A touch of Italian integrated with some south of the border spices turns this Southwestern Spaghetti Recipe into a great tasting spaghetti dish. I have prepared a number of recipes like this one before, and I have to say, this one is about the best. I was in the mood for Italian spaghetti but at the same time I wanted something a little different; this did the trick. This is a simple recipe and I prepared the recipe as written, but there is room to make some changes, if you want to spice it up a little more. I panned on adding some sliced black olives, but my age is catching up to me; I overlooked them even though they were on my store list. Maybe next time-this one is going on my favorites list. If you’re in the mood for a little different version of Italian spaghetti, give this Southwestern Spaghetti Recipe a try. Enjoy
Ingredients
8 ounces spaghetti noodles
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1lb ground beef
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 medium green bell pepper (chopped)
1 package mushrooms (8 ounces sliced)
2 garlic cloves (minced) or to taste
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 425F.
1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Rinse and Drain.
2. In a small bowl whisk together the milk and egg. Using the same pan or a large bowl mix the milk mixture, with the spaghetti, and place in the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
3. In a large skillet brown the ground beef, onion, green bell pepper, garlic and mushrooms until burger is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. Drain if needed. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook for 2 more minutes.
4. Spread the meat sauce over the spaghetti noodles. Top with the cheese combination.
5. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve Hot
Feeds 4-6
