Loose Grind Meat Spaghetti

The ultimate comfort food of the Addie Rousseau family was Maw Maw Mabel’s “Loose Grind Meat” spaghetti.

As any real Cajun cook, she created her family favorites with no written recipe. And when she told her daughter-in-law Kathleen Whaley Rousseau the recipe, she omitted the “secret ingredient.”

That is until they were all stuck inside for Hurricane Andrew and Kathleen watched Maw Maw put in two big spoonfuls of BBQ sauce. When questioned about it, Mabel said,

“Mais Kathleen. I always put two big cookin’ spoons of barbeque sauce in my spaghetti!”

No wonder it never tasted the same…..

a grand bayou recipe

LOOSE GRIND MEAT SPAGHETTI

Mabel (Maw Maw) Hebert Rousseau’s famous loose grind meat spaghetti from Grand Bayou.

    INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup flour
    • 1 cup oil
    • 1 large onion
    • 1/2 small bell pepper
    • 8 oz tomato paste
    • 1 lb ground beef
    • salt & pepper
    • garlic powder
    • Tony Chachere’s seasoning
    • 2 tbsp Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
    • 1/4 cup parsley
    • 2 cups of water
    • 1/4 cup green onion
    • 2 cooking spoons Kraft barbecue sauce
    • 1 lb spaghetti noodles

    Make Sauce

    1
    • Stir 1 cup flour and 1 cup oil until it turns brown to make a roux
    • Add onion and bell pepper to the roux and wait for them to wilt.
    • Once wilted, add the tomato paste to darken the roux, stirring constantly to avoid sticking.
    • Add ground meat, garlic powder, salt, pepper, parsley, Tony Chachere’s and Worcestershire sauce.
    • Once meat is browned, add 2 cups water along with the green onions.
    • Season to taste.
    • Cook on low for 15 minutes, adding water as needed.
    • Right before serving, add 2 cooking spoons of Kraft barbecue sauce.
    • Let simmer for 10 minutes.

    Noodles

    2
    • Boil water and cook spaghetti noodles until desired level

    Serve

    3
    • Serve sauce over spaghetti noodles with parmesan cheese.