Bacon Spaghetti

 

I grew up in a house with 4 siblings, at a time when we didn't have a lot of money.  Both my parents worked hard to provide for the family, and there was never a time we went without anything, especially food.  

Meals were a big deal, they were not only sustenance for our bodies, but they were a time to come together as a family, sit around the table, and talk about our day and anything and everything in between.

We always had a family member living with us, my greatgrandmother was there from my earliest memories, until the day I married and left South Africa.  At some point, my uncle lived with us too, and then my grandmother and grandfather, and so on.  So family meals meant a big table, filled with people.

It was important to my stepmother and greatgrandmother, to have meals on the table that were filling, but most of all enough for everybody.  It is not cheap feeding a big family, so they had to get creative at times and use what they had on hand.  Lucky for me, our family is Portuguese, and we know how to cook, we learn from a very young age.  Not to toot our own horns, but we are very much aware of what spices go well with what, and can easily and effortlessly make a delicious dinner with a few ingredients.

Bacon Spaghetti, was one of those meals that I loved, and still do to this day.  It is one that I make when I am in a pinch, or need to cut back on the grocery budget, or for example, now that the prices of food and everything else are soaring.

It doesn't take a lot of ingredients, and you can make as much or as little as you need.  Now remember, I don't cook using measurements, I eyeball everything, so I'll try to tell you how to make it, best as I can.

If you do try it, I would love to know what you think, so please come back and leave me a comment down below.

Bacon Spaghetti

Ingredients:

Bacon, cubed (the amount depends on how much you're making, if it's for a lot of people use a pound)

Spaghetti noodles

Onion, diced

Tomato, diced

Tomato sauce

Olive oil

Garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Chili flakes

White wine

Bay leaf

Paprika

Fresh Parsley

Boiling water

 

 

Directions:

In a pot, add a drizzle of olive oil, garlic, diced onion and diced tomato, and cook until onion is translucent.   Add in the bacon, and cook for a few minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, bay leaf, paprika, chili flakes and tomato sauce.  Mix well, then add in the white wine and the fresh parsley.

Cook for 5 to 10 minutes.  

Next, add in the spaghetti noodles, then pour in boiling water, until it covers the noodles completely, about an inch above.  Give everything a good stir, place the lid on and cook until the noodles are to your liking.  Remember to give it a stir once in a while, and check to make sure it has enough liquid, if need be, add in a little more water.  Check the seasonings, and adjust as needed.

I like to cook mine until the spaghetti is al dente, and the sauce is thickened.

Serve immediately!