Taco Spaghetti - Pro Version

Good morning everyone.

Yesterday, Tonya brought her lunch upstairs to work.  They had asked her, what she was eating.  Taco Spaghetti.  No one heard of this.

I've made this in the past, and it was very good.

I've made it again, only this time, it is the "pro version".

Ingredients

2 pounds hamburger

1 pound hot Italian sausage

2 bell peppers, yellow, orange or red, your choice, chopped

4 stalks of celery, chopped

2 large onions, chopped

2 tablespoons of diced garlic

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 28 oz can of diced or chopped tomatoes

1 28 oz can of tomato sauce

28 oz of warm water

2 packages of Taco Seasonings

1 package of linguini or spaghetti noodles, broken into 1/4

1 package of shredded Tex/Mex cheese

Stuff you will need

Dutch oven with a lid

Cookie sheet

Scissors

Large mixing bowl

Colander

Cutting board

Sharp knife

Directions

Turn the oven on to broil.  Oh yea, this is the pro version.  Once you see the results, your going to be doing this a lot more often.  Make sure the oven rack is in the middle of the oven.

Using the scissors, remove the sausages from the casings.

Spread the sausages and hamburger out, across the cookie sheet.  Use your fingers to spread it all out.  You can have a few lumps and bumps, it isn't going to effect the end results.

Put that into your oven and set the timer to 20 minutes.

Cut up the onions, celery and bell peppers.  Add the olive oil to the Dutch oven.  Turn the burner on to medium and start frying up those veggies.  Don't be concerned if the veggies get some char on it.  This will add taste.  Put the garlic and the taco seasonings in last, as you don't want to burn it.  Oh yea, it's smelling fantastic in your kitchen.

Add your diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.  I used the No Name version of this from Superstore.  You can spend more money on your favorite brand name stuff.  Add the warm water and stir that all up.  It's going to seem soupy, but it's going to be reduced in a minute.  Want to take this up a notch?  Add beef broth to replace the water.

The sausages and hamburger should be done by now.  Take it out of the oven and let it rest.  It's way too hot to handle just yet.

If you haven't done so, break up your pasta into 1/3 or if you have the patience, into 1/4 of the length and add to the veggies and sauce.  Make sure the sauce comes to a gentle boil.  Stir the pasta around and make sure it's covered by the sauce.  (if you use elbow macaroni, it's now Taco Macaroni)  Just make sure the pasta to water is about 1 to 1.  The pasta will absorb the water as it cooks and your sauce will thicken up nicely.  Look at that...  you saved your self the pot of water you would normally cook your pasta in.

Turn the heat down to low, cover and go for a coffee break.  This needs to cook for about 15 minutes.  No peeking!

When the meat is cool enough that you are not going to burn your hands, put a mixing bowl under the colander.  Now, transfer the cooked sausage and hamburger to the colander.  All that grease is going to drip down into the mixing bowl and not go into your belly, or down the drain.  Using your hand, bust up that sausage and hamburger.  This is the pro version.  You just put some sear on the meat without frying it in the Dutch oven for 20 minutes.  So much easier and takes up a lot less effort.

Transfer the sausage and hamburger to the Dutch oven.

Stir it all up, like American Style Spaghetti.

You are done like toast.

Serve in a bowl with some of the Tex/Mex cheese on top.

I'm on Weight Watchers and a 2 cup serving is 14 points without the cheese.  The cheese will take it up a few more points to 16 points, but it's worth the indulgence.

WATCH OUT!!  People are going to rush into the kitchen to get a bowl.  They will be back for seconds.  People will be smacking their lips and making NOM NOM sounds as they are eating this.

Sit back and wait for the accolades.  You earned it.

Comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome.