Easy Spaghetti Recipe: Noodly Hot Dogs
This is such a child friendly and easy recipe that I thought I would not only propose it to my children, but have them make it themselves.
Of course being a hot dish, there are some steps that absolutely needed to be done by an adult (me) but the kids really enjoyed making it, and therefore they were much more willing to taste the final product and better prone to like it.
It helped a little that I was filming them too. : )
Cook Time
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 11 min
Ready in: 21 min
Yields: 3-4 people
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound Spaghetti, uncooked
- 5-6 Hot Dogs, Sliced
- Salt
Instructions
- Slice the Hot Dogs. Keep slice thickness around 1/2 inch.
- Take the spaghetti one at the time and stick them through each slice of hot dog. On each piece of meat you can stick an average of 5 spaghetti.
- In the meanwhile bring water to boil in a big pan. Once it starts to boil, add a little salt to the water. You don't need much salt because the hot dogs are already on the salty side.
- When the water is boiling, put in the hot dogs slices with the spaghetti. At first they will stand in the pan, after a couple of minutes the bottom half of the spaghetti will soften, and you'll be able to stir them in and get them all submerged in the boiling water.
- Cook for about 11 minutes, or the time indicated on your spaghetti package.
- When cooked, drain the pasta with the hot dogs with a colander.
- Serve hot.
Serve Plain or Seasoned
You can serve the Noodly Hot Dogs plain or seasoned in simple ways like:
- Olive oil - Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and toss gently.
- Parmesan Cheese - You can sprinkle Parmesan Cheese on the plain noodles, especially a little wet with the cooking water or oil, to allow the Parmesan Cheese to stick better.
- Tomato Sauce - As any pasta dish, you can season with your choice of tomato sauce: marinara, basil, meat, etc. Warm up the sauce on the side, and add to the drained pasta.
Here too you can add some Parmesan Cheese, it's always a valuable idea. :)
Broccoli on the Side
To cook the side of broccoli:
Heat Extra Virgin Olive Oil on a pan with 2 minced garlic cloves, and 1/2 onion, also minced.
Add 1 package of frozen broccoli, 1/2 cup of water, salt and pepper, and cover on medium heat.
It cooks in about 20 minutes. Stir few times.
Any Pasta is always better Al Dente
How to Cook Pasta “Al Dente”
- To cook pasta use a large pot.
- Fill the pot with water, about 1 liter per 100 grams of pasta (5 cups of water each ¼ pound), and heat up, covered.
- Use preferably coarse salt, about 10 grams (½ tbsp.) per liter of water.
- Add the salt when water starts boiling.
- Before adding the pasta wait until water starts boiling again.
- Have the noodles completely under water in the shortest time possible, stirring immediately with a long fork or wooden spoon.
- Cook the pasta uncovered, on medium-high heat, stirring often.
- Follow the cooking time on the package.
- To check if it’s cooked, get one noodle out and bite it in the middle. If It’s still hard and it shows some white when you bite, it needs a couple of more minutes.
- When the noodles are cooked, before draining add a glass of cold water, to stop the cooking process.
- Don’t overcook your pasta, kept “al dente” it’s easier to digest.
- Keep some of the cooking water to moisten the sauce, especially for white sauces or pesto.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: 60 grams | |
| Calories | 229 |
| Calories from Fat | 117 |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Fat 13 g | 20% |
| Saturated fat 4 g | 20% |
| Unsaturated fat 8 g | |
| Carbohydrates 18 g | 6% |
| Sugar 1 g | |
| Fiber 1 g | 4% |
| Protein 9 g | 18% |
| Cholesterol 33 mg | 11% |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
