I’m always amazed when parallels, cooking coincidences and similar ingredients arise out of two different, unrelated cuisines.
I discovered such a parallel recently after watching a newly introduced series on the Food Network called Down Home With the Neelys.
The Neelys run two family businesses in Tennessee and they are famous for their ribs and other southern US delights. The Neelys were first introduced to the TV world when they appeared alongside Paula Deen in one of her own shows.
I caught an episode where they made what they called a BBQ Spaghetti. From the ingredients listing, it’s obvious as to where the name came from….the BBQ sauce.
You’re probably wondering…WTF…where’s the parallel (here we go…chillax). My dad loves spaghetti and meat sauce. My dad also likes practically all of his food spicy (hot).
Since my dad finds even the most ornate sauce to be bland due to his spicy tastes, he would crank up the heat and flavours to make his own BBQ Spaghetti. This pasta is for those that like it spicy.
When one eats a forkful of this spaghetti, you taste the smoky Chipotle, the hint of hickory from the BBQ sauce, a twinge of lemon peel and a warm, garlic flavour that’s rounded out by a nice, sneak up and say, “BOO” kinda heat.
You may use The Neely’s approach or try my dad’s. All you need is some decent BBQ sauce, a homemade Bolognese sauce and some chopped vegetables and everyday condiments to make this zesty, party in your mouth kinda spaghetti.
BBQ Spaghetti
(for 4)
1 medium onion, diced
1 cubanelle pepper, cut into thin slices
1/3 cup olive oil
1 wide strip of lemon peel, thinly sliced
1 whole chili, minced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
(+ 3 more cloves, reserved for the end)
2 Chipotle peppers in Adobo, minced
Approx. 3 ladles of meat sauce
1/2 cup good BBQ Sauce (Bulls Eye) 1/4 cup Ketchup
1 Tbsp. dry oregano
Hot sauce
Squeeze of lemon juice
Grated Parmesan or Romano
salt & pepper (if needed)
- In a large pot, get your water boiling and and that point, generously salt and boil your spaghetti according to package’s instructions.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add your onions, 3 minced cloves of garlic, green pepper, chili, Chipotle peppers, lemon peel and saute while stirring for about 5 minutes for the veggies to soften.
- Now add your meat sauce and stir over medium heat to warm through. Now add your BBQ sauce and ketchup and stir to warm through.
- Use this moment to adjust the taste of the sauce to your liking. If you’d like it more bold, ad some more BBQ sauce. Like it sweeter, add a little ketchup. Like it spicier? Add a few drops of hot sauce. Is the sauce too sweet? Give it a squeeze of some lemon juice.
- When your pasta is cooked, drain and add the spaghetti to your BBQ meat sauce. While tossing the pasta and the sauce, add your dried oregano and remaining 3 cloves of minced garlic and toss until the spaghetti is coated with the sauce.
- Serve with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.
47 Responses
Great title! I was wondering how you could possible BBQ spaghetti. That bbq sauce with chipotles in adobo sounds tasty and nice and spicy. Bookmarked to try.
Oooh yum! This looks fantastic. Bookmarked for me too :)
I might be willing to try this new concept of spaghetti, if you throw in a couple of your ribs on the side! :)
Quite an interesting variation on regular pasta Peter.
You know I havent seen this show yet. I can serve this up alongsdie with some catfish. Spice and paata. It works.
Aw man, now you’re gonna need a “Downhome” category too. That looks like the perfect thing.
I swear this pasta speaks to me!… it does… it speaks to me!!
Am i hallucinating?.. Wow. That’s what i call dinner!
Hat’s off to your dad for liking spicy food. Most elderly people like it bland. The pasta sure looks good!!!
Hat’s off to your dad for liking spicy food. Most elderly people like it bland. The pasta sure looks good!!!
Hat’s off to your dad for liking spicy food. Most elderly people like it bland. The pasta sure looks good!!!
Hat’s off to your dad for liking spicy food. Most elderly people like it bland. The pasta sure looks good!!!
Hat’s off to your dad for liking spicy food. Most elderly people like it bland. The pasta sure looks good!!!
Hat’s off to your dad for liking spicy food. Most elderly people like it bland. The pasta sure looks good!!!
Hat’s off to your dad for liking spicy food. Most elderly people like it bland. The pasta sure looks good!!!
Hat’s off to your dad for liking spicy food. Most elderly people like it bland. The pasta sure looks good!!!
Hat’s off to your dad for liking spicy food. Most elderly people like it bland. The pasta sure looks good!!!
Another great meal you cooked tonight. Still can’t find chipotle peppers in
Adobo at the supermarkets around my town.
Oh my this really looks SO good Peter!! This is another perfect dish!!
That sounds like something my son would make in a desperate ‘raid the fridge’ meal…. And then make again and again because it was so good… And then I’d copy it..
Oh, you get the picture. Great idea!
Oh I love a “party in my mouth” type of food!!! That sounds so good! Definitely a must try! I need more days when I have time to really cook in a week to get through all the recipes I want to try!
Chipotle peppers and my meat sauce..wow. At first I wasn’t thinking this through but now, this sounds wonderful.
I had past for lunch today and am full, but now i saw this i am back hungry
I love BBQ spaghetti! Love the kick of flavour in it.
Kevin, I too would give my dad weird looks…until I tried it.
Elly, if you like bold and spicy…this spaghetti is it.
Marie, this kind of spaghetti can be used with leftover ribs too!
Pete, unconventional but tasty.
Glam, I’ve seen a couple of shows and I dig the Neelys.
Heather, you’re right…I’m adding the “downhome” tag
Zen, my dad has some wisdom from his restaurant days…give it a go.
Nina, my dad’s eaten his food spicy since I can recall. He shows no signs of waning.
Helene, you surely will find them the next time you’re in Vancouver, otherwise…there’s mail-order.
Rosie, I’m not sure about perfect but tasty it was indeed.
Katie, I scratched my head many times watching my dad make it until I was starving, opened the fridge and nuked some of his leftovers.
Judy, I hear ya…so many great recipes to try…so little time.
Mary, think of it like a new song on the radio. Sometimes you need a few listens to realize it’s a hit!
Happy, a small bowl can’t hurt, can it?
Ruth, so you’ve had something like this?
It’s a dish I ordered in a restaurant once and have been meaning to recreate: it was so yummy!
Oh wow, that is a twist on a classic. Well done Peter, what I’ve been finding out about pasta is that you can throw almost any flavor on it and it will still taste delicious.
Cheers!
I love BBQ sauce so I think this is great. When I lived in Austin Texas (known for their BBQ), one of the local restaurants had a TV commercial featuring people drinking the BBQ sauce … their whole thing was about it’s so good you can drink it :-)
I saw that episode and I thought, BBQ spaghetti? That’s crazy. But I gotta say your version is sounding pretty good. Your pictures look fantastic!
Yes! This is funny to me, because when my boys were little, I put BBQ in everything, especially spaghetti, because that’s how I got them to eat it. At first I thought, they were little heathens, but when I took a bite, I was sold!
We should listen to kids more often.
I feel like that “chillax” was directed at me, because I took a double-take to make sure I was at your blog when I saw the title. I’ll have to take your word on this one.. spicy is not quiet up my alley anyway. Either way, it looks beautiful and I’ve been wrong about many a food combination before :)
This sounds like our favorite kind of “fridge dump” sauces, the ones where we take a little bit of this and that from the fridge and hope it comes together (it usually does!). Anything with chipotles is okay with me.
I’ll give it a try! I bet this is a dish that would disappear off a buffet in no time.
I came in semi-skeptical, but the idea of bbq chicken pizzas came to mind, so I thought this could work, and after reading it, it definitely sounds like it would work. Sounds like a very tasty way to mix up the usual plate of pasta…I could see shredding some smoked cheddar on top, as well. I’ll have to try this out!
I came in semi-skeptical, but the idea of bbq chicken pizzas came to mind, so I thought this could work, and after reading it, it definitely sounds like it would work. Sounds like a very tasty way to mix up the usual plate of pasta…I could see shredding some smoked cheddar on top, as well. I’ll have to try this out!
I came in semi-skeptical, but the idea of bbq chicken pizzas came to mind, so I thought this could work, and after reading it, it definitely sounds like it would work. Sounds like a very tasty way to mix up the usual plate of pasta…I could see shredding some smoked cheddar on top, as well. I’ll have to try this out!
I came in semi-skeptical, but the idea of bbq chicken pizzas came to mind, so I thought this could work, and after reading it, it definitely sounds like it would work. Sounds like a very tasty way to mix up the usual plate of pasta…I could see shredding some smoked cheddar on top, as well. I’ll have to try this out!
I came in semi-skeptical, but the idea of bbq chicken pizzas came to mind, so I thought this could work, and after reading it, it definitely sounds like it would work. Sounds like a very tasty way to mix up the usual plate of pasta…I could see shredding some smoked cheddar on top, as well. I’ll have to try this out!
I came in semi-skeptical, but the idea of bbq chicken pizzas came to mind, so I thought this could work, and after reading it, it definitely sounds like it would work. Sounds like a very tasty way to mix up the usual plate of pasta…I could see shredding some smoked cheddar on top, as well. I’ll have to try this out!
I came in semi-skeptical, but the idea of bbq chicken pizzas came to mind, so I thought this could work, and after reading it, it definitely sounds like it would work. Sounds like a very tasty way to mix up the usual plate of pasta…I could see shredding some smoked cheddar on top, as well. I’ll have to try this out!
I came in semi-skeptical, but the idea of bbq chicken pizzas came to mind, so I thought this could work, and after reading it, it definitely sounds like it would work. Sounds like a very tasty way to mix up the usual plate of pasta…I could see shredding some smoked cheddar on top, as well. I’ll have to try this out!
I came in semi-skeptical, but the idea of bbq chicken pizzas came to mind, so I thought this could work, and after reading it, it definitely sounds like it would work. Sounds like a very tasty way to mix up the usual plate of pasta…I could see shredding some smoked cheddar on top, as well. I’ll have to try this out!
Really interesting idea. Definitely going on the to try list. Thanks!
brilliant idea, i love bbq sauce on anything…hmm except on my favorite top hehehe
fabulous dish Peter. One of these days I really hope you’ll share a pasta with Presto Pasta Nights.
When I first saw the title of this posting I thought you had actually found a way to cook spaghetti on the BBQ! Truth is, I would not have been surprised had that been the case! :-) Another imaginative offering, Peter!
I like my food spicy, and this seems like a terrific way to zhoozh the traditional spag bog.
OK, that sounds awesome. Seriously