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Last month, I made a special dish for Joy involving spaghetti and day-old ground beef. She asked me to make her spagetti, but I didn’t want to just make a boring “boil-water-brown-beef-and-toss-with marinara.” I made it spicy. When I had Joy taste it, she said it burned her lips and tongue. Okay, so I MIGHT have added too much cumin and crushed red pepper, but no bother, I added honey and some sugar and she said it was perfection.

Flash forward to last week. We picked up some 15% fat ground beef for making another couple of burgers. The request then changed to making that dish again. I jumped on the opportunity.

First, the recipe.

Sweet Spicyghetti

1/2 lb of your favorite ground chuck/sirloin/etc.

2 Tbs of olive oil (for browning the beef, if needed)

2 cups (1/2 jar) of Marinara sauce (or your favorite pre-packaged spaghetti sauce)

1 Tbs cumin

1 Tbs crushed red pepper

1 tsp cayanne pepper

1 Tbs sugar

1 Tbs honey

1 tbs garlic salt

1) Brown the meat to your desired flavor, season with the garlic salt. I recommend about medium-medium well (pictured below)

2) Add the marinara directly to the beef (Yes, do not drain it, I have not drained it prior to adding, but I’m confident the effect will still be the same)

3) Add the cumin, pepper, and cayanne to the concotion and fold it together. Let this simmer and reduce a little.

4) Add the sugar and gently mix it. Simmer again for about a minute and give it a taste.

5) Add the honey to the dish if it tastes too strong. Stir in and simmer. This will balance the heat with the sweet. If it is still too strong, add a tbs more of honey at a time, repeating #4.

The result will be like the other photo. Just as the name of the dish goes, it’s got a kick of spice, and it’s chased with the sweetness to calm the seasoning.  We have not had leftovers yet for this dish, something I am quite proud of. A great pairing to this dish, as pictured above is Joy’s Georgian cheese bread.

 I am always looking for ways of tweaking the recipe, so if you have any hints, let me know! Enjoy!