Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

I don't eat to live. I live to eat.

Spicy Kheema Spaghetti

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Growing up I always had a deep craving for what was considered “White people’s food” – burgers, hot dogs, pasta. Now of course I had access to it, but eating zabihah halal, I was limited to only eating vegetarian and seafood unless of course my mom made it for me using halal meat at home.

But much to my disappointment, there was no way she was going to ever produce a hot cheesy lasagna or a crispy chicken parmesan, no matter how many times she’d seen it on Food Network. These were anghraizi food and my mother was not anghraizi and therefore was not about to make these things. If I was hungry I was going to have to be satisfied with daal chawal.

So when I did request my mother to make spaghetti for me as a kid, I knew there wasn’t a chance in hell that she was going to pull out a block of parmesan or chop up a sprig of basil …these ingredients were foreign to her.

Instead she came up with this dish.

With spicy ground beef/lamb marinated in turmeric, fennel powder, and lots of garlic cooked along with onions, tomatoes, and chilies – this literally is the Indian version of a  spaghetti and meat sauce. And after trying some, I didn’t care if it wasn’t authentic Italian like the way I saw Giada make it; it was too damn delicious.

I recently asked my mom for the full recipe, did a bit of adjusting, and now I am sharing it here with you all.

I start off by marinating the kheema (ground beef) in turmeric, fennel powder, coriander, cumin, and lots of garlic – this makes the kheema super flavorful. I then add in onion, bell pepper, serrano chilies, and fresh tomatoes along with some water to make a thick meat sauce.

Instead or oregano or basil, I add in a generous helping of fresh cilantro and toss it in some pasta noodles such as spaghetti or linguini.

This is a wonderful comfort dish, an easy week-night meal, and super kid-friendly!

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Spicy Kheema Spaghetti

Ingredients

  • 1 lb spaghetti, linguine, or pasta of your choice
  • 2-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb ground beef or lamb (may also substitute with plant-based ground meat or diced mushrooms)
  • 1 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp fennel power
  • 3/4 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • 2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 small onions
  • 2-3 jalapenos or serranos
  • 1 28 oz crushed tomatoes can (or substitute with 5-6 fresh tomatoes chopped)
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/3 cup cilantro (chopped)

Instructions

Spicy Kheema Meat Sauce

  1. Add your olive oil to a hot pan and begin to brown the ground meat.

  2. Add in your salt and seasonings, cook the meat through.

  3. Once the meat has browned, add in your diced onions and serrano chilies.

  4. Once the onion becomes translucent, stir in the ginger-garlic paste and cook for a few minutes.

  5. Now add in your chopped tomatoes. Stir around. Add in about 1/2 a cup of water in order to attain the consistency of a sauce.

  6. The water will gradually evaporate and the meat sauce will thicken. Add in the sugar and taste and adjust for seasonings.

Pasta

  1. In a large stock pot, boil a quart or so of salted water. To boil faster, cover with a lid.

  2. Once the pasta water has come to a rapid boil, add in the pasta. Cook until al-dente. Should take about 10-11 minutes. (See package instructions.)

  3. Drain the pasta and toss in the meat sauce. Garnish with cilantro. Your pasta dish is ready to serve!