National Spaghetti Day – January 4th

Did you know January 4th is National Spaghetti Day?

Where did spaghetti come from??
Pasta is believed by some to have originated in China. It was said to have been brought to Italy by Marco Polo, a merchant from Venice. Others believed that Polo rediscovered pasta, and that the food was originally consumed by the Romans and Etruscans.

When was spaghetti created??
Introduced in 1965 by the Campbell Soup Company under the Franco-American brand, the pasta was created by Donald Goerke (1926–2010), “the Daddy-O of SpaghettiOs”, after a year-long internal study of the appropriate shape for a pasta dish that people could eat without making a mess.

When was spaghetti first made??
The first industrial pasta factory in America was built in Brooklyn in 1848 by, of all people, a Frenchman, who spread his spaghetti strands on the roof to dry in the sunshine.

Explore Cuisine shared some of their most popular spaghetti recipes to help you prepare – and I have to say, I can’t wait to try them all!

Roasted Vegetables with Pasta

• 1 box of Explore Cuisine Organic Edamame Spaghetti
• 1 c of yellow squash, diced into ½ inch pieces
• 1 c of zucchini squash, diced into ½ inch pieces
• 1 c of red onion, diced into ½ inch pieces
• 1 c of red bell pepper, deseeded, diced into ½ inch pieces
• 1 c of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 t garlic salt OR salt and pepper as needed
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 c of fresh parsley
• lemon

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Toss your veggies (excluding parsley) with olive oil and your choice of either garlic salt or salt/pepper.
3. Put your veggies into an oven safe roasting pan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes.
4. While your veggies are cooking, prepare your pasta per the directions on the box.
5. When pasta is cooked, drain and set aside.
6. When veggies are cooked, toss with pasta. Top mixture with the juice from one lemon half.
7. Top with parsley and serve!

Southwestern Black Bean Spaghetti

• 1/4 box Explore Cuisine Black Bean Spaghetti
• 1/2 zucchini spiralized into “noodles”
• 1/4 Red Bell Pepper
• 2 handfuls Baby Spinach
• 1/4 cucumber
• 1/4 cup corn (canned in water works great- just rinse them)
• 1/4 avocado mashed with fresh organic lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. vegan cheese (I used Leaf Cuisine Plain Cream Cheese) pumpkin seeds + dill for garnish

1. Start by boiling a big pot of water for your black bean spaghetti. Once boiled, add the spaghetti and let cook for 6 minutes.
2. Once done, remove from heat, rinse under cool water and set aside.
3. Prep your veggies! Finely dice your cucumber, bell pepper, mash your avocado, spiralize your zucchini.
4. Next, add a spicy adobo chipotle sauce to your noodles and zucchini noodles. Combine the ancho and guajillo chiles in a large bowl and add plenty of cold water to cover. Let them soak until soft, about 30 minutes. Place the soaked chiles in a blender along with the ginger, cumin, salt, and pepper. Blend until very smooth. Stop the motor a few times to scrape down the sides with a spatula and give things a stir, just to make sure everything’s getting puréed. Don’t be tempted to add liquid—you want the final sauce to be thick. Scrape the purée into a small bowl if you plan to use it soon, or into a jar with a tight fitting lid if you want to save it for later. It’ll keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for 3 months.
5. Add a few handfuls of baby spinach to a big ‘ol bowl. Add some noodles, guac, then add cucumber, red bell pepper, vegan cheese, pumpkin seeds, and freshly chopped dill!
6. Enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower Alfredo Edamame Spaghetti