Lebanese Spaghetti
Lebanese Spaghetti is a dish often made by Lebanese mothers for their children afterschool. It is mainly chosen because it’s really quick to make and a completed meal. To be honest, for a long time I didn’t like it. I called it “Kids Pasta” and refused to eat it. But when I started to cook for myself I added a few ingredients that would elevate the flavors and serve an adult taste palette. I’m happy to share this nostalgic recipe with you and hope it becomes a family favorite.
Recipe:
1 package spaghetti (cook according to instructions)
1 tbsp neutral cooking oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 1/2 cup onion, diced
800g ground beef
2 tsp Lebanese 7 spices
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups marinara pasta sauce
1 cup tomato sauce (optional if you prefer a sauce-y dish)
1/2 cup water (for tomato sauce)
Optional: grated parmesan
Directions:
Dice your onion into petite dice and set aside.
In a pot, add the neutral oil and allow it to heat on the stove top on medium heat. Add the pine nuts to the oil and continuously stir the pine nuts to get a golden roasted color.
Remove the pine nuts into a separate bowl and place aside.
Add the diced onions into the same pot with the oil and sauté for 5 minutes until translucent.
Add the ground beef with the onions and cook until browned and the liquid has evaporated.
Lower the heat to a simmer. Then add the Lebanese 7 spices and salt to the beef.
Then add the marinara pasta sauce. Add the tomato sauce and water (this is optional, add the tomato sauce and water if you prefer a sauce-y dish)
Cover the pot with a lid and reduce to a simmer.
In the meantime, cook your spaghetti pasta according to package instructions. In Lebanon we usually do not eat pasta al dente, we cook it a bit further.
Remove the cooked pasta from the water and add it to the beef and sauce.
Mix together well then add the pine nuts on top.
You can add grated parmesan if your prefer cheese on it.
Sahtean! Enjoy
