Spanish Spaghetti with Olives

I am so glad I subscribed to Cooking Light magazine. I have found so many good recipes there! Like this one! My only problem with this recipe is that I made too much pasta. I can never figure out how much to cook! Anyone else have that problem? This recipe came together really quickly, and everyone liked it. I think next time I will add more capers and more olives (Liam loves olives, so Toby and I were picking through our pasta and giving our olives to him!). This one is a keeper! I served this with some garlic bread.

PS: I was going to use saffron, and when I went to buy it I found 2 different brands, but they were both $15+. I need to find a cheaper source of saffron!

rating: 9.5

Spanish Spaghetti with Olives
(www.cookinglight.com)

Ingredients:

* 8 ounces thin spaghetti
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 2 cups chopped onion
* 2 teaspoons minced garlic
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon celery salt (I used celery seed and some salt)
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads (optional)- I omitted
* 8 ounces extra-lean ground beef (I used 1 bag of Quorn Grounds)
* 1 2/3 cups marinara sauce
* 1/2 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives
* 1/4 cup dry sherry
* 1 tablespoon capers
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided (I omitted)

Preparation:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in oregano, celery salt, red pepper, black pepper, and saffron, if desired. Crumble beef into pan; cook 5 minutes or until beef is browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in marinara sauce, olives, sherry, capers, and 3 tablespoons parsley. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

3. Add spaghetti to sauce mixture. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.

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