Our First Meal In Our New Home {Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe}

We finally moved. Finally. It took over a month longer than anticipated to renovate our new home, and at times it seemed like we’d be in limbo forever, without a kitchen, eating out every day, and squeezed into one little room. But we are finally here in our new family home, and we love it.

One of my family’s favorite meals is my spaghetti bolognese. It’s something both my husband and son love so I love making it for them, and it was a great choice for our first family meal in our new home. I made it in my new Le Creuset Simmer, Steam, Fry Set, which you can see here in Cassis.

The Le Creuset Simmer, Steam, Fry Set is a 5 1/2 quart cast iron wonder that allows me to make pretty much anything with the included stainless steel steamer basket and deep fry thermometer, including steam veggies (love!) and fry (we don’t fry much, but on the rare occasion we do, I can now easily do it). The 5 1/2 qt enameled cast iron round french oven will pretty much be on my stove top for daily use from now on. I love Le Creuset bakeware, so I am thrilled to have one of their high quality, beautiful cookware pieces in my kitchen. I’ve always wanted a complete cast iron cookware set, the type you pass on to future generations, and this french oven just started my collection.

And just in case you are interested in trying out my spaghetti and meat sauce recipe:

Penelope’s Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe

Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup water or broth
1 cup organic diced tomatoes
1 cup tomato sauce
1 box spaghetti
salt and pepper

Instructions
1. In a large pot or french oven, add 2 tablespoons olive and brown the beef over a medium heat. Add in onion, peppers, chili powder, garlic and stir together. Cook for 10 minutes, occasionally adding water to keep hydrated.
2. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce into the french oven. Stir together and simmer for 30 minutes, then put on side.
3. Make spaghetti according to directions on box.
4. Season meat sauce with salt and pepper to taste and serve over spaghetti.

I was able to use the Le Creuset Simmer, Steam, Fry Set to make the entire meal by using the french oven to make the meat sauce, and then the pasta, and I used the steamer basket to drain the pasta. I made a salad as well (I love salads!) and we had a wonderful first evening together relaxing in our new home. We are looking forward to many more wonderful family dinners in the years to come. Stay tuned for more great recipes, and our renovation updates photos!

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