The end of school is near.
In fact, we only have two more school days with kids. So last week was crazy. Field days and fun days and field trips. I didn’t get to see many of my classes.
My birthday was on Friday. One of the coolest things about being a teacher is that I got to spend most of my birthday with 600 of my closest friends! And since most of the teachers at school knew from Facebook that it was my birthday, they would wish me a happy birthday and then all the kids in their classes wished me happy birthday, too. I even had five different classes sing to me!
I got a sweet surprise when I got roses from Michael and the kids. Beautiful yellow roses. Yes, that’s them in the background of the food shot. I couldn’t resist!
Michael smoked a brisket all day long for my birthday dinner. The great thing about brisket is that we sliced some of it for dinner and then I put it in the oven with onion soup mix and water and baked it at 300 degrees for another 3 hours. Then we shredded it. The next day, I chopped about half of it a little finer and added barbecue sauce and we had yummy sandwiches. Then the next day, I laid what was left on a big baking sheet and broiled it for 5-6 minutes until it was a little charred and crispy and we layered it onto tostada shells with shredded cabbage, cheese, avocado, sour cream, cilantro, and salsa. I love when you can get more than one meal out of something!
Because we were all brisket-ed out, I made something different for dinner. I mean, I love brisket – like a LOT – but after you’ve had it for three days in a row, it’s time to move on!
This is a one-pan wonder! Everything is cooked in one big skillet – which I love because I dislike cleaning very much. I also love it because it is delicious!
One-Pan Pasta with Meat Sauce
- 2 pounds of ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 45 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce
- same jar full of water
- salt to taste
- 1 pound of dried pasta
Brown the ground meat on high heat in a large skillet. When meat is browned, add the spaghetti sauce and water. Stir to combine. Taste and add salt as needed. Add the pasta. bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes or until pasta is tender.
Well Duh #1: I used ground turkey because that’s what I had. You can use whatever ground meat you have on hand, but be sure to drain away any grease if you have any after browning.
Well Duh #2: After I poured the spaghetti sauce into the skillet, I filled the jar with water, replaced the cap, and shook it so that it got all the rest of sauce out.
Well Duh #3: You can use whatever cut of pasta you want. I used wagon wheel pasta because I needed wagon wheel pasta for a second grade art project earlier in the month. I couldn’t find any locally, so I ordered it online. But I had to order a CASE of it, so I have a LOT of wagon wheel pasta! But look how cute the art project turned out:
Well Duh #4: Be sure you use the biggest skillet you’ve got!
Well Duh #5: My spaghetti sauce was a little bland – especially after I added the water, so I added a teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. I also added a little extra salt. Just be sure to taste it before you add the pasta.
We all loved this dish. Hearty and delicious. And the pasta soaks up the delicious flavor of the sauce!
And not brisket.
Recent Comments