personal essay

This 30-minute pasta dish is a weeknight dinner crowd-pleaser. 

Finding My Way Home Through Ketchup Pasta

Salt

white onion

green belll pepper

white button mushrooms

all-beef hot dogs

garlic

dry spaghetti

olive oil

ketchup

unsalted butter

soy sauce

sugar

black pepper

Tabasco sauce

Parmesan cheese,

Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

The Kitchn

Rachel Ng

Step 1

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, thinly slice 1 medium white onion and 1 medium green bell pepper. Remove the stems from 8 ounces white button mushrooms and thinly slice the mushrooms. Cut 4 all-beef hot dogs crosswise on a slight diagonal into 1/4-inch thick pieces. Mince 3 garlic cloves.

Step 2

Add 1 pound dry spaghetti to the boiling water and cook according to package directions until al dente, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.

Step 3

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper, mushrooms, and hot dogs, and cook until the peppers and onions are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.

Step 4

Add 1/2 cup ketchup, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar, and stir to combine. Add the spaghetti and reserved pasta water and toss with tongs until just combined and coated in sauce. Taste and season with black pepper and a few dashes of Tabasco sauce as needed. Served topped with grated Parmesan cheese.

To make sweet potato cornbread even more irresistible, pair it with homemade maple butter.

Why I&#8217;m Making Sweet Potato Cornbread for Kwanzaa This Year

all-purpose flour

yellow cornmeal

baking powder

salt

potatoes

eggs

milk

sour cream

maple syrup

maple syrup, plus more as needed

cinnamon

kosher salt,

Cooking sweet potatoes: Here are two ways to cook whole sweet potatoes. Once cooked, scoop the flesh out and mash until mostly smooth. You’ll need a sweet potato that weighs at least 12 ounces to get 1 cup mashed.Bake: Prick a 12-ounce or larger sweet potato 4 to 5 times with a fork. Place on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 425ºF until cooked through and easily pierced with a knife or fork to the center, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.Microwave: Prick a 12-ounce or larger sweet potato 4 to 5 times with a fork. Place on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on 100% power for 5 minutes. (If your microwave doesn’t have a turntable, flip the potato after 3 minutes.) Check the potato: If it can’t be easily pierced with a knife or fork to the center, continue microwaving in 1-minute increments until cooked through.Storage: Leftover cornbread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Leftover maple butter can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

April Wright

Place 1 stick unsalted butter for the maple butter on the counter and let sit at room temperature until softened. Meanwhile, make the cornbread.

Step 1: Make the cornbread:

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 375ºF.

Step 2: Make the cornbread:

Place 2 tablespoons of the unsalted butter into a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Place the skillet in the oven and let heat for 8 minutes. Meanwhile, make the batter.

Step 3: Make the cornbread:

Place 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

Step 4: Make the cornbread:

Place the remaining 8 tablespoons unsalted butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until melted, about 1 minute. (Alternatively, melt the butter on the stovetop and pour into a medium bowl). Add 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 cup mashed, cooked sweet potatoes, 4 large eggs, 1/2 cup whole milk, 1/2 cup sour cream, and 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and whisk until smooth and combined. Pour into the flour mixture and whisk just until combined. Do not over mix.

Step 5: Make the cornbread:

Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Tilt the skillet in a circular motion so that the melted butter coats the bottom and goes at least halfway up the sides. Pour the batter into the skillet and smooth the top.

Step 6: Make the cornbread:

Return the skillet to the oven and bake until golden-brown, puffy, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. A few minutes before the cornbread is ready, make the maple butter.

Step 1:  For the maple butter: 

Place the softened 1 stick unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons maple syrup, 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and a pinch of kosher salt in a medium bowl. Beat on low speed with an electric hand mixer until combined. Increase the speed to high and continue mixing until pale and fluffy. Taste and add more maple syrup and kosher salt as needed.

Step 2:  For the maple butter: 

Slice the hot or warm cornbread into squares or wedges and serve with the maple butter.

Top 2 personal essay recipes from across the web

The most viewed personal essay recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Finding My Way Home Through Ketchup...

Why I’m Making Sweet Potato C...

Top 2 personal essay recipes from across the web

The most viewed personal essay recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Finding My Way Home Through Ketchup...

Why I&#8217;m Making Sweet Potato C...

The most viewed personal essay recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Why I’m Making Sweet Potato C...