Roasted Garlic Tomato & Meat Spaghetti: CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE

CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE #7
Spaghetti with Red Sauce

Roasted Garlic Tomato & Meat Spaghetti

We've passed the half way mark and we are onto challenge #7 of the CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE, if you haven't heard of this yet, then you MUST READ ALL ABOUT IT! This month is Spaghetti with some type of Red Sauce, I can't wait to explore all the recipes below and try out a few new ones. My family LOVES spaghetti and we could have it once a week and with all the new ideas below we would never have to have the same sauce twice. If you missed last month's Chocolate Cake Challenge, you are for sure missing out on a little bit of heaven if you don't go back and check it out.

Wondering what the CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE is? Want to join the CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE? If so, we'd love to have you. Just click on the button above or the tab and fill out the form. You will then be sent an email with all the details. Only participants of the CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE will be able to have their recipes linked-up, so if you missed this month please come join us for next month when we will be searching for the ULTIMATE Homemade Blueberry Muffin.

Let's move on to the spaghetti recipe I picked. This recipe comes from For Such a Time as This, she was actually part of another challenge I participate in, Secret Recipe Club, but I actually came across this post on Pinterest. Ya all know how I LOVE Pinterest! I can not tell you enough, to run not walk over there and join! It's the best thing since sliced bread (hehe... hehe... I am not that old, but love that saying!) :-) If you need an invite to Pinterest feel free to leave your email address in the comments and I will send you an invite. You MUST be invited to join and requesting one takes FOR-EVER!

Really, let's talk about the recipe now! I made this recipe on one of my freezer cooking days. The large pot of sauce not only feed my family a delicious Spaghetti dinner that evening, but also I was able to freeze a few extra ziploc baggies for other meals like Homemade Pizzas, Lasagna, Goulash and so much more. This recipe was originally for canning and since I have NO IDEA how to can (although I would love to learn); I made this recipe and stored the extra in ziploc bags in the freezer.

Here are a few quick tips and tricks for freezer storing. Use a tall glass and fold over your ziploc bag (easiest, simplest and best trick around for no-mess baggies), then load up your baggie and seal. I always double bag anything liquid. Using ziploc bags saves a ton of space in the freezer and for the few cents you waste on a baggie, it saves a ton of money and time because you are buying bulk and cooking in bulk. I bagged up all of the left over sauce and I also bagged up some of the plain meat mixture (recipe below). The extra meat we use for tacos, sloppy joes, or toppings for a homemade pizza. The ideas are endless.

The tomato sauce recipe was the hardest part. I have never in my life peeled tomatoes. I wanted to follow the recipe exactly, so I did as it says. I am not sure if it would of came out as nice without this step, but I was happy with the end result.

Roasted Garlic Tomato & Meat Spaghetti

adapted by me, found at For Such a Time as This;
originally from Better Homes and Garden Canning Magazine

4 cloves of garlic (more if you'd like)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 bell peppers (red, orange, yellow, or green), halved and seeded
35 Roma tomatoes
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp fresh pepper
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 tbsp dried herbs (basil, parsley and Italian Seasoning)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel away the dry outer layer of the garlic bulbs and cut the tops of the bulbs. Cut peppers and remove seeds. Place both the garlic and the peppers on a a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Cook for 40 minutes.

Let garlic and peppers cool for about 20 minutes. Then place the garlic, peppers and peeled tomatoes into a food processor. This took about 3 or 4 batches to get all 35 tomatoes and the rest of the stuffed purred. Leave a little bit chunky, as much as you wish.

Place the tomato mixture into a dutch oven or large sauce pot on the stove over medium high heat.  Add in the brown sugar, salt, vinegar, black pepper, and herbs. Cook for 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. While this is cooking you can begin the meat mixture below and then add to the pot as soon the meat is cooked.

Meat Mixture

2 lbs of hamburger meat
1/4 cup diced onion
4 carrots, shredded (love my Kitchen Aid for this part)
4 to 6 mushrooms, finely diced
parsley, fresh or dried

Cook all of the above ingredients in a sauce pan on the stove top, until meat is cooked all the way through. Drain excess oil and then we like to pulse our meat a few times in a food processor, so we don;t have big chunks. This is my favorite trick I learned long ago, when I would feed my kids spaghetti and then they would return their bowls with big chunks of meat in the bottom of the bowl. I've done it this way for so long, we all just prefer it this way now (except the hubby).

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Roasted Garlic Tomato & Meat Spaghetti