Spaghetti Creole [recipe]

Posted on January 4, 2019April 30, 2020 by Matt Todd

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Spaghetti Creole was a camping luxury.

It’s no secret that Scouting had a huge impact on my life. I learned leadership skills, began to understand stewardship of the land, and made life-long friends. I also learned how to plan meals and cook for large groups of people. In addition to Summer Camp and Philmont expeditions, our troop went camping an average of eight weekends a year. That’s a lot of opportunities to learn how to cook some pretty great food.

We rarely let the weather keep us from a weekend camping trip. So when we planned our winter campouts, we made sure we had warm food in our bellies at dinner. Winter dinners were usually one-pot meals: stews, soups, and the like. But one dinner was a troop-wide favorite. Spaghetti Creole.

I have no idea why it’s called Spaghetti Creole. There’s nothing in it that would make this meal anywhere close to creole. I guess you could say it’s a distant cousin to gumbo. But I think you’d be dreaming. Even though the “Creole” part of Spaghetti Creole could be somewhat spurious, it’s undeniable how great this meal is on a chilly evening while you’re sitting around a campfire with friends.

Spaghetti Creole is really just fancied-up Spaghettios. But it’s glorious.

Before we get too far into the ins and out of this recipe, I need to make this small PSA. If you’re anything like me, you have a tendency to spill stuff on your shirt while you’re dealing with food. My brother’s family used to say that they “Did an Uncle Matt” when they dripped food on their shirts. Yes. I’m that well-known for spilling stuff on my shirt. And since this recipe is tomato-based, an apron is in order. Save your shirts. Get an apron.

You’re welcome.

Let’s get started. Here’s what you need to make Spaghetti Creole*.

Ingredients:

½ Green Bell Pepper, diced
1 Onion, diced
1 22 Ounce Can Diced Tomatoes, drained
½ Pound Bacon, diced
1 Pound Ground Beef, crumbled
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
3 22.4 Ounce Cans Original Spaghettios

Equipment:

What to do:

Dice green pepper and onion. Set aside.
With kitchen shears, dice bacon and place in large pan to brown.
Brown bacon. Remove from pan. Set aside. Drain grease.
Brown ground beef. When beef has cooked about halfway, add garlic, onions, and green pepper.
Once beef is browned and onions are translucent, drain grease.
Add diced tomatoes. Simmer for two minutes.
Add Spaghettios.**
Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Stir in bacon.
Serve. Enjoy!

Notes

*I learned this recipe as a one-pot recipe, with the intention of cooking it all in the same pot without having to remove any items. I’ve modified the recipe a little bit because 1.) That’s a whole lot of grease to keep in the meal and 2.) My family tends to prefer crispy bacon to “soggy” bacon. When you keep the bacon in the pot while cooking everything else, the bacon becomes “soggy.” Of course, you’re welcome to make your bacon as crispy or “soggy” as you’d like.

**When the adult Scout leaders would make Spaghetti Creole, they would use canned spaghetti. I guess you can do that. It’s probably the adult thing to do. But what’s the fun in that?

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Matt Todd

Howdy. I'm Matt. My wife, Christy, and I have four kids and two dogs, I'm passionate about orphan care. I'm a die-hard fan of the Evansville Aces, the Indiana Hoosiers, and Star Wars. I'm trying to live life by the Todd family motto: "It behooves us to live!"