Broccoli in spaghetti?
 

Think I could hide some cooked brocolli in spaghetti? It's the only way I think I'll be able to get myself (and my husband) to eat it without loading it up with butter and cheese..... Thoughts?

I had this yesterday :), although not by choice, it was what was made. If you're trying to hide it, chop it up finer. Should be great. But then, I have always loved chunkier, vegetable-filled spaghetti sauce. If you're not fond of broccoli, try adding mushrooms too to distract, and maybe even sliced or shredded carrot. Bell peppers, mushrooms and zucchini are my favorites in spaghetti sauce.

Sounds delish! Puree it if you have to?

How about Veggie Lasagne (splg?) through some zucchini and other veggie faves into... O no now I'm getting hungry! LOL :D

I love veggies, and I love tomato sauces, and I combine the two very frequently. Because I love veggies, it's hard for me to say whether you'll like the combo, but I suspect you will, especially if you chop them fine.

One of my favorite side dishes is green beans in tomato sauce. My grandmother made it frequently to top mashed potatoes (so yummy, I lived off it in college, though used baked potatoes instead of mashed). Her original recipe called for several pieces of bacon, diced, chopped onions (sauteed together), then add a can of tomato sauce, a dash of vinegar and a tsp of sugar, and a can of green beans (I like french cut, best). I cut it down to one piece of bacon (or I shortcut the whole thing and just add a can or two of green beans to a jar of prepared spaghetti sauce). Served over pasta or potatoes, very yummy (though I've cut far back on the amount of starches that I serve under them).

I've also added spinache, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, frozen mixed vegetables (there are so many varieties now) into spaghetti sauces - either to serve over pasta, or even just alone.

You can saute it in Garlic and oil when done add a little chicken broth to it before you place it over the spaghetti. This is also good when you mix in either chicken or shrimp with it.

My pasta sauce never tastes the same, because I make it with whatever veggies I happen to have on hand. I use a microplane on sturdy veggies, and a mezzaluna for the others, like broccoli or mushrooms. Hubby doesn't like huge chunks of veggies in his sauce, so I chop everything tiny then add the chunks to my own plate.

I do this very often. In fact, I do it to bulk up my spaghetti/pasta so I use less pasta!

mmm. I do this all of the time. In fact, one of my weekday standbys (and an easy way to clean out the fridge) is to sauté thinly sliced chicken breast in olive oil and whatever spices that I'm feeling, toss in any veggies I have on hand (usually broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, peppers), pour in a jar of marinara, and serve over whole wheat pasta. It is so yummy and filling. Plus it takes 15 mins from start to finish.

Also, have you tried roasting broccoli in the oven? An easy way to do this is to toss the broccoli with a bit of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and cook at about 450 in the oven for 10 mins. The broccoli will start to brown a little bit and will get this wonderful caramelized sweetness on the outside. I also like to sprinkle some fresh lemon juice and lemon zest or balsamic vinegar over it when it comes out of the oven. So good! This also works well with brussel sprouts.

That sounds SO good!

I threw some brocc in the spaghetti and it didn't taste bad at all. In fact, it was barely noticeable. ;)

I got the idea for the roasted broccoli from here:
http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2008/1...st_brocco.html
I follow the directions down to when you remove it from the oven. The original recipe calls for extra olive oil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and basil. But I liked it better with just the lemon squeezed on at the end. It is so very yummy!

The first thing that came to my mind when you mentioned broccoli in spaghetti was the broccoli spaghetti dish that my mom makes, passed down from my grandmother. It's really quick and tastes just as good cold (actually I think I prefer it this way). All you do is cook spaghetti (or any noodle you prefer really) and then toss it with steamed broccoli florets cut into fairly small pieces, freshly cracked pepper, some salt, garlic powder/jarred minced garlic, Season All, some parmesan cheese and olive oil. Sometimes if I want to cut down on the olive oil I use a little bit of red wine vinegar, which makes it more like a pasta salad. You can add chicken to this, sliced olives... really anything.

I like making spaghetti sauce with vegetables in stead of meat sometimes. I also like to make vegetable lasgana.

This is a great, yummy thread and I am ganking some of the ideas. Thanks :D