In my blogger land travels, I picked up a recipe from a beautiful, informative top rated blog. The dish looked too delicious to pass up without trying my hand at it. Couple of things. I baked mine on the BBQ Grill as I didn’t want to heat the house up, so it did not brown the way it would have if I would have put it in the oven. But the results, this was as good tasting as the picture over at Trissalicious! I also added a little bit of velvetta to the sauce, because I wanted to use it up. It was delicious. This is worth all efforts to make it, and really is pretty easy to make. I’m posting how I made it for my records to come back to all the time. Go on over to Trissalicious, and take a look at her blog, if you’ve never been there, you are in for a real treat.
Baked Spaghetti Royale
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced ( I used an Orange Pepper, it was all I had)
- 3 pieces chorizo, diced (I used Smoked Sausage, it was what I had on hand)
- 500 grams ground beef (optional)
- 1/2 bunch coriander leaves, chopped
- 550 grams tomato sauce (for example, barilla)
- salt, pepper and sugar to taste
- Velvetta Cheese, to taste ( I added this for extra flavor, plus I needed to use it up)
- 500 grams spaghetti noodles, cooked as per instructions on the box
- grated parmesan cheese
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan and add the onion and garlic. Saute for a few minutes until the onion is soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the peppers and saute until soft over medium heat until soft.
- Next, add the 3 pieces of chorizo and cook until browned, five or so minutes.
- If using ground beef, add it now – cook until browned and the liquid from the beef has evaporated.
- Add the cilantro and the tomato sauce and simmer for around 25 to 30 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar
- Add Velvetta Cheese, if using.
Bechamel Sauce
- 70 grams butter
- 40 grams flour
- 2 cans evaporated milk (375 ml each)
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Melt the butter in a heavy based sauce pan and add the flour. Cook out the flour for a few minutes over low heat, to remove the “floury” taste.
- Slowly add the evaporated milk, whisking it in, a little at a time.
- Continue to whisk the mixture until thick, around 10 minutes.
- Add the nutmeg and season to taste.
To Assemble:
Place the spaghetti noodles in a casserole dish and mix in the tomato sauce mixture and a quarter of the bechamel sauce. Mix well and top with the rest of the bechamel and some grated parmesan cheese.
Bake in a pre-heated oven 180c (fan forced) for 2o to 25 minutes until the cheese has melted.
