National Spaghetti Day - Recipes & Reviews

 Twirling spaghetti strands is such a satisfying way to eat. On National Spaghetti Day you can twirl away with my many tasty recipes. Be sure to click on any recipe name to be redirected to the original recipe blog post for all the budget ingredients of yore and yummy details.

I get most of my pasta ingredients from the local Dollar Tree, protein from the bargain bin of Ralphs Supermarket, and veggies from Superior Grocers. My big splurge is a wedge of Parmesan Cheese.

You know how cheap spaghetti is to buy and quick to boil. I like mine al dente, so I shave off a minute or two of the cooking time. My recipes go from creamy to filled with fresh veggies, and tins of seafood.

Start with a basic Tomato Sauce, which is easy to do. You can buy it straight out of the can or make my Easy Tomato Sauce version.

I have a garden with a few fresh herbs like sage, but dried herbs are cheap and tasty enough for me. Other pasta sauce ingredients are the right price, too.

In the second month of my blogging way back in 2007, one of my first cheap$kate meals was Baby Clams & Spaghetti. 

They still sell small packs of Clams at my local Dollar Tree.

I kick the pasta sauce up a notch with the addition of sauteed bacon and some veggies, then finish it off with white wine and the baby clams -- all inexpensive ingredients (you only need a splash of wine - I used to get bottles for 99 cents when I created this recipe over a decade ago!)

I like Canned Sardines, and they add an intense flavor to Spaghetti. Add Canned Sardines at the end to heat through. I like the Sardines in large pieces, so I don't stir the Spaghetti too much, so the fish stays chunky. The recipe is made with Sardines in Tomato Sauce. You can use any budget canned Sardines.

Next, I have to say Pasta all Carbonara is near the top of my Spaghetti recipe list. Swirling bacon, parmesan, and creamy egg yolk through al dente spaghetti is my favorite pasta pastime. 

And my version uses cooked Bacon Bits from a small bag. You can use fresh sauteed bacon or pancetta if you like. 

If you mix the egg yolk into hot pasta the yolk thickens and cooks, maybe not enough to satisfy egg salmonella purist, but so far I have not had a problem. I gotta roll the dice sometimes for this decadent entree.

Mushroom and pasta belong together and my next Spaghetti dish has it all. 

Made with inexpensive sour cream instead of heavy cream, it turned out fine, so give my Creamy Mushrooms and Spaghetti a go.

My Nephew Zak is one hell of a cook working in kitchen joints since high school.

Pine nuts, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti, and you have the makings of a heck of a pasta dish to show off. Cajun-style Tuscan Primavera Pasta is a mouthful worth seconds.

Look at the Salami I still find it for a dollar and twenty-five cents! So you know I'm gonna come up with some cheap$kate recipes, and Salami & Spaghetti is a winner.

Of course, the recipe is deliciously simple to make by heating a little onion, garlic, and salami, then mixing in the cooked spaghetti with a little pasta water.

 

Pasta with Kale and that's about it. I saute the kale with a little garlic in olive oil.

You can't get creamier than a plate of Fettuccini Alfredo. And this recipe is a ripoff of the Olive Garden. 

All it is is heavy cream, half and half, or whipping cream, anyway you pour it. It is made with fettuccini, but you know it's easy enough to replace with spaghetti.

On the Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best...well, click here to read what a perfect 9 tastes like.

And I got it for a buck. You don't run across Cheap$kale Deals like this these days, so this is a flashback recipe review. Hey, if you have to pay full price, it's still a decent deal.

I used to hate Brussels Sprouts, but now I love them, even mixed into pasta.

Brussels Sprouts in Pasta holds up well when sauteed soft in butter, but you can keep it vegan using olive oil instead.

My next Flashback Deal of the Day gets a high rating, and it's Lean Cuisine again.

You can't get more basic than Spaghetti with Meat Sauce. And it's got the right stuff in it.

It's not a lot, but every bite is spot on...for a cheap frozen meal.

A most decadent Spaghetti entrée is my meaty Pasta all Genovese. It is a wild combination of French Onion Soup and hearty meat sauce. Just cook the heck out of a pile of sliced cheap onions and a budget cut of beef. 

I like beef shank as it braises beautifully. My original recipe finished with penne pasta, but you can use spaghetti, of course.

Black-Eyed Peas & Collard Greens for New Years Day - Video Recipes

Starting the New Year with Black-Eyed Peas and Greens is a Southern tradition signifying good luck and prosperity. I'm not superstitious, but what the heck, might as well just in case?

Peas represent coins, and Collards are the green color of money. And you are visiting the right place, this Internet Chef likes cooking for cheap so you will save mucho dinero following my recipes. 

Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens have a lot of flavor the way I make them, so read on and see how much bang for the buck I deliver...free of charge!

I can honestly say I did not care for Black-Eyed Peas as a kid, as they were usually heated up right out of the can, but over time, I have grown to savor them, especially when they are homemade. 

 My Black-Eyed Peas video recipe below has the addition of a leftover hambone or ham hock. Ham is still cheaper than a buck a pound, but make sure to get it bone-in so you can add it to the Black-Eyed Peas. Smoked Ham Hock is more expensive, but you are buying all pork.

The main vegetable additions are onion, garlic, and celery. If you are vegan, it's easy enough to leave out the ham and add extra veggies like carrots and bell pepper. And for that smoky ham flavor, add a few drops of Liquid Smoke.  

And for the New Year's Day Celebration, my Black-Eyed Peas just need some rice to make the Southern traditional Hoppin' John. You can cook rice (about 20 minutes of simmering, covered) with the finished Black-Eyed Peas or steam the rice separately and add the Black-Eyed Peas when you are ready to celebrate.

Check out my easy-to-make Black-Eyed Peas video recipe below, and click here to see my original blog post's step-by-step directions with yummy photos and tasty text. 

As for Collard Greens, I never had them until I started High School in Louisiana. We'd get them sometimes in the cafeteria for lunch, and if you went to a local country-style restaurant or BBQ joint, they were on the menu somewhere, and they were always loaded with bacon or ham, of course.

My late wife Amy found a recipe she would make all the time, and I fell in love with it, too. What makes the recipe over the top is the addition of a bottle of beer, a tablespoon of molasses, and a small splash of vinegar.  Bacon is included, too, but you can substitute it with a few drops of liquid smoke and make this a vegan entree. 

I get Greens here for about a dollar per bunch -- that's still a good and cheap deal. So check out my recipe video below and click here to see my original blog post and all the yummy details. 

Simplest to serve Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens with white rice and a hotlink, or Mom's Jambalaya!

How about combining Black-Eyed Peas with Collard Greens? I came up with this tasty combo, and it works! This is a recipe for all my vegan visitors. I even throw in some okra for extra Southern Cuisine flavor. Check out my recipe video below for all the delicious details.

! HAPPY NEW YEAR !

Christmas Leftovers - Recipes

Hold on a sec, don't throw out that baked ham bone or turkey carcass yet! It's leftovers time at the Cheaps$kate Chateau, so read on for flavorful recipes I like to make that use up every tasty morsel of your holiday meal.

Click on any recipe name for the recipe.

If you are the Christmas Baked Ham type, soup is the best way to use up any ham pieces and the ham bone too. New Year's Day is right around the corner, so it's time for traditional Black-eyed Peas made my cheap$kate way using the leftover Christmas ham bone for extra flavor.

What I especially like about a pot of  Black-eyed Peas is that they cook in half the time of regular pinto, red, or white beans. So you can serve them in just a couple of hours.

Do check out my recipe video below to see how quick and easy you can make your own and ring in the New Year with a fragrant bowl of legumes, and don't forget to make some rice too, for a Hoppin' John version.



GreenSplit Pea Soup is next up, and it cooks quickly as well. I like to add a lot of extra veggies to my version, including carrots, celery, and onion. Cook Green Split Pea Soup with a few extra chunks of ham, and even your most picky kid will go for this recipe.

Other legume recipes you can ham bone-size are Pinto Beans, Cuban-style Black Beans, Mexican Charro Beans, and Texas-style Beans.

Adding a slab of ham is always a welcome addition to any sandwich. One of my favorites is called a Cuban Sandwich, which is comprised of ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, and a slice of pickle. And it's served pressed, hot off the grill, all melty and warm.

Cuban Sandwich

A French Ham Sandwich is simply made with ham slices, real butter, and crunchy French Bread. It's perfect for a picnic. I did one once, but cheaply, with margarine instead of butter. If you have the extra bucks, do use real butter, especially at a picnic party.

French Ham Sandwich

Ham with pasta? You bet, just try out my Ham, Peas, and Cream with Penne. And lately, I've been adding cubed ham, instead of sausage, to my Mom's Jambalaya recipe.

Mom's Jambalaya

I grew up with ham added to my plate of fried eggs with Breakfast Potatoes. Diced ham adds heft and flavor to a Cheese Omelet.

A McDonald's Egg McMuffin uses Canadian Bacon, which is very similar to ham. I am so cheap that I've come up with an inexpensive homemade one. Check out the video below to see what I mean.



When I'm on a roll, that is with dice, I head for the Vegas buffet table for a gambler's Eggs Benedict, made with poached eggs, ham, and creamy Hollandaise sauce over a toasted English muffin. You've hit the jackpot when you try my cheap$kate version.

Eggs Benedict

The easiest and quickest use of a Leftover Christmas Turkey is to just pile it between 2 slices of bread or a bread roll. I like mine with stuffing, cranberry sauce, warm gravy, and turkey.

Click on any photo to see larger.

But to kick the sandwich up to an Ultimate Turkey Sandwich, just crisp up in the frying pan some of that uneaten soggy turkey skin.

It is a decadent and tasty addition to a classic Turkey Sandwich. Check out my recipe video below for a little culinary decadence.

A most popular leftover for the coldest days of winter is a warm and soothing Turkey Soup. I hope you saved the poultry carcass?

For the tastiest soup, it's best to boil leftover roasted turkey bones and turkey bits in a pot of seasoned water. Once the water is simmering on low, just step away for an hour, and meanwhile, do a little veggie and leftover turkey chopping to add with strained turkey broth.

My Turkey Soup recipe link here is based on a typical Chicken Soup, so just substitute it with cooked leftover turkey.

My Chicken Soup recipe starts with uncooked chicken, so this Turkey Soup spin-off will be done in less time -- just simmer long enough to tenderize the chopped carrot, onion, and celery. This soup is easier with cooked turkey.

If you feel a bit more ambitious, then rustle up a Cajun classic, Leftover Turkey Gumbo.

My Mom lives in Louisiana, and she sure knows how to do a Gumbo. This is another cold-weather dish. Serve Mom's Turkey and Sausage Gumbo over rice. Again, you can reduce the prep time because the leftover turkey is already cooked. And another shortcut is using a pre-made Gumbo base called a roux, which is often stocked in regular grocery stores.

Check out my video below for all the tasty details.

A pot pie is the most soothing of winter meals, and my Turkey Pot Pie made with Christmas leftovers will have you returning for seconds and thirds!

For my simple recipe, I used a grocery store frozen pie crust that cover the leftovers. And all you do is load up a deep baking dish like you would a lasagna - layering mashed potatoes or yams, veggies, stuffing, turkey, and gravy.

My video below lays it on thick, that is, with plenty of delish leftovers.

I hope you had a great gathering of family and some friends for Christmas. And do check back for more 99-cent cheap$kate deliciousness.