Dirty Spaghetti
Think of this as dirty rice's weeknight cousin. Browned beef, smoky andouille, and the Cajun trinity of onion, bell pepper, and celery all cook down in one pan, then the spaghetti goes right in and soaks up every bit of that seasoned broth. One skillet, big flavor, and not much to wash afterward.
Before You Start
This recipe moves quickly once the pan is hot, so get all of your chopping done first. Everything gets diced to roughly the same size, which helps it cook evenly and makes each forkful taste like the whole dish.
You'll want a deep skillet with a tight fitting lid. The lid matters here. It traps the steam that cooks the pasta, so if yours is a little loose, a sheet of foil under it works fine.
Knife Notes
Onion: Halve it root to tip and leave the root end on while you slice. It holds the layers together so your dice stays neat and your eyes get a break.
Bell pepper: Cut the flesh away from the core in flat panels, then lay them skin side down. A sharp edge bites right through the skin instead of sliding off it.
Celery: Split each stalk lengthwise into two or three strips before crosscutting. You'll get a small, even dice in a fraction of the time.
Andouille: Slice into coins, stack a few, then cut into small cubes. Smaller pieces spread that smoky flavor through the whole pan.
Ingredients
Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Method
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Brown the beef
Add the oil to your skillet and set it over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring and breaking it into small crumbles as it browns. Don't rush this part. Those browned bits are where a lot of the flavor comes from.
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Build the base
Stir in the onion, bell pepper, celery, and andouille and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, thyme, cayenne, black pepper, and salt. Keep stirring for another 1 to 2 minutes so the spices toast and wake up. Pour in the broth and bring everything to a simmer.
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Cook the pasta in the pan
Snap the spaghetti in half and spread it out in the skillet as evenly as you can. Cover tightly and let it cook on medium-high for 2 minutes. Lift the lid, give everything a good stir, and cover again. Keep repeating that every 2 minutes or so until the pasta is cooked the way you like it and most of the liquid is absorbed.
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Finish and serve
Turn off the heat and drizzle in the Worcestershire sauce. Taste it and add another pinch of salt if it needs one. Stir it all together, spoon it into bowls, and top with plenty of green onions.
Want to make it your own? Swap the beef for ground pork, add a spoonful of tomato paste with the spices for a deeper color, or finish with a few dashes of hot sauce at the table. Follow this version, the one in the video, or your own. It's hard to go wrong with this one.
