What I Loved
What’s not to love. This recipe contained copious amounts of melty cheese and starchy carbs from the pasta. The cheese on top forms a nice crust in the oven that provides a delightful crunch. This is a crazy easy spaghetti recipe that won’t disappoint, as long as you are a cheese lover.
Original Recipe For Crazy Easy Spaghetti From 1908
Boil 1/2 pound of spaghetti until tender. Drain. Heat 1 tablespoonful of butter, stir in 1/2 pound of grated cheese, salt and pepper. Then add 1 cup of milk; let boil and pour over the spaghetti. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and grated cheese and let bake in the oven until done. Serve hot.
Updated Method
If I were to make this recipe again, I’d make a simple tweak. Instead of adding a cup of milk, I’d thicken that milk to make a simple white sauce. This would allow me to add less cheese, because I wouldn’t be expecting the cheese to do the thickening.
My Updated Method:
- 1 T butter
- 1 T flour
- 1 C milk
- 4 oz parmesan (other good melty cheeses will work)
- 8 oz dry spaghetti
- 2 oz mozarella
- salt and pepper to taste
Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir until it is well combined. Continue to stir periodically until the mixture starts to brown slightly. Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Add in the cheese.
Boil the spaghetti in salted water until al dente. Combine the spaghetti with the sauce and place in an oven-safe container. Sprinkle with mozzarella and a little parmesan. Place in the oven at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is brown on top. Enjoy!
What I Learned
The problem with this recipe is the method. The noodles soaked up the milk in the oven, and then I was left with an overly cheesy taste and texture. I believe a much better approach is to make a basic white sauce. Doing so will prevent the spaghetti from soaking up too much of the sauce.
With this recipe the variations are endless. It was very rich and heavy as written. Furthermore, I kept thinking it would be great with a southwestern flair. Next time I plan to add some jack cheese instead of parmesan to add some spice to cut through the density.
In the original recipe, they were relying on the cheese to thicken the sauce. However, by thickening the milk with the flour/butter mixture, it removes the need to add as much cheese as the original recipe calls for. This will produce a smoother sauce with a more pleasant taste for this crazy easy spaghetti. Enjoy!
Reference
365 Foreign Dishes: A Foreign Dish for every day in the year, By: Unknown, 1908
