Yep, butter spaghetti. Ok Carol P. Finally I am posting this. I think the last time I made this, was 20 years ago. It’s not exactly healthy, but I have been craving it lately.

I had a neighbor years ago who made this for me one day. She brought over this huge pot of spaghetti. But I noticed right away that it wasn’t the usual thick red sauce pasta that we all know and love. This was very juicy and had bell peppers. Well, I love spaghetti a gazillion different ways, so I was excited.

OMG, my husband (at the time), my daughter and I ate that entire pot. I ran next door and asked my neighbor “what was in that spaghetti that made it so good and juicy!!?” She laughed and said “well, it’s real simple and not very good for you”. Hahahah.

She was right. It’s ground beef, canned tomatoes, bell peppers and a stick of butter. Yes!….a whole stick of butter. The flavor is amazing. It became a family favorite and we had it often. One night, I made it for my friend Carol and her hubby Rick. They LOVED it. Especially Rick. Ok Carol, I have to tell the story. So Carol was always trying to cook a bit healthy. Well, one night, Rick called me and said “hey betty, Carol made your butter spaghetti tonight and it sure didn’t taste like yours.” I asked him to put Carol on the phone. I asked her how she made it. She said “Rick’s being picky.” She proceeded to tell me this, “Well, I used ground turkey, spaghetti, tomatoes and Country Crock”. I busted out laughing and told her “Uh, it’s not called Country Crock spaghetti, it’s called butter spaghetti and you need to use ground beef”. We laughed about that for years.

Well anyway, I know this is not exactly a healthy dish, but it’s so good. You definitely taste the butter and the bell peppers. The pasta just sucks up all that flavor…….just like you will suck up all that juicy pasta!

Oh, and I should warn you…it’s best not to have any leftovers. Hahahah, because if you do and put the leftovers away in the fridge…..welllll, the butter solidifies of course and you will be shocked to see all that butter! 🙂

Butter Spaghetti

1 large 28 oz. can diced or whole tomatoes
1 stick of butter
1 lb. ground beef
3/4 of a 1 pound box of spaghetti
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, sliced (I used orange, but red or green will do)
salt and pepper to taste

Boil your pasta. While that’s cooking, to a large skillet, fry the ground beef and garlic. Add the pepper slices and give it a toss.  Add the tomatoes and once it starts simmering, add the butter, salt and pepper. Allow to simmer. Pour in the drained pasta.

Give it a good toss until the pasta is all coated. Simmer at low, for about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Then go jog a mile…or 2. Hahahah. Just kidding.