The first way is rather traditional made with spaghetti and lots of cheese and pepper!

The second is prepared with spaghetti squash! Equally as delicious, gluten free and low carb friendly!

If I may, for just a minute, share the highlights of our weekend. There’s a Jump to Recipe button just above if you’d like to skip the recap. No hard feelings :)

I planned and delivered a Tailgate Luncheon Birthday Party for 45 people on Saturday! eeeek!

It was such an amazing experience AND they loved it!!

Tailgate Luncheon Menu

• Slow Smoked Pulled Pork Sliders with 4 BBQ Sauces, including White BBQ Sauce
• Classic Coleslaw
• Three Cheese Mac ‘n’ Cheese
• Baked Beans
• Asian Beef Meatballs
• Chili Cheese Dog Tailgate Sliders
• Mardi Gras Wings with Celery/Carrots/Ranch Dressing
• From the Earth Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette
• Buffalo Chicken Dip with Tostitos Scoops
• Apache Bread Dip with Fritos Scoops
• Million Dollar Bacon (for the Bloody Mary Bar)

After being apart for six weeks, our bus is back home – better than ever!! We took her to the VW Invasion at Caffeine & Octane on Sunday. Incredible group of passionate car owners! I made a video recap and shared it on TikTok!

After several days of planning and cooking, followed by the camaraderie we experienced at the car show….I’m pretty high on life!

With that great energy I’m making Cacio e Pepe. Cheese and pepper pasta (or cheese & pepper spaghetti squash).

My first taste of this dish was during a dream Italian vacation Nick and I took a couple years ago. The first leg of our trip was in Rome where we aptly took a “Cooking Class in Rome.”

We have relived this trip over and over through stories we’ve shared and recipes we’ve recreated at home. At the close of our class, our instructor, chef Andrea, gave us these words of advice. Do not leave Rome without having Cacio e Pepe.

He went further and recommended the restaurant Roma Sparita which was walking distance from our hotel. Little did we know at the time that Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservation’s in Rome episode featured this very dish.

I decided to share this recipe made in a parmesan cheese bowl, just the way it was served at Roma Sparita!

Well, almost the same way. I’m serving mine with spaghetti squash, but you do you!

How To Cook Spaghetti Squash

• Cut squash in half
• Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds
• Coat cut side with olive oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper
• Place cut side down on baking sheet
• Bake at 400 degrees F. for 45 minutes
• Using two forks, scrape the squash strands from skins

Cacio e Pepe Basic Steps

• Melt butter in a pan over medium heat
• Add freshly cracked pepper and toast for 1 minute
• If using pasta add in an little pasta water
• Add in cooked pasta or spaghetti squash
• Stir to coat with butter & pepper, reduce heat to low
• Sprinkle with pecorino romano cheese and toss to combine
• For spaghetti squash swirl in a little cream (in place of pasta water)
• Serve in parmesan crisp bowl

This dish is Italian comfort food made from the simplest of ingredients. It’s cheesy with a nice peppery finish. The Parmesan Crisp Bowl is like dessert!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

Print

Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti Squash (served in Parmesan Crisp Bowls

This dish is Italian comfort food made from the simplest of ingredients. It's cheesy with a nice peppery finish. The parmesan crisp bowl is like dessert!

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

For the Spaghetti Squash

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• salt & pepper

For the Parmesan Crisp Bowls

• 1 cup parmesan cheese finely shredded

For the Cacio e Pepe

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 3-4 cups cooked spaghetti squash see above
• 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese grated
• 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
• salt to taste
• 2 Tablespoons Pecorino Romano for garnish

Instructions

For the Spaghetti Squash

• Preheat oven to 400° F.
• Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Coat cut side of each half with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Place halves cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes or until a fork pierces skin easily.
• Using two forks, scrape squash to loosen strands. Remove squash to a bowl and reserve.

For the Parmesan Crisp Bowls

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Make 2 6"-7" diameter circles with the parmesan cheese. Bake for 5-7 minutes until lightly golden.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1 minute. Using a spatula, lift cheese circles and place over inverted bowls. Allow to cool.

For Cacio e Pepe

• Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add pepper and toast for 1 minute. Add in cooked spaghetti squash and stir to coat with butter. Reduce heat to low and add Pecorino Romano cheese and stir well. Swirl in a little cream and mix well. Season with salt to taste.
• Transfer to parmesan crisp bowls. Garnish with a sprinkle of Pecorino Romano.

The post Cacio e Pepe Served Two Ways appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Call me crazy, but when I have leftover Spaghetti & Meatballs I’m looking for bread and butter so I can make a sandwich.  Picked this up as a kid and it has stuck with me ever since.  National Grilled Cheese Month seemed like the perfect time to share this little secret of mine.  Welcome the Spaghetti & Meatball Grilled Cheese Sandwich with fresh mozzarella & Parmesan cheese on a pesto chibatta roll.  Ha!

I must confess I have been looking at leftovers quite differently since I came up with this masterpiece.  Stay tuned for the next espisode of Grilled Cheese Inspirations by Libby with Lemony Thyme.  It may be my calling :)

The post Spaghetti & Meatball Grilled Cheese Sandwich appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Sometimes I crave Spaghetti & Meatballs.  I’m not really a big ‘craver’…if that is a word, except Chocolate cravings….those happen most days at either 3 pm or and 9 pm.

It’s Day #2 of Eat Out of the Fridge/Pantry Week.  As I walked out the door it occurred to me – should I thaw Chicken or Ground Turkey?  Turkey it was and meatballs it became.

We love ground turkey and often choose it over ground beef.  First and foremost because ground turkey begs for you to add flavor and seasoning and that suits our cooking quite well.  A Pasta Sauce, Basic Tomato Sauce or Marinara Sauce is so versatile that we keep containers frozen for just such an occasion.

Nothing really special about this Spaghetti & Meatballs recipe.  You may be wondering why I would even bother posting it.  Lemony Thyme, above all else, is a place for me to record recipes and share them.  The truth is it has become a recipe box for me and I use it as a resource, as I hope some of you will.  Oh and there is this crazy idea that popped into my head about making a Spaghetti & Meatball Grilled Cheese Sandwich…in honor of National Grilled Cheese Month of course ;)

Print

Spaghetti & Turkey Meatballs

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 2 cups Tomato Sauce see recipe links in post
• 1/2 lb. cooked spaghetti

For meatballs…

• 1 1-1/4 lb. Jennie-O Ground Turkey
• 1 egg
• 1 slice bread ground fine
• 2 Tbl. Parmesan cheese grated
• 1/4 cup onion fine diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 Tbl. fresh parsley finely chopped
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• pinch red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line shallow baking sheet with non-stick foil.
• Combine all meatball ingredients, until just blended (do not overwork). Form into 2″ balls and place on foil lined baking sheet, we made 15.
• Bake for 18 – 20 minutes, until cooked through.
• Serve meatballs over cooked spaghetti with tomato sauce.

You might also like our Great Big Italian Meatballs recipe.

The post Spaghetti & Turkey Meatballs appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

The Country Fair has been in full twirling whirling mode for the past 10 days.  Every day on my drive to work I’m amazed at how it has transformed the space the Farmers’ Market occupied all summer long.  Each morning at the office I can overhear recaps from those who attended ‘the fair’ the evening prior.

Sure the Giant Rat, and Alligator Wrestlers, and Rodeo Riders get a mention, but overwhelmingly it’s the food that is most talked about.  “How on earth do they deep fry Kool-Aid?” or “Krispy Kreme Burgers….are you kidding me?”  County & State Fair’s Food Vendors seem to try to one up each other….or at least outdo last year’s creations.

Of all the new fair food for 2012 I read about….Spaghetti & Meatball on a Stick was the one that caught my attention.  Mostly because it really wasn’t that outrageous (but brilliant) and I could actually see my ‘fun mom’ friends making these for their kidlets.  This creation debuted at the Minnesota State Fair, where you could buy a “Meatball Dinner” for $4.00.

Here is our first attempt….and the test kitchen critics give them an ‘A’ for effort with just a few recipe adjustments required…cook them a tad longer and make more of them.

Combine cooked spaghetti with your favorite meatball mixture.  Form them into meatballs….it took a couple minutes to get everything incorporated….but they will come together.

Bake the meatballs at 350 for about 20 minutes, turning once to get them mostly cooked.

Then into the garlic bread batter (boxed baking mix, milk, and garlic powder…remember this is fair food, not fine dining).  Finally into hot oil for a swim until they are deep brown.

Serve them on a stick, with a side of marinara sauce and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.  Definitely Fun Fair Food!!  Might try to lighten these up and make them with ground turkey and spaghetti squash rolled in garlic bread crumbs and baked.  Sorry, that was a lame attempt at appearing to be health conscience.  Clearly that’s not the focus of fair food vendors, nor mine with this recipe.  Enjoy!!

Check out our post on Fabulous Fair Food {Outrageous Creations}.  And my attempt to create a favorite childhood treat ‘Fair Style.’  Meet the Inside Out Dusty Miller Sundae.

Print

Spaghetti & Meatball on a Stick {Fabulous Fair Food}

Course Fun Fair Food

Author MN State Fair inspired, recreated by Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the meatballs…

• 1 1/2 oz. cooked spaghetti
• 1/2 cup ground beef
• 1 egg beaten
• 1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 Tbl. Parmesan cheese grated
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• pinch salt & pepper

For the garlic bread batter…

• 1 cup baking mix
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

For the sauce…

• 1/2 cup basic tomato sauce
• Canola oil for deep frying

Assembly…

• Parmesan cheese for final sprinkle
• Sticks for serving

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees

For the meatballs…

• Cook spaghetti, drain, and set aside.
• Mix all remaining meatball ingredients, then add spaghetti.
• Using hands gently incorporate spaghetti into meat mixture.
• Form into 10 spaghetti meatballs about 1 1/2″ around and placed on foil lined baking sheet, coated with cooking spray.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then turn meatballs over and cook for another 10.
• Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

For garlic bread batter…

• Heat canola oil to 375 degrees.
• Combine baking mix with milk and garlic powder; mixture will be thicker than pancake batter and a little thinner than biscuit dough.
• When oil is up to temp (use a candy thermometer or when a piece of bread dropped in the oil sizzles and turns brown…without burning).
• Individually dip the meatballs in batter, completely coating them, then gently add to oil, cooking only two meatballs at a time, turning in oil to insure even cooking.
• When cooked to a deep brown, remove from oil and drain on paper towels.
• Continue until all meatballs have been batter fried.

For the sauce…

• Prepare basic tomato sauce or open a jar of your favorite marinara sauce.

Assembly…

• Put two meatballs on each stick, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, serve with a side of marinara sauce.

The post Spaghetti & Meatballs on a Stick {Fabulous Fair Food} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.