Cowboy Spaghetti (Easy Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

How to make simple spaghetti better? ›

Use cherry tomatoes, fresh basil or other herbs, a peppery extra-virgin olive oil, fresh grated cheese. Swap out all the heavy ingredients for light ones. Instead of a thick cream sauce, toss the spaghetti with roasted vegetables. Serve your spaghetti on the side instead of as a main dish.

For best flavor, use certified San Marzano tomatoes. Add Parmesan cheese into the sauce while cooking. Use no salt added tomatoes. Use ground beef to cut down on sodium content.

Whether you can pronounce it or not, Worcestershire sauce is an easy, effective way to load up spaghetti sauce with umami flavor. It is salty, tangy, and has lots of potent vinegar, all of which cut through tomatoes to create a soothing, savory flavor.

Tossing in strips of basil, a sprig of thyme or some oregano can take your sauce to the next level. Although fresh herbs might pop a bit more, dried herbs and spices can work just as well. Sprinkling in some red pepper flakes, a pinch of parsley and a dash of salt and pepper can liven up your jarred pasta sauce.

Briny ingredients like olives or capers are another way to brighten up your pasta sauce while also introducing texture and depth of flavor. Roughly chop a handful and stir them into your sauce while it's heating up on the stove.

Spaghetti must be cooked just the way they are: intact! Then, they must be eaten rolling them up with a fork. And if you cannot eat them without breaking them… you can still have a shorter kind of pasta, like penne!

Make a circle with your thumb and pointer finger; try to approximate the size of a bottle top. Using your other hand so as to not mess up the circle, place the spaghetti noodles through your fingers until the circle is filled. Fit a serving of noodles through the top of a soda bottle.

boil pasta in broth for a bonus flavor boost

To try it for yourself and infuse all your pasta recipes with even more flavor, bring a pot of broth to the boil and cook your pasta as usual. For the best results, use veggie or chicken stock to elevate pastas that are paired with delicate sauces or lighter toppings.

Add fresh herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary, bay leaf), and let them simmer to give a punch of fresh flavor.

I also used half the amount of white wine (1/4 cup) and I used about 3 to 4 tablespoons of sugar (our family does not like really sweet food) and it came to the perfect amount of sweetness. I also used fresh garlic and fresh mushrooms as well.

Does sugar make spaghetti sauce taste better? ›

Yes, sugar might make the sauce taste better, but good old baking soda is an alkaline that will help balance the excess acid. A little pinch should do the trick.

Fresh Veggies

Adding fresh vegetables to your pasta dish is an easy way to make it more flavorful and more nutritious! Start by sautéing diced onion, tomatoes, peppers, and carrots in a pan until soft. Then add your spaghetti sauce and simmer for a few minutes to finish it off!

Add a little lemon zest when you add the hot spaghetti to the skillet. It will give it a pop of brightness. Switch up the herbs – add dried herbs like oregano, rosemary or Italian seasoning when you heat up the oil (1/4 of a teaspoon should be plenty!). Or, add some fresh herbs like basil or thyme before serving it.

Sometimes I put Italian seasoning & salt in my noodle water. & I like to add sautéed onions, bell peppers, mushrooms & also some extra basil to my sauce. It adds more flavor & texture. This, sautéed onion and pepper in a pan, then add the tomato sauce to combine and heat, then sauce strained noodles.