Dirty Girl in the Garden, Dirty Spaghetti in the Kitchen

My first planting this year of flowers, herbs, and veggies, I chose to toss my garden gloves and go rogue, taking the opportunity to play in the dirt. Yup, I was a dirty girl, especially under my fingernails. 

Many viral recipes do not go viral in my kitchen. I don't want to waste time, money, and ingredients just to experiment on a social media forum. I want something solid to share.  The photos of Dirty Spaghetti on social media caught my attention and made my mouth water. Besides my love of simple spaghetti noodles, I have always been content just to adorn a plate of "sketti's" with butter and grated cheese like Parm, Romano, or Mizithra - sometimes topped with an over-easy poached egg. This Louisiana version of spaghetti intrigued me, of course. 

The idea behind Dirty spaghetti originated as a Cajun-Italian fusion inspired by the classic Louisiana "Dirty Rice" minus the chicken livers and gizzards, but with the addition of the Cajun's Holy Trinity - the aromatic base of chopped onions, celery, and green bell pepper. This concept of "dirty" replaces the traditional marinara for a rich, thick, savory, meat-laden gravy. 

When the craze for Dirty Spaghetti took over, I was a bit overwhelmed at the many versions, mostly people adding or removing ingredients from the traditional "dirty" recipe. Like one in particular, by the time this one woman added her version with tomato sauce and tomatoes, it was just regular "Italian-style" spaghetti. There was nothing "dirty" about it.

I made my decision about which recipe to follow based on the same recipe ingredients by two young fathers on social media. Both men had Southern accents, and both were built like NFL offensive linemen. They were teaching their young sons how to cook. I knew I could trust their judgment and especially trust their taste buds.

One important thing to know. There is a lot of meat in this recipe. The base is ground beef (or ground turkey), with the addition of Italian or spicy-hot ground sausage. As someone who doesn't eat much meat, I'll be using only ground beef on future Dirty Spaghetti cooking expeditions. Perhaps once in a while, with the addition of slices of traditional andouille sausage (or smoked sausage), as seen in other recipes. 

Also, there are two options for cooking the spaghetti. Cook spaghetti in a separate pot, then toss it with the sauce, or cook the dry spaghetti in the sauce for an easy one-pot meal. It's really a foolproof meal. Enjoy, Dirty Spaghetti.

Ingredients:

One lb. ground beef (or ground turkey)

One lb. ground Italian-style sausage (or spicy hot ground sausage), or instead of ground sausage, use slices of andouille sausage, sliced (or smoked sausage)

One red bell pepper, chopped
One green bell pepper, chopped
One small to medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery (1-2 ribs) 
3 cloves garlic, minced

4 Tbsp AP flour

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

4 cups beef broth

1-2 Tbsp Cajun seasoning, to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
Salt to taste, if needed 
One pkg of Lipton Beefy Onion Soup or Lipton Onion Soup (a homemade mix of beef bouillon, onion powder, garlic powder, and a dash of black pepper may be substituted)

1 pound of thin spaghetti (not angel hair)

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven or deep skillet, cook the ground beef and, if also using ground sausage, cook together over medium-high heat until browned. If using slices of andouille or smoked sausage, add them to the ground meat. Don't drain fat. 

To the same pan, add the Trinity (onion, bell peppers, and celery). Add garlic. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and translucent, about four minutes.

Add to the pan and build the roux and sauce: Stir in the tomato paste and let it cook for 2 minutes to deepen the flavor. Sprinkle flour over the meat and stir continuously for 1-2 minutes, cooking out the flour taste. Slowly pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce while stirring to avoid lumps.

Add the dry package of Lipton soup mix, Cajun seasoning, and ground black pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat and let it thicken into a rich gravy for 10-15 minutes. 

Now, here is where you can have one of two choices about preparing the pasta: 
Option One: Cook the noodles on the side as per directions on the box, reserving a cup of pasta water if needed to thin the sauce. Toss the cooked and drained spaghetti into the finished sauce. 
Option Two: After adding the soup mix and seasonings, bring to a simmer. Break the spaghetti in half and submerge it directly into the boiling/simmering sauce. Cover and cook for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente and the sauce coats the noodles.