Signing UpStep 1Ingredients and utensils
Ingredients:
A pound or so (1/2 kilo) of ground beef, 85% is best, 80% will do - not too lean (the cheap stuff). If you're going meatless, just use a couple tbsp vegetable oil, and skip the next step.
One bag of coleslaw cabbage. I used a 10-ounce (1/4 kilo) bag of pure cabbage tonight. The store also sells 16-ounce bags of coleslaw mix, which has both green and red cabbage, with shredded carrots thrown in. This is also great to use - the carrots add a little al-dente crunch to the final dish.
Optional - chopped onion
Optional - leftover rice, which thickens and adds body to the dish (at that point, it isn't exactly spaghetti, it becomes "Hamburger Surprise," but the kids still love it)
The original recipe calls for one jar of spaghetti sauce (yes I use the whole 26oz/700g jar, but you're welcome to use less). Instead of that, you can use a can of condensed tomato soup, or you can even throw in a can of diced tomatoes if you like.
If you are going with the spaghetti sauce, the spices and seasonings are all taken care of. If you use the tomato soup or tomatoes, you should add in salt, pepper, garlic, and any other seasonings you like.
Equipment:
Stove
Frying pan with cover
Spatula or wooden spoon
A pound or so (1/2 kilo) of ground beef, 85% is best, 80% will do - not too lean (the cheap stuff). If you're going meatless, just use a couple tbsp vegetable oil, and skip the next step.
One bag of coleslaw cabbage. I used a 10-ounce (1/4 kilo) bag of pure cabbage tonight. The store also sells 16-ounce bags of coleslaw mix, which has both green and red cabbage, with shredded carrots thrown in. This is also great to use - the carrots add a little al-dente crunch to the final dish.
Optional - chopped onion
Optional - leftover rice, which thickens and adds body to the dish (at that point, it isn't exactly spaghetti, it becomes "Hamburger Surprise," but the kids still love it)
The original recipe calls for one jar of spaghetti sauce (yes I use the whole 26oz/700g jar, but you're welcome to use less). Instead of that, you can use a can of condensed tomato soup, or you can even throw in a can of diced tomatoes if you like.
If you are going with the spaghetti sauce, the spices and seasonings are all taken care of. If you use the tomato soup or tomatoes, you should add in salt, pepper, garlic, and any other seasonings you like.
Equipment:
Stove
Frying pan with cover
Spatula or wooden spoon
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I'd rather add more meat or more onions. Cheese and hot peppers are good additions that I prefer.