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 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 Fettucini Alfredo. And this recipe is a ripoff of the Olive Garden. 

All it is is heavy cream, half and half, or whipping cream, any way 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 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 entre 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.