Sunday, January 30, 2011

Meal Makeover: Sweet-style spaghetti with carrots

Mabuhay!

Sweet or Filipino-style spaghetti is my all-time favorite comfort food! I remember eating it three times a day for a whole month during one summer in high school! I would have continued eating it but my nanny was concerned that I might not get enough nutrients in my diet. Quick solution: Add veggies to the sauce!

I have been cooking this recipe since high school and my daughter Aryanna loves it too! In fact, in a recent conversation...

Me: "I think I'll share my sweet-style spaghetti recipe on my blog as a 'Meal Makeover'."
Aryanna: "How are you going to makeover sweet spaghetti?"
Mom: "Well, you know how I add carrots to the sauce, right?"
Aryanna: "Yeah..."
Me: "You know that the typical sweet style spaghetti sauce doesn't have carrots in them, right?"
Aryanna: *shocked* "It doesn't?!!!"

I don't know how many times my daughter's friends have complemented me on how good our sauce is and I never tell them that there are carrots, fresh tomatoes, and bell peppers in the sauce. I chop the veggies finely and they almost look like ground beef. They can hardly tell especially when they're hungry. So moms, don't tell!;D

Sweet-style spaghetti with carrots



Watchunid:
1 big pack of Sweet or Filipino-style spaghetti sauce
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Himalayan pink salt
Freshly ground pepper
Cayenne pepper (optional)

500 grams lean ground sirloin
2 carrots and 3 tomatoes both finely chopped
If your kids like bell pepper, add 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped. Remember that bell peppers have a strong taste to them so be sure your kids like it. Otherwise, carrots and tomatoes are fine.
Did you know? Bell peppers are packed with several nutrients. They are a good source of vitamin C, thiamine, vitamin B6, beta carotene, and folic acid. Bell peppers also contain a large amount of phytochemicals that have exceptional antioxidant activity.
1 pack of spaghetti
Step 1: Brown ground sirloin and season it with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper (optional) then add the spaghetti sauce. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes.
Step 2: Add tomatoes. Simmer for 1 minute.
Step 3: Turn off the heat and add the carrots.
Tip: Since the carrots are finely chopped, you don't need to cook it too long.

Step 4: On a separate pan, cook the spaghetti according to the package's direction. Drain. Add EVOO on the pasta because it's good for you and your kids.
Skip the cheese for less calories.
Step 5: Serve with a smile!


Shoppingero/shoppingera, what's your favorite comfort food?


9 comments:

mitch_casas said...

thank you for sharing. a different way of preparing a healthy spaghetti. hihi :)

psyche said...

filipino spaghetti is my all-time favorite food too. i could eat it any time, any day, all day. :)

thanks for sharing the recipe, ms. jenni

Anonymous said...

Try also: Alfredo sauce with tuna or mushrooms. Or the classic Aglio Olio! EVOO and whole garlic yummmmmm (and anti-hypertensive too)

P.S. I especially liked that you are advocating home cooking. Not that there is something wrong with eating out.

bronwynroan said...

Hi Jenni,

I'm a new fan..and let me say -U inspire me! U inspire me to write, to be creative, to improve our house -specially our kitchen, to be a better mother and wife (and having a productive career at the same time), to be feed my family healthier food, to be a better cook, to be a better woman! Million thanks to TimYap for introducing me to you thru twitter. So now, I am following your blog, following you on twitter and reading your old posts in multiply. I hope I don't sound like a stalker. Hehehe No, I'm just an addict fan! Pls pls keep doing what your doing coz you inspire a lot of people, not just me.

=) 'enx!
-Emskie

Pauline said...

Definitely a comfort food! Now I can cook spaghetti in this way! Mind if I use your recipe too? I love veggies and I love how you put them in the usual sweet spag. I'M LOVING EVERYTHING! Well, I must add mushrooms too, my favorite! Thanks Miss J for sharing!

Unknown said...

Thank you for this special spaghetti recipe! I've copied and printed it out so we can try your version in our next spaghetti cook-out!

Shoppingero/shoppingera, what's your favorite comfort food?

-- for me, i've recently become addicted to serenitea and i find myself buying hokkaido tea almost every night to relax and comfort myself after a hard day's work.

agnes peran
chinita2700@yahoo.com

Lesley said...

oo nga no, if kaldereta can have carrots, why not spaghetti? good idea! :) will definitely try this. thanks for sharing simple recipes that make common ingredients very interesting!

Unknown said...

Ooh! alam ko to! I learned it from my mom, she always cook spaghetti with carrots, she also add hot dogs on it, chopped like carrots. aw,, i miss my mom's spaghetti..

Food Handler Certification said...

I love spaghetti since I was a child. My mom always cooks me, my brothers and my sister whenever it's our birthday or other special occasions that needs celebrating. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Now I can cook for my mom.

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