Recipe by: Beryl Stokes

Spaghetti Sauce - Cajun Style. What's that? It a simple and easy Spaghetti Sauce made with traditional Italian ingredients and adding our own Cajun flair of heat. I don't have a lick of Italian in me, but I make a mighty tasty Spaghetti Sauce. Mon Amie - it's so good!

Spaghetti is the general term to refer to the pasta. There are many types of pasta that are great for a good chunky tomato sauce like we are making. The traditional long spaghetti is fine for smooth tomato sauces, but for a chunkier sauce you need a pasta that can trap and hold the sauce as it travels to your mouth.

A few of our favorite pastas are: Bowtie Pasta or Farfalle (pronounced: Far-Fall-lay) Rotini Pasta or Fusilli (pronounced: foo-Zee-lee) Elbow Macaroni (every kids favorite)

So the same thing that makes spectacular Cajun cuisine is the same that makes exceptional Italian cuisine - Fresh ingredients. We are using freshly made organic ground round beef, organic tomato puree, thick and rich tomato paste, and freshly chopped seasoning vegetables (The Cajun Trinity). And apparently Mike sneaked in and a few ingredients of his own.

Let's get to cooking our Cajun Spaghetti Sauce! I'm hungry.

Equipment needed:

• Large Pot
• Medium Saucepan
• Colander
• Measuring Cup
• Measuring Spoons
• Cutting Board
• Knife
• Wooden Spoon

Ingredients Needed:

• 1.5 lbs fresh ground round or ground beef of your choice
• 1 28 oz can of Tomato Puree
• 1 6 oz can Tomato Paste
• 1 14 oz can Petite Dice Tomatoes (with garlic & olive)
• 4 cups Cajun Trinity (chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic & parsley)
• 1 T canola or vegetable oil
• ¼ cup Sugar (we use organic cane sugar)
• 1 T Cajun Seasoning
• 1 T Italian Seasoning (oregano, basil, & thyme)
• 3 Bay Leaves
• 1 cup Water Sea Salt (to taste)
• 2 cups Rotini pasta or whatever pasta you like (cook 1 cup per person to be served)
• Parmesan cheese

How to cook Spaghetti Sauce - Cajun Style

First have all of your ingredient ready to go before you start cooking. Chop your Cajun Trinity. See How to Make the Cajun Trinity if you need help with this.

In the large pot and medium-high heat #7, place 1 tablespoon oil. Toss in the Cajun Trinity and sauté 5-10 minutes. Add the ground beef. Chop and stir often cooking thoroughly for about 15-20 minutes.

Add the tomato puree, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, Italian seasoning, bay leaves and water. Stir well. Cover. Lower the heat to #3 and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Mysteriously added to my sauce was chunky salsa, ketchup and no telling what else.

Fill the medium saucepan with water about 1-2" from the top. Sprinkle in Sea Salt. Bring the water to a boil and stir in the Rotini pasta. Lower the heat to #8 to prevent water boiling over. Cook 8-10 minutes. Turn off the heat. Drain in a colander in the sink. No need rinse. Bring back to the stove.

To serve Spaghetti Sauce at the table, spoon pasta in a deep platter and cover generously with Spaghetti Sauce. Grate fresh Parmesan cheese and sprinkle over the dish.

Spaghetti Sauce serves 8-12. We typically cook and freeze containers for quick suppers during the busy workweek.