Monday 5 May 2014

Cheghetti



If you’re ever around Italian people, you know they’re passionate about three things: spaghetti, designer sunglasses and singing superstar Raffaella Carrà.

Please, fellow cakers, never tell Italians how we make spaghetti. Don’t say that we put oil in the water and throw spaghetti against a wall to check if it’s done. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself on the receiving end of a lot of Italian words – and none too positive-sounding. Whatever you do, don’t mention Ragu unless you’re prepared to deal with a lot of hand gesturing.

Let’s keep this Cheghetti recipe between us. The Italians don’t need to know how much we love spaghetti with Velveeta. (Which, by the way, is the reason I can’t afford designer sunglasses since Velveeta costs eight cockadoodle dollars.) The Italians won’t understand it. They won’t believe it tastes good. But you and I know differently. In fact, my mom said this tasted better than her Macaroni Casserole. This is major.

P.S. Don’t forget to scrape the spaghetti off the wall.

¾ pound ground steak (See note 1)
1 large onion
1 green pepper
1 ½ cup cooked spaghetti (break up 1 and 2 inches) (See note 2)
1 small can tomato sauce
½ pound Velveeta cheese

Brown steak, onion and pepper. Add the cooked spaghetti, tomato sauce and ½ of the cheese, cubed. Place this in casserole and slice the remaining cheese on top. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350° or until cheese browns. Serve 4-5.

Note 1: I had to use ground beef because the Velveeta took up most of my budget.
Note 2: Break up the pasta before boiling it. It’s a lot easier that way. I’m speaking from experience.


Source: From Our Kitchens…With Love, Glen Ayr United Church Women


6 comments:

  1. Looks delish Brian. Who doesn't love pasta with some meat and cheese thrown in there! I'm sure even Italians would secretly like this recipe. I must say it looks a far cry above Honey Boo Boo's mom's "Sketti" which is spaghetti, margarine & ketchup. I'd say your Chegetti is the fancy, amped, just won the lottery caker version of Sketti. Seriously though, what's with the cost of Velveeta these days!

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    1. Madame M, I was "thisclose" to making sketti, but I held back. There are some dark culinary alley ways I'm willing to go down, but ketchup, margarine and spaghetti? There are some places no human should venture.

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  2. Actually, this sounds pretty darn tasty. I can only imagine what the Italian reaction to it was. Did you serve it to the Hubster? Did you tell him what was in it?
    Dinner time at your house must be, uhm, interesting...

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    1. He didn't even try it. The spaghetti thing crossed a line for him. Italians can get very territorial with their food, especially when a caker comes along and tries to squirt some fake cheese on it.

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  3. Love to shoutout to La Carrà.

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    1. She's an Italian icon! It was a toss up between 5353546 and Fiesta. Both make me want to put on my bell bottoms and GET DOWN!

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